David C. Wilson of the University of Delaware has been appointed the next dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

Wilson is professor of political science and psychological and brain sciences and a senior associate dean for social sciences at Delaware. His research uses survey experiments to study how racial attitudes affect political preferences and opinions about policies and social issues. His book, Racial Resentment in the Political Mind, is forthcoming from the University of Chicago Press. 

“The Goldman School is a compelling combination of interdisciplinary faculty, social science-based policy solutions, a quantitative orientation, and emphasis on justice,” said Wilson. “The School provides a transformative experience for its students and has built a solid foundation of excellence that will support its aspirations of tackling the grand challenges of the 21st century.”

“David Wilson brings an extraordinary array of talents to the Goldman School,” said Dean Henry Brady.  “His scholarly work on racial resentment and justice employs results from more than a dozen surveys and experiments to develop a new, revealing, and path-breaking perspective for understanding racism and prejudice. His research on voter identification laws, political rights for felons, sexual harassment, gay marriage, and workplace discrimination could not be more timely and important. His experience as senior associate dean provides him with a deep understanding of a multi-disciplinary policy school.”  

The seeds of Wilson’s interest in government and public policy were sown when he returned from military service in Desert Storm and participated in the Woodrow Wilson Fellowship in Public Policy International Affairs (PPIA) at the University of Michigan, a program that is similar to the one run for almost 40 years by the Goldman School.

“PPIA changed my whole outlook on how government decides what it does,” he says. “I got hooked on data and quantitative methods, the use of economic theory, and the process of developing tested solutions for the public good. Eventually, I turned my public policy interest to studying ‘the public’ and how people perceive ameliorative government efforts to protect individuals from discrimination, ensure voting rights and free expression, and establish justice in general.”

While in graduate school at Michigan State University, Wilson became a scholar of political behavior studying political psychology. 

“I became interested in how the public thinks about policy issues like voter ID laws and how they affect new voters and engagement,” he said. “I studied electoral malfeasance and perceptions of wrongdoing within the public, and how agencies and legislatures respond to these concerns with new laws. For example, incarcerated populations face collateral consequences due to varying state level policies, but in a democratic society who should determine felon voting rights and under what conditions should they be removed or restored?”

Wilson values using experimental approaches to answer these types of questions, noting for example that, “the simple randomization of racial labels can sway policy perceptions in dramatic ways. One of the joys of policy analysis is actually finding an answer with objective data. It provides the analyst with confidence in their decisions and signals a level of credibility in the work.”

As a senior associate dean for social sciences at the University of Delaware, Wilson has overseen nine academic departments and research centers, including the Joseph R. Biden School of Public Policy and Administration. He has led a community of 2500 undergraduates, 300 graduate students, 130 faculty, 75 staff, with more than 20 graduate degree programs. 

In considering the role of dean, Wilson was drawn to GSPP’s emphasis on policy analysis and its “desire to strengthen its commitment to social and racial justice.”  

“The Goldman School is primed to advance justice on a global scale,” he said. “The faculty and students are already committed to intellectually diverse ways of thinking about problems like social and economic inequality, education, the environment and climate change, public health, food and nutrition, democratic institutions and government, and racial justice. The challenge (and the opportunity) for this generation is that public policy is no longer about just the nuts and bolts of the policy. It’s about how it's communicated, articulated, and received. It’s about persuasion.”

The strength of GSPP’s close-knit community also resonates with Wilson and his hopes for his deanship, as does its desire to grow in issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

“My life experiences as a Latin-African American, my scholarship on issues of diversity and equal treatment, and my organizational experiences give me the framework to think about how the Goldman School can strengthen its ideas and practices for diversity, equity, and inclusion,” he says. “And I am firmly committed to developing and enriching programs, initiatives, individuals, and groups that will expand the boundaries of diversity and inclusive excellence.”

“I take pride in creating and sustaining a climate where people enjoy their work and their work community,” he continued. “My goal is to create a culture where individuals have what they need to be successful, have their opinions heard, have opportunities to learn and grow intellectually, and know how their work contributes to the broader charge of the institution. My guiding principle as an administrator is always excellence: how to support it; how to measure it; how to celebrate it; and how to inspire it.”

When asked his thought on the appointment, Wilson said, “I am excited to serve as the next Dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy. This is a tremendous honor and opportunity, and I am humbled to have been selected by the Goldman School and campus community. I know what it’s like to have my spark lit during graduate school and I want to create that kind of transformational experience for others. I look forward to getting to know the campus, faculty, students, staff, alumni, and the great state of California.”

In his spare time, Wilson enjoys cycling and racquetball, and he is an avid traveler who has visited every continent except Australia (yes, even Antarctica), all fifty states, and every national park in the continental United States. He and his wife Rosalind have an adult son, Dalind, and a beloved-if-slightly-neurotic cat named Day-Z.

David C. Wilson holds a Ph.D. in political science from Michigan State University.