John Silvanus Wilson Jr. 79 Elected to Harvard Board of Overseers
02 Jun 2015 
Posted by Elise Durham
Morehouse College’s 11th president has been named to the Board of Overseers for Harvard University.
John Silvanus Wilson Jr. ’79, a graduate of both Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard Divinity School, is one of five members of the Board chosen to help direct the governance of Harvard University over a six-year term. The results of the election were announced during Harvard’s 364th Commencement Exercises on May 28, 2015.
“Harvard is unusual among American private universities in giving its degree holders the authority to elect all of the members of its Board of Overseers,” said Morgan Chu, president of the Board of Overseers in a letter written to alumni.
Chu went on to say that the Board, first organized in 1642, plays a significant role in Harvard governance — helping to shape the University’s agenda, assessing and making recommendations about the quality and direction of Harvard’s wide-ranging programs of education and research, and consenting to certain major actions, including the selection of new members of the Harvard Corporation.
