January 12, 2001

Wilson President-Elect Of Environmental Education Group

Bowling Green, Ky. - Terry Wilson, director the Center for Mathematics, Science and Environmental Education at Western Kentucky University, has been selected as president-elect of the North American Association for Environmental Education.

"As a professional in the field of environmental education, I consider this position an honor and an opportunity to give something back to the field," said Wilson, a member of NAAEE for 26 years.

Wilson's term as president-elect began this month. He will become president in January 2002 and immediate past president in 2003.

The NAAEE is a network of professionals, students, and volunteers working in the field of environmental education throughout North America and in more than 55 countries around the world.

As president-elect of the 3,000-member NAAEE, Wilson will bring greater visibility to Western and its environmental education program.

Western's Center for Mathematics, Science and Environmental Education encourages the collaboration of educators, scientists and the public for programs to promote environmental education statewide.

Three of NAAEE's 13-member board of directors are from Kentucky universities, Wilson said. "That says something about the level of commitment our state has on environmental education," he said.

"We've been able to connect what we want do with environmental education onto the state's education reform movement which emphasizes hands-on, real world learning."

Wilson received a mathematics degree from Ohio University in 1970 and earned his doctorate in science and environmental education from Ohio State University in 1988. He has been the environmental education coordinator for the Kentucky Department of Education; director of Murray State University's Center for Environmental Education and a member of numerous state, national and international organizations.

He was the first recipient of the Environmental Education College Teacher of the Year, presented by the Kentucky Association for Environmental Education, and has served as editor and publisher of The Environmental Communicator.

For more information, contact Dr. Terry Wilson at (270) 745-4424.