Illinois Wesleyan President Richard F. Wilson Elected Chairman of CCIW Council of Presidents

Wilson

NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University President Richard F. Wilson was elected chairman of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Council of Presidents Tuesday.

Wilson will begin his term as Council of Presidents chairman July 1. He will replace Carthage College President F. Gregory Campbell, who has served as Council of Presidents chairman since November 2004.

“On behalf of the entire conference, I want to thank Carthage President F. Gregory Campbell for his exemplary service and leadership to the CCIW over the past four years,” CICW Commissioner Chris Martin said. “I’m confident that President Wilson will continue to move the conference forward as the new chairman of the CCIW Council of Presidents. We are excited to have him assume this position and look forward to his leadership.”

Wilson became the 18th president of Illinois Wesleyan University on July 1, 2004. A West Virginia native, Wilson earned a B.S. degree from Alderson-Broaddus College in Philippi, W. Va., majoring in education and mathematics. He pursued advanced degrees from the University of Michigan, earning both an M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Higher Education.

“I’m delighted to take on this responsibility,” President Wilson said. “As one of the top NCAA Division III conferences, the CCIW and its presidents are deeply committed to our student-athletes. Key to that commitment is the fact that academic success should be our first priority.”

In 1978, Wilson began a 26-year tenure at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, serving in 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.

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, and a daughter, Rachel.

The CCIW, which sponsors 21 sports, has carried a long tradition of excellence dating back to its inception in 1946, servicing eight academically superior institutions, including Augustana College, Carthage College, Elmhurst College, Illinois Wesleyan University, Millikin University, North Central College, North Park University and Wheaton College. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, located in Terre Haute, Ind., is an associate member for men’s and women’s swimming.