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Frank Wilson, assistant dean for academic affairs at the 51��Ʒ��Ƶ at Greensburg, recently was named the interim associate dean of the David C. Frederick Honors College at 51��Ʒ��Ƶ-Greensburg. Wilson’s appointment is the latest development in the partnership established this past spring between 51��Ʒ��Ƶ’s Frederick Honors College (FHC) and the 51��Ʒ��Ƶ-Greensburg Honors Program.

“I think what makes Frank truly the perfect candidate for this role is that no one knows the Greensburg campus like Frank,” said FHC Dean Nicola Foote. “He has been so committed to student success at that campus, and he is essentially one of the ranking academic officers at Greensburg.”

Wilson has played a key role in shaping the regional campus’ honors education, the foundation of which began in 1999 when the Academic Village, a system of four living-learning communities, was established for the campus’ most intellectually curious students. The communities combined to form one interdisciplinary village in 2010, which served as the unofficial honors community until the Honors Program was formally established in fall 2020.

“Dr. Wilson has been part of the core group that planned and created our honors program from the beginning,” said 51��Ʒ��Ƶ-Greensburg President Robert Gregerson. “As we began to work toward integrating our program with the Frederick Honors College, Frank was a primary driver of those efforts. He was a natural choice to represent the Greensburg campus as associate dean of the Frederick Honors College.”

Greensburg students already have benefited from the budding partnership. In spring 2023, Kaylee Huber and Ethan Crosby became the first regional campus students to receive Brackenridge Fellowships for research, and Olivia Petry and Madison Vogel were awarded travel funds in 2023 and 2024, respectively. Moving forward, more Greensburg students will have opportunities to compete for national scholarships like the Fulbright, Truman, Rhodes and Marshall fellowships.

“We thought this was too good to be true, but it’s happening,” said Wilson. “It’s happening, and once it starts, I see continued growth and continued experimentation. I’m absolutely sure that this will be a success. I’m sure that the students who graduate from [the FHC at 51��Ʒ��Ƶ-Greensburg] will come back and be amazed at how it continued to grow.”

A sociologist by training, Wilson also maintains his connection to students in the classroom, teaching Social Movements and Drugs and Society as part of the 51��Ʒ��Ƶ-Greensburg Criminal Justice and Public Policy curriculum.

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