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. During his tenure, he oversaw two strategic planning efforts, the first completed in 2006 and the second completed in 2014. He is a member of both Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi national honor societies.