Linda S. Wilson (born 1936) is an American academic administrator who served as president of

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

from 1989 to 1999.

Early life

Wilson was born in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1936.

Education

Wilson received an A.B. with honors from

H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, or Newcomb College, was the coordinate women's college of Tulane University located in New Orleans, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded by Josephine Louise Newcomb in 1886 in memory of her daughter. ...

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

(1957), and went on to receive a Ph.D in

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

from the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

(1962). She, also, received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Newcomb College at Tulane University and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

and

Career

Between 1964 and 1969, Wilson was a researcher and teacher at the University of Maryland,

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

(England), and the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

. Wilson became a university administrator at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

(1969-1974), and the

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Universi ...

(1975-1985). From 1985 to 1989, Wilson was vice president for research at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

. Wilson served as President of

from 1989 to 1999. She started several programs during her tenure. In 1991, she initiated the Radcliffe Research Partnership Program to foster undergraduate research opportunities. In 1993, she began the Radcliffe Public Policy Institute to encourage

interdisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

research between scholars, policymakers, business and labor leaders, and members of the media. In 1993, Wilson, along with faculty members at Radcliffe College and six other Boston institutions, helped to start the Graduate Consortium in Women’s Studies to further advance scholarship in

women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppress ...

. After

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

and Radcliffe agreed to merge and created the

Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is a part of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts, a ...

in 1999, Wilson ended her tenure as president. Wilson acted as an advisor to the

United States Department of Energy The United States Department of Energy (DOE) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government that oversees U.S. national energy policy and manages the research and development of nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the United Stat ...

and the

National Research Council National Research Council may refer to: * National Research Council (Canada), sponsoring research and development * National Research Council (Italy), scientific and technological research, Rome * National Research Council (United States), part of ...

. She also served as a director for

ICANN The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN ) is an American multistakeholder group and nonprofit organization responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the namespaces ...

from October 1998 to June 26, 2003. She is a Trustee of the Committee on Economic Development, a Director of Myriad Genetics, Inc. and Inacom, Inc., and Honorary Trustee of the Massachusetts General Hospital, a member of the Board of Visitors for the University of Wisconsin College of Letters and Science, and a member of the Dean's Advisory Council of Newcomb College. Wilson is a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

, and was a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

. In addition, she is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Science, and the Research Roundtable of the National Academy of Sciences.

Personal life

Wilson is married, and has two children.

References

External links

Papers, 1990-1998.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.

* ttps://icannwiki.org/Linda_Wilson Linda WilsonICANNwiki. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Linda S. Living people 1936 births University of Michigan faculty University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Letters and Science alumni Presidents of Radcliffe College H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College alumni Members of the National Academy of Medicine Tulane University alumni University System of Maryland faculty University of Missouri faculty Washington University in St. Louis staff