John D. Wiley

Dr. John Wiley served as the 27th Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 2001-2008. In recognizing his accomplishments as Chancellor, the UW System Board of Regents credited Dr. Wiley with starting a public dialogue about the future of higher education in Wisconsin and the role universities can play in developing a strong economy.

In 2008, Dr. Wiley was appointed as interim director of the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the public arm of the Discovery partnership, a public-private hub for interdisciplinary research. He served as interim director through November 2011. During this time he taught in the university’s Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis department, and at the Robert M. LaFollette School of Public Affairs.

Dr. Wiley received his BA in physics from Indiana University, and his MS and PhD in physics from the UW-Madison. He joined the UW faculty in 1975 as professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering. His research and teaching focused on topics related to semiconductors and other materials, and processes important to the electronics field. He has held numerous research and leadership positions at the UW, including Chancellor, Provost & Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dean of the Graduate School, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering, and Chair of the Materials Science Program. He was deeply involved in fundraising efforts, including the University of Wisconsin Foundation’s successful “Create the Future, The Wisconsin Campaign.” As chancellor, he presided over unprecedented growth on the west side of campus, which has been transformed into one of the nation’s greatest health sciences centers, as well as over east side redevelopment that has created a vibrant arts and humanities district.

A prominent figure in higher education, Dr. Wiley chaired the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors and the Board for the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and served as a member of the National Security Higher Education Advisory Committee. He has also served on the boards of the UW Hospitals and Clinics Authority and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, and he continues to serve on several local boards, including those of the University Research Park (a non-profit, internationally recognized research and technology park associated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison), Venture Investors of Wisconsin, and the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute.