Presidents

Students in Joanne Diaz’s Survey of English Poetry class visited the archives multiple times this semester to create an exhibit that showcases both material from IWU collections as well as commonplace books created by their classmates throughout the semester. The … Continue reading →

After serving as interim president since August 2019, S. Georgia Nugent has been appointed to serve as Illinois Wesleyan University’s 20th president by the Board of Trustees. Nugent is president emerita (2003-2013) of Kenyon College, OH and served as interim … Continue reading →

Munsell Hall is named for two brothers: Charles W. C. Munsell and Oliver Spencer Munsell. Both are credited with seeing IWU through its first financial crisis in 1857, growing student enrollment, and securing funds for the second campus building (1870). … Continue reading →

The Wilson Atrium in the Center for Natural Science Learning and Research (CNS) is named in honor of IWU’s 18th President Richard F. Wilson (2004-2015 and interim in summer 2019) and his wife, Patricia L. Wilson. Wilson gave special attention … Continue reading →

At the heart of IWU’s 82-acre campus is the park-like Eckley Quadrangle, named for IWU’s 15th president Robert S. Eckley (1968-1986) and his wife Nell. They were instrumental in developing and implementing a landscaping plan for the Quad after Dutch … Continue reading →

Bertholf Commons, aka “Saga,” in the Memorial Student Center honors President and professor of Biology Lloyd Bertholf (1959-1968) and his wife Martha. During his presidency IWU established the practice of offering a “short term” in our academic year. What we … Continue reading →

Every year since 2010, we’ve sustained a tradition of selecting artifacts, photos and publications from archival collections for exhibition in the Homecoming Mini Museum on the Quad tent. This post contains photos of the tent from the 2017 celebration so you … Continue reading →

Happy May Day! The Society of American Archivists promotes May 1 as a day for all cultural heritage institutions to take time to consider how well their collections are protected.This year there’s a twist: a call for support of the … Continue reading →

Jensen is a native of Homewood, IL; he earned his Ph.D. and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Michigan and and his undergraduate degree in economics from the University of Miami. He most recently served as provost of … Continue reading →

Wilson holds a bachelor’s degree in education and an honorary doctorate from Alderson-Broaddus University in West Virginia. He earned master and doctoral degrees in higher education from the University of Michigan. Wilson served as the president of IWU from 2004-2015. … Continue reading →

Myers was born in Copley, Ohio and graduated from Carleton College in 1968. He earned masters and doctorate degrees in political philosophy, philosophy, and politics from Princeton University. The author of eight books and a musical play, Myers was an … Continue reading →

Anderson was a graduate of the University of Minnesota and received a Master’s from Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School before receiving a Ph.D. from Georgetown University. He had been on the staff of the Association of American Colleges and Assistant to … Continue reading →

Eckley grew up in Peoria, IL, graduated from Bradley University in 1942 with a B.A. in economics and completed an M.B.A. at the University of Minnesota, before serving for three years in the Coast Guard on the U.S.S. Davenport. After … Continue reading →

Bertholf was a native of rural Kansas, attended Friends University, and graduated from Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas. He served in the coast artillery in World War I (stationed at Fort Monroe, Virginia). Bertholf undertook graduate studies at Johns Hopkins … Continue reading →

Holmes was the 13th IWU President, 1947 – 1958. Holmes, like many of his predecessors, was a Methodist minister, and also had been an Army Chaplain in the 165th Infantry, which became the famous 69th Infantry in World War I. … Continue reading →

Shaw was born in Minnesota in 1869. He graduated from Moores Hill College in Indiana in 1889. He taught in Kentucky for four years and then entered Garrett Biblical Institute where he was given the S.T.B. degree in 1896. Shaw … Continue reading →

Brooks was from Burlington, Iowa, and he was the first president of Wesleyan who was not an ordained minister of the Methodist church. Brooks received his A.B. from York College, his M.A. from Columbia University, and his Ph.D. from the … Continue reading →

McPherson grew up on an Illinois Farm, attended school and later taught in Cumberland County. He entered the Academy at IWU in 1901 and during his four years in the College of Liberal Arts, he was active in a wide … Continue reading →

Davidson was born on a farm near Carthage, Illinois. He received his B.S. degree from Chaddock College in 1893, his B.A. from Wesleyan in 1894, and his S.T.B. from Garrett Biblical Institute in 1897. He later returned to Garrett as … Continue reading →

Kemp was the serving pastor of the Grace M.E. Church in Bloomington before being elected the 8th president of IWU in 1908. He was born near Rising Sun, Indiana on April 16th, 1868 and moved to Illinois with his parents in 1883. He graduated … Continue reading →