Craig Wilson

Vice Provost
Distance Education

Dr. Wilson joins the University of Arizona from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he served as Dean of the Division of Professional Studies, which comprised of the School of Graduate Studies, the Center for Distance Learning, and the Continuing Education Institute.  In that capacity, he was responsible for all undergraduate and graduate online programs at the university. He led the formation of a corporate training center to provide educational services to corporate employees, executive education programs aimed at providing lifelong learning opportunities for leaders in the C-Suite, and established the online faculty academy to help online faculty transition to teaching online and share best practices.

At the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Wilson and his team spearheaded an initiative to offer education, business, and technology online programs in Spanish, and English as a Second Language courses, to serve the needs of a growing Hispanic population in the Midwest. As a champion of diversity and inclusion, Wilson is particularly experienced in meeting the needs of online students in urban and rural settings.

Previously, Wilson spent over a decade in Miami, Florida, where he led educational enterprises that spanned multiple campuses, outreach centers, and online. He designed and implemented a distance learning institute for university online programming and thought leadership. Wilson also was the founding head of school for an online middle and high school that achieved regional accreditation from SACS CASI, approval from the NCAA for student-athletes, and was the first online K-12 school to receive accreditation from the Florida Council of Independent Schools.

Dr. Wilson has served as past chair of the Leadership and Strategy Network at the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), a nationally recognized institution in the fields of professional, continuing, and online education.  Dr. Wilson is also a combat veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and understands the importance of providing the highest quality online programs to our military and their families.

Dr. Wilson earned a doctorate in higher education administration with a focus on education technology from Bowling Green State University, a law degree from Cleveland State University, a master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Troy University and a bachelor’s degree in Aviation Management from Southern Illinois University.