Dr. William N. Johnston, president of Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, IA, since 2002, has been chosen to lead Wesley College as its 16th president, Board Chair Charles R. "Chip" Dashiell announced today.  His appointment is effective June 1, 2008. 

Dr. J. Thomas Sturgis, Vice President for Academic Affairs, will serve as Interim President until Dr. Johnston's arrival.  

Johnston, who has guided Iowa Wesleyan to a host of accomplishments -- academically, financially and through increased enrollment -- brings a 34-year career as a senior administrator at five private church-related liberal arts colleges in West Virginia, Iowa and Ohio to Wesley.  On his current campus, he secured a $15 million gift challenge as part of a seven-year institutional strategic plan, allowing Iowa Wesleyan to move into a $35 million campaign, increased enrollment 33% and diversified the student body while increasing the percentage of faculty with terminal degrees from 45% to 66%.  He is a member of the United Methodist Church of Mount Pleasant, IA.

"Wesley College is in an outstanding position to address the future needs of higher education and I am thoroughly invested, eager and enthusiastic to work with dedicated alumni, faculty, students, staff, Board members and community partners to propel the College to the next echelon of achievement and academic reputation,"  Johnston said.

He will complete the last two years of the master plan-Wesley College: From Here to 2010--initiated in 2000 while overseeing campuses the main campus in Dover and adult center at New Castle, DE, and community partnerships including the Campus Community Charter School, Barratt's Chapel and Museum and the College's co-ownership of the Schwartz Center for the Arts in downtown Dover. Wesley recently raised $67 million through the Campaign for Wesley.

Dr. Johnston succeeds Dr. Scott D. Miller, who will assume the presidency of Bethany College, Bethany, WV, January 1, 2008, after a decade of transformation (1997-2007) that saw Wesley's enrollment triple, over $40 million invested in physical improvements, and an expanded reach in the surrounding community.

Johnston's prior comprehensive experience in fund raising, enrollment management and student services is a positive portent for Wesley. 

Recognized by the West Virginia Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (NSFRE) as "Outstanding Executive Fund Raiser" in 1994, Johnston's other acknowledgements include membership in Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honorary, Phi delta Kappa Education honorary, and Phi Beta Lambda, national business leadership fraternity.

He also served as assistant dean of students and other student life posts at Ashland University, Ashland, OH (1973-1979.) 

Johnston earned a Doctor of Education from West Virginia University in 1986, Master of Arts from Bowling Green University of Ohio in 1973 and Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Westminster College in Pennsylvania in 1972.  He has completed additional study at Harvard University's Institute for Educational Management in 1999 and at the Oxford Round Table, St. Anthony's College, Oxford, England, 2002.

Broadly experienced in higher education nationally, he has served as a peer reviewer for The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities, as a board member of the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities and of the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church. Current and past professional memberships include the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU). 

He is active as a charter and board member of the Southeast Iowa Economic Development Partnership, as Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International and former campaign chair for United Way of northern West Virginia.

Johnston and his wife, Susan, a former art educator who is active as a professional artist with additional interests in historic preservation and economic development, are the parents of two grown children, both graduates of private liberal arts colleges.