By Eric Stock
BLOOMINGTON – Illinois Wesleyan’s president-elect brings a varied background to the role.
Eric Jensen, 60, said he was trained as an economist who got into education while working in developing countries researching reproductive health programs.
“I became an administrator when I was asked to be one at William & Mary because they needed help getting things done,” Jensen said. “As I did it, I realized a great deal of satisfaction and a lot of opportunity in that kind of a job. That ended me up at Hamline (University) and then (Illinois Wesleyan).”
Jensen has been provost at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota since 2012 after working for 30 years at William and Mary.
He added be brings a ‘clear-eyed realism’ to the financial challenges that all higher education faces, but added that also presents opportunities.
“We don’t make the world in which we operate, but the world in which we operate creates some opportunities for us,” Jensen said. “What’s going to emerge over time is a notion of just how special institutions like Illinois Wesleyan are and it’s our job to reinforce that specialness.”
He sees his role as embracing the university’s rich tradition while keeping en eye toward the future.
“There’s a number of interesting possibilities that await further conversation on campus as to what direction we might go,” Jensen said. “Clearly (we have) a sound foundation upon which to build and a willingness to think about what the future might look like.”
Jensen won’t say what new programs he has in mind, but said he’ll spend the first few months in office getting to know the Illinois Wesleyan community. He told a gathering at Hansen Student Center on Monday that Illinois Wesleyan felt like home the first time he visited.
Jensen is a Homewood, Illinois native. He is expected to take over for the retiring Dick Wilson around the first of November.
Jensen earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan and a bachelor of business administration in economics from the University of Miami. His wife Elizabeth is a former middle school teacher. The couple has two grown children. Joseph works for University of Washington Medicine in Seattle, and Jessica is pursuing a master’s in public health at the University of Minnesota and resides in Saint Paul.
Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].
