Stephan Wilson, senior associate dean and professor in the College of Health and Human Sciences at the University of Nevada Reno, has been named dean of the College of Human Environmental Sciences at Oklahoma State University after an extensive national search.  

"I will miss the University of Nevada, Reno and my colleagues in the College of Health and Human Sciences," Wilson said. "This is an exciting opportunity for me to shape policies and programs in an outstanding, well-established college. Reno has been wonderful to me and my family, and it is hard to leave."

"Stephan has done a great job as an associate dean, scholar and teacher," College of Health and Human Sciences Dean Charlie Bullock said. "He will be missed within the college and throughout the University."

Wilson's appointment was approved and announced during the Oct. 26 meeting of the Oklahoma State University & Board of Regents at Panhandle State University.

"We are very pleased Stephan has accepted our offer to become dean of the College of Human Environmental Sciences," said Marlene Strathe, the interim chief executive officer and president of the Oklahoma State University System. "He is an accomplished scholar with extensive experience who will provide the necessary leadership to this outstanding college to assure its continued influence in the state and nation."

As dean, Wilson will oversee the work of three departments and one school, which provide bachelor of science degrees in 13 areas of study, master of science degrees in 10 fields of study and a doctor of philosophy degree with specialization in one of four functional areas. The college is also a member of the Great Plains Interactive Alliance, offering three online master of science degrees.

Wilson, a Fellow of the National Council on Family Relations and former visiting senior Fulbright Scholar in Kenya, has also served as chair of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is the interim director of the Nevada Center for Ethics and Health Policy and co-director of the SAGE Consortium (Scholars for Aging and Ethics).

Prior to joining the University of Nevada, Reno, Wilson served as acting chair and later as director of graduate studies in the Department of Family Studies, and as director of the Research Center for Families and Children at the University of Kentucky.  He has also held faculty positions at Virginia Tech, Illinois State and at Montana State, where he was director of human development and counseling.

Wilson was a U.S. Peace Corps teacher in Kenya and served as a visiting professor at Kenyatta University in Nairobi.  He continues collaboration with colleagues at Kenyatta University and at several Chinese universities.

He has served as chair of the National Council on Family Relations, international section, its international program match and program planning committees, and as co-chair of the organization's rural families' focus group.

The council will recognize Wilson's lifetime contributions to cross-cultural and cross-national family studies by presenting the Jan Trost Award at its national conference in November.  In addition to his many publications dealing with cross-cultural family issues and work supporting international programs, Wilson said he was gratified that it was his former international graduate students at the University of Nevada, Reno who collectively nominated him for the Jan Trost Award.

Wilson has served on the editorial board and as a guest editor for Marriage and Family Review and the editorial board for Family Relations.
 
His latest research program has focused on adolescent social competence across cultures. The work examines family and other influences on youth connectedness and separateness, as well as required adult social skills, self-esteem and achievement. He has also studied rural and Appalachian families, cross-cultural families and family social capital influences on developmental and status-attainment outcomes.  Wilson is the author of many papers and books and has presented his findings to national and international conferences.

Beyond the National Council on Family Relations, Wilson is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, the Society for Research on Adolescence, the International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships, the American Association for Family and Consumer Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Omicron Nu.