Pat and Richard Wilson

Richard F. Wilson, President
Illinois Wesleyan University

Dr. Richard F. Wilson took office as Illinois Wesleyan's 18th president on July 1, 2004.

Among his first initiatives at the University was to chair a strategic planning and budgeting effort involving faculty, staff, students, alumni and trustees.  Following broad consultation on critical issues and challenges facing the University, a plan was developed and approved by the Board of Trustees in February 2006.

During his Inaugural address, Wilson underscored a commitment to three core elements of Illinois Wesleyan’s promise: its distinctive mission, its commitment to global citizenship and its concern for civic leadership and community engagement.

He said Illinois Wesleyan’s distinctive mission includes curricular breadth – creating an environment that permits experimentation, growth, and pathways of change; diversity – which enriches the lives of everyone on campus who engages in discussion with those whose perspectives differ from their own; and a balance between teaching and research – as faculty members carry out instructional responsibilities and pursue scholarly or artistic interests with student participation in mind.

Citing the importance of preparing students to live in a global society and the diverse opportunities for learning about other cultures offered at Illinois Wesleyan, Wilson added, “(yet) we cannot leave this important matter to chance. We must incorporate into the undergraduate experience those opportunities that allow students to enhance their sensitivities and develop their roles as global citizens.”

Since its founding, Illinois Wesleyan has been committed to a relationship with the surrounding community, Wilson noted.  “My sense is that many students who enroll at Illinois Wesleyan come with community service interests and experience and quickly find meaningful ways to contribute to the quality of life in this region. In so doing, they reaffirm the covenant between the University and community, one that I embrace and hope to facilitate,” he said.

Wilson views these as his core responsibilities as president: “reaffirming our commitment to the distinctive mission of this institution, to enhancing our role as global citizens, and to strengthening this University's contributions to the public good.”

A West Virginia native, Wilson earned the B.S. degree from Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi, W.Va. He majored in education and mathematics and won honors in both academics and athletics.

Wilson pursued advanced degrees at the University of Michigan, earning both the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Higher Education.

In 1978, he began a 26-year tenure at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, culminating with his roles as Associate Chancellor for Development and Vice President of the University of Illinois Foundation, where he led campus efforts to achieve a $1 billion comprehensive campaign goal.

Wilson is a member of both Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi national honor societies.

Wilson and his wife, Pat, have two children: a son, Adam, who lives in San Francisco, and a daughter, Rachel, who lives in Springfield, Ill.