Jennifer Wilson said she initially intended to get a bachelor’s degree in physics at the University of Birmingham in England, but decided to pursue American literature after she read Herman Melville’s “Moby-Dick” in one sitting.
“After reading ‘Moby-Dick,’ I immediately wondered what kind of culture could have created such different work from traditional European prose,” said Wilson, assistant vice provost for honors at UCLA.
Wilson said she immigrated to the U.S. in 1970 because she wanted to learn more about American culture. When she met a literature professor at the University of Virginia, she was inspired by him to become a professor herself.
Wilson, who will be retiring at the end of this quarter, began teaching in 1980 at UCLA, where she said she inspired shy teenagers to become professors themselves.
At UCLA, she taught senior research, literature and politics courses. She began teaching in the UCLA Honors Programs in 1984 and also served as dean of various subjects in the Honors Programs, including space science, history and life sciences.
This year, Wilson mentored about 3,500 students and worked with faculty from other departments. She said she feels as intellectually challenged by her students as they are by her.
“This is not a job to me,” Wilson said. “It has been a delight every day to change many young students’ lives for the better.”
Some UCLA faculty said Wilson was their favorite professor when they attended UCLA.
Alison Lipman, a lecturer of ecology and evolutionary biology, was Wilson’s literature student about 20 years ago. She said she kept in touch with Wilson by mail for years after her graduation. Wilson hired her to teach in the Honors Programs when Lipman came back to UCLA in 2012.
“For me, Dr. Wilson was one of the only professors in my undergraduate career who left a lasting impression,” Lipman said. “At first, I was shy and did not have a set plan for my future career, but she inspired me to teach.”
UCLA alumna and high school teacher Rebecca Barber said she took an honors writing course taught by Wilson last year. She said she values Wilson’s devotion to her students’ education the most.
“She helped me understand how I can become a better thinker and make a more meaningful impact in my surroundings,” Barber said. “She used the subject to push her students to excel even outside academics and after graduation.”
Wilson represented UCLA in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, an honors society for college students. As a member of the organization, she was frequently asked to travel to other universities and review their honors programs.
Wilson said after retiring from UCLA, she will still attend conferences at UC Santa Barbara. She is considering writing books about student success and plans to join nonprofit organizations in support of educational equality and environmental sustainability.
“I feel UCLA has become increasingly introverted, so I am anxious to see the university recapture its ‘equal access for all’ notion,” she added.
Wilson said she wishes to see UCLA become more diverse in its faculty and student population in the future. She added she feels that as a public research institute, UCLA should emphasize the public services and opportunities available to its students.