MARION, Ala. – David Wilson, Ed.D., president of Morgan State University, will give the commencement address at Judson College on June 23.
The commencement exercises will begin at 11:00 a.m. in Alumnae Auditorium on the Judson campus in Marion.
Born into a sharecropping family in nearby Marengo County, Wilson did not attend school full-time until seventh grade. With hard work, determination, and the encouragement of his father and teachers, Wilson became the first person in his family to attend college. He went on to earn degrees from Tuskegee University (B.S. and M.S.) and the Harvard University Graduate School of Education (Ed.M. and Ed.D.).
His calling as a career educator has led him to several distinguished positions, including as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and the University of Wisconsin-Extension, associate provost and vice president at Auburn University, and associate provost at Rutgers University. In 2010 he was appointed by former President Barack Obama to an 11-member board of advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Wilson has served as president of Morgan State University in Baltimore since 2010, leading the university to growth in many areas, including retention, program offerings, and alumni giving. A college scholarship fund he endowed at Morgan State is a tribute to his father’s $5 investment in his education.
“We are so thankful that Black Belt native Dr. David Wilson will address the class of 2018 at Judson this year,” said Dr. Scott Bullard, Interim President. “Wilson is an academic leader whose personal story of courage and faithfulness should inspire our students to dream big – not only in terms of their personal aspirations but in terms of the positive impact that a life well lived can have on other people. From Alabama to Baltimore, Maryland, Dr. Wilson’s vision for higher education in America – which is drawn not only from his innovative spirit but also from his deep roots in rural Alabama – has changed the lives of so very many young people for the better.”
For Wilson’s full biography, visit the Morgan State website. For more information about Judson’s commencement ceremony, contact Donna Bennett in the Academic Dean’s Office at 334.683.5104.