About the President

University of Massachusetts > President's Office > About President Wilson

Jack M. Wilson, PhD

Jack M. Wilson is the 25th President of the five-campus, 66,000-student University of Massachusetts system. He has led UMass since September 2, 2003. During his career, President Wilson has held positions as Professor of Physics, Department Chair, Research Center Director, Dean, Vice President and Provost and has been a private-sector entrepreneur. At the University of Massachusetts, he was previously the Vice President for Academic Affairs and founding CEO of UMassOnline.

Prior to arriving at UMass, President Wilson was the J. Erik Jonsson '22 Distinguished Professor of Physics, Engineering Science, Information Technology and Management at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he held positions as Dean, Research Center Director and Provost. Before being appointed at Rensselaer, he served on the faculty of the University of Maryland, College Park, and as an officer of the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society.

President Wilson was the founder, CEO and Chairman of the LearnLinc Corporation, founded in 1993 as a spin-off of his research. After several mergers, he formed the publicly traded (NASDAQ) Mentergy Corporation, leaving the company in the next year.  President Wilson's expertise in building links among higher education, government and business led to his becoming the co-founder of the Paul Severino Center for Technological Entrepreneurship as well as other programs. He has consulted for many computing and communications firms, including IBM, AT&T, Lucent, Hewlett Packard and Boeing Flight Safety International.

President Wilson earned his bachelor's degree at Thiel College in 1967, his master's degree in 1970 and his doctorate in 1972 in Physics, both from Kent State University. He lives with his wife Judi and their two children, John and Jessica, in Westborough. He also has two grown daughters, Erika and Gretchen, and four grandchildren.

The Jack M. Wilson Presidency:

Student Enrollment:
Fall 2003: 57,853
Fall 2009: 65,923 (+14.5 percent)

Degrees Conferred:
Academic Year 2002-2003: 10,701
Academic Year 2008-2009: 12,630 (+18 percent)

SAT/GPA (UMass Amherst):
Fall 2003: 1,137; 3.28
Fall 2009: 1,169; 3.60
(GPA +9.8 percent, SAT +2.8 percent)

UMass Spending On Financial Aid:
FY 2003: $36 million
FY 2010: $138 million (+283 percent)

Research Funding:
FY 2003: $320 million
FY 2008: $435.2 million (+36 percent)

Intellectual Property Income:
FY 2003: $20 million
FY 2009: $73 million (+265 percent)

Total University Budget:
FY 2003: $1.5 billion
FY 2010: $2.7 billion (+80 percent)

UMassOnline:
Fiscal Year 2001: 5,009 course enrollments, $3 million in revenue
FY 2009: 40,020 course enrollments, $47 million in revenue
(Course enrollments +699 percent and revenue +1466 percent)

Endowment:
June 30, 2003: $146 million
December 31, 2009: $454 million (+211 percent)

Major Capital Projects Completed FY 2004-FY2010:
Amherst: Integrated Sciences Building, Student Recreation Center, Central Heating Plant, North Apartments (864-bed, apartment-style student housing)
Boston: Campus Center, Venture Development Center
Dartmouth: Charlton College of Business, 1,200 units of new student housing and 800 renovated units
Lowell: Inn and Conference Center, Tsongas Center
UMass Medical School: ACCES Building, Parking garage, Central Services Office in Shrewsbury
UMass System: UMass Club

Major Capital Projects Launched:
Amherst: Integrated Science Center, Phase II
Boston: Integrated Science Center, Bayside Expo Center
Dartmouth:  Library renovation
Lowell: Emerging Technologies and Innovation Center (first new academic building in 32 years)
Medical School: Sherman Research Center

Capital Spending:
Fiscal Year 2004-Fiscal Year 2009: $1.23 billion
Fiscal Year 2010-Fiscal Year 2014 (projected): $2.63 billion