1991-2001: Gwen Jensen

Gwendolyn Evans Jensen received her BA in English from the University of Hartford, her MA from Trinity College, and her PhD in history from the University of Connecticut.

Before coming to Wilson, she served as Provost and Dean of Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio; Vice President of Academic Affairs and Professor of History at Western State College of Colorado; and Dean of Graduate School and Professor of History at University of New Haven.

During her ten-year term at Wilson, Jensen created the Women with Children program (now called the Single Parent Scholar’s Program) and along with Joan Hankey ’59, established the Hankey Center for the History of Women’s Education. She expanded the College's athletics program, facilitating its entry into Division III of NCAA. Under her leadership, enrollment nearly doubled, and she spearheaded the construction of the equestrian center, veterinary medical center, and Lenfest Commons. She launched the renovation of Sharpe House to become the new President's House, a campus-wide computer network, and improvements to the library. She also cultivated the founding grant and subsequent gifts that led to the creation of the Richard Alsina Fulton Center for Sustainable Living and Fulton Farm. She retired on June 30, 2001.

After her retirement from Wilson, Jensen delved into writing poetry and was published in several journals. Jensen maintains a close relationship with Wilson College, where a collection of her published poetry resides at the Archives.