John Silvanus Wilson, Jr. is an American academic administrator who served as the 11th president of

Morehouse College Morehouse College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Men's colleges in the United States, men's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, ...

from 2013 to 2017. Before returning to lead his alma mater in 2013, Wilson served in the

United States Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...

, at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

, and the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

Early life and education

John Silvanus Wilson, Jr. was born and raised in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. His father was a clergyman who graduated from

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Richmond, Virginia. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Rich ...

. His mother, a teacher, graduated from

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a Public university, public historically black colleges and universities, historically black research university in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically bla ...

. Wilson attended

and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1979, majoring in business with a minor in religion and philosophy. While at Morehouse he was initiated into

Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911, at Indiana University Bloomington, it has n ...

fraternity in the fall of 1976 through the fraternity’s Pi chapter. He was then accepted in graduate programs at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and pursued a master's degree in theology (1981), a master's degree in education (1982), and a doctorate in education (1985). He concentrated his doctoral studies on education administration, planning, and social policy.

Career

Wilson was an administrator at the

(MIT) from 1984 until 2000, becoming its Director of Foundation Relations and Assistant Provost. During this time, he also served as a teaching fellow at Harvard in their African American Studies program, and in the Graduate School of Education. In 2001, Wilson was named the Executive Dean of the

's (GWU) Virginia campus. GWU appointed him an Associate Professor of Higher Education in 2006. In the presidential administration of U.S. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

, Wilson was named to head the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

Initiative on

Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

''.'' Beginning in 2009, he served as a liaison between higher education institutions and the federal government. Wilson was appointed the 11th president of Morehouse College in 2012. Morehouse is the only college in the United States that provides men only liberal arts college education, with focus on

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

. While at MIT, Wilson was the head of the Boston area Morehouse alumni association and received the college's ''

Benjamin Elijah Mays Benjamin Elijah Mays (August 1, 1894 – March 28, 1984) was an American Baptist minister and American rights leader who is credited with laying the intellectual foundations of the American Civil rights movement (1896–1954), civil rights movem ...

Leadership Award'' in 1998. Wilson has served on the governing boards of

Spelman College Spelman College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia ...

, the

Andover Newton Theological School Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) was a graduate school and seminary in Newton, Massachusetts, affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and the United Church of Christ. It was the product of a merger between Andover Theological ...

, and

The Samaritans Samaritans is a registered charitable organisation, charity aimed at providing emotional support to anyone in emotional distress, struggling to cope or at risk of suicide throughout the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Ireland, often thr ...

. He has also served on the advisory board of the

Kresge Foundation The Kresge Foundation is a philanthropic private foundation headquartered in Troy, Michigan, United States. The foundation works to expand opportunities in America's cities through grantmaking and investing in arts and culture, education, enviro ...

and as a consultant to the

United Negro College Fund UNCF, the United Negro College Fund, also known as the United Fund, is an American philanthropic organization that funds scholarships for black students and general scholarship funds for 37 private historically black colleges and universities. ...

Personal life

Wilson is married to engineering professor Carol Espy-Wilson, and has twin daughters and a son.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, John Silvanus Living people Morehouse College alumni Harvard Divinity School alumni Presidents of Morehouse College Harvard Graduate School of Education alumni Year of birth missing (living people)