Robert A. Wilson is Provost for Cedar Crest College. As Chief Academic Officer, he provides leadership for the Academic Affairs division, including all academic departments and instructional programs, academic services, the registrar’s office, information technology, Cressman Library, institutional effectiveness and research, and global initiatives and international programs.
With a commitment to inclusive excellence, equity, and expanded access to higher education, Dr. Wilson has a passion for ensuring that college enables all students to achieve at their highest levels.
Dr. Wilson serves as co-chair of Cedar Crest’s 2017-2021 strategic plan, “The Aspiration of Others.” He also oversees the periodic review and planning process for all academic programs and college offices, the college internationalization process, the bias response team, and all academic judicial cases.
Dr. Wilson cooperatively leads the Diversity and Inclusion Council. He furthermore coordinates specialized accreditation for the college’s degree programs, directs compliance with federal and state regulations for higher education.
As Associate Provost, Dr. Wilson has led faculty workshops on topics such as diversity and inclusion, integrative curriculum development and revision, the assessment of academic programs, classroom engagement, and general-education knowledge and skills. A practiced teacher of online courses, he is a Quality Matters certified course reviewer.
Dr. Wilson was the co-founder of Cedar Crest’s Pan-European MFA in Creative Writing, a low-residency writing program with students enrolled across seven different time zones who come together for residencies in Dublin, Barcelona, and Vienna. He has been President of Faculty Council, Chair of the Curriculum and Academic Policy Committee, Chair of the Department of Humanities, Director of Writing, and a leader for institution-wide Academic Program Review. A faculty member since 2002, he teaches courses in literature, writing, and film studies.
Dr. Wilson is Treasurer for the Pennsylvania College English Association, where he has been a member of the Board of Directors since 2010. He maintains active membership in scholarly and academic organizations that include the Association of American Colleges & Universities, the Modern Language Association, and the Nathaniel Hawthorne Society.
Wilson earned his doctorate of philosophy in English from Lehigh University, receiving the 2006 Stout distinguished dissertation prize. He holds a master of arts in literature (2000) and a bachelor of arts in English, history, and pre-law (1998) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. In addition, he has a certificate in Education Policy and Program Evaluation from Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies (2015).