WCU Stories      April 30, 2020

Wesley T. Milner, executive director of international programs and professor of political science and international affairs at the University of Evansville, has been named director of the Office of International Programs and Services at Western Carolina University.

Milner, who has more than 20 years of experience in higher education and government/private sector service, is filling a vacancy created by the departure last year of former director Ling LeBeau. The appointment is effective July 1, said Brandon Schwab, WCU associate provost for academic affairs.

“As executive director of international programs at the University of Evansville, Dr. Milner has responsibilities that include oversight of study abroad programs; the Intensive English Center, which provides training and support in English as a second language; and the university’s British campus, which is based in Grantham, England,” Schwab said.

“He also has led multi-year campus internationalization efforts resulting in Evansville being named a 2019 recipient of both the NAFSA: Association of International Educators’ Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization and the Institute of International Education’s Andrew Heiskell Award for Innovation in International Education,” he said. “We are excited to have Wes join WCU to lead the Office of International Programs and Services.”

Milner has been executive director of international programs at the Indiana university of nearly 2,500 students since 2013. He previously served for a decade as director of Evansville’s International Studies Program in addition to serving several years as chair of the Department of Law, Politics and Society. His scholarship centers around the integration of globalization and human rights, including a recent focus on displaced and refugee students.

“Having worked with students, faculty, staff, students, administration, board members and alumni, I am very excited to spearhead a similar collaboration to build and implement a bold, strategic vision for global initiatives at WCU,” Milner said.

“The Office of International Programs and Services will be the vital conduit through which this exciting transformation occurs. The existing strengths of the team – especially study abroad, international student services, intensive English program, and faculty and student exchanges – can be the springboard for expanding the breadth and depth of comprehensive internationalization on the WCU campus and beyond,” he said. “Further, strategically leveraging WCU alumni and institutional partnerships will enable greater opportunities for internationalization at home and abroad, as well as opening avenues for development and fundraising of globalization initiatives. It is obvious that WCU is a special place, and I couldn’t be happier to join the university.”

Milner earned his doctorate in political science and international relations from the University of North Texas, master’s degree in international affairs from George Washington University and bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He also studied economics and German as an exchange student in Würzburg, Germany.

For more information about International Programs and Services, visit international.wcu.edu.