CSUN’s Wilson Cited as a Leading Educator

Cal State Northridge President Blenda J. Wilson was named one of the nation’s top leaders in higher education by the journal of the American Assn. of Higher Education.

In a list that included President Bill Clinton and Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, Wilson was one of 94 top movers and shakers in higher education listed in the January/February issue of Change magazine.

“It’s an extremely high honor for her personally and also an honor for the university, CSU and for California,” said Bruce Erickson, director of public relations at CSUN, speaking on behalf of Wilson, who could not be reached for comment.

In the Change article titled “Higher Education’s Senior Leadership,” Wilson was recognized as being “a visible national spokesperson for academic issues” who “earned extraordinary recognition for her rebuilding of the Northridge campus after the destructive earthquake of four years ago.”

“[Wilson] is regularly invited to be the keynote speaker at national conferences and meetings of leaders and is on the board of directors of some of the most respected foundations including the J. Paul Getty Trust,” Erickson said. “She’s a bona fide national figure in higher education who may be better known in Washington, D.C., than she is in Los Angeles, and being on this list of leaders demonstrates the fact.”

The list, compiled from the results of 11,000 questionnaires, was divided into four categories: leaders inside the academic community--in which Wilson was one of 21 people named, those outside academia, the “idea champions” and the young leaders.