From the the White House to Morehouse; HBCU selects Wilson as new leader

John Silvanus Wilson, Jr., a 1979 graduate of Morehouse College, was named the 11th president of the nation's only historically black college for men.

Wilson returns to Morehouse directly from Washington, D.C., where he is currently the executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

“Dr. Wilson has the vision, experience and passion to continue to lead our college in its mission to provide an excellent and relevant academic experience for young men and to further our proud tradition of producing leaders for a global community,” said Robert C. Davidson, Jr. chairman of the Morehouse College Board of Trustees in a statement announcing the appointment.

Before working with the White House Initiative, Wilson was an associate professor of higher education in the Graduate School of Education at George Washington University.

Wilson spent the first 16 years of his career at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, including stints as director of foundation relations and assistant provost.

After graduating from Morehouse, he attended Harvard University, where he got a master of theology and both a master’s and a doctoral degree in administration, planning and social policy.

Wilson will assume the helm of the college from Robert M. Franklin, who stepped down as the college’s president in January after five years, although he had agreed to remain on campus until a successor was chosen.