6/10/2025 Taylor Parks 4 min read
Written by Taylor Parks
Before coming to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Trinity University Associate Provost and three-time MechSE alum Wilson Terrell Jr. didn’t anticipate that his passion for math and science as an undergraduate student would eventually lead him to a position in university leadership 1,100 miles from home in San Antonio, Texas.
“I really loved math and science in high school,” recalled Terrell Jr. (BSME 1995, MSME 1999, PhD ME 2003). “I had some really good STEM teachers who pushed and motivated me.”
Following his junior year at Rich Central High School in Olympia Fields, Terrell Jr. attended a summer program at Illinois that exposed him to the engineering campus and its different disciplines.
“It struck me that mechanical engineering was what I wanted to focus on,” he said of the experience.
Indeed, coming to CU for school felt full circle for Terrell Jr., who was born in Urbana before his family moved to Olympia Fields. While on campus, Terrell Jr. became involved with the National Society of Black Engineers and pledged with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
“You have to work hard, but also play hard,” he said of college life. “Most importantly, you have to have a balance.”
Terrell Jr. continued with his mechanical engineering studies in graduate school. His master’s research involved evaluating secondary fluids for low-temperature supermarket applications, for which he was advised by the late Professor Predrag Hrnjak. His doctoral dissertation, which was advised by Professor Emeritus Ty Newell, focused on the investigation of refrigerator heat and mass transfer cabinet loading during open door conditions.
“I love conducting experiments and solving problems,” he said. “That’s what really motivated me to go to graduate school, where I was [starting to think] about becoming a professor and doing research.”
As a graduate student, Terrell Jr. also worked as a graduate assistant to the Dean, helping students sign up for classes and speaking with prospective students and their families. He credits the position with motivating his path toward administration and the ability to support more students in their collegiate journeys.
“Some students are afraid to ask for help—they feel like that’s a sign of weakness,” he said of the reason for his desire to help students. “But it’s actually a showing of strength, because it shows that you understand yourself enough to recognize that you need somebody to help you grow. The support that I had was one of the things that helped me get through undergrad and graduate school.”
Following graduation, he accepted a position as assistant professor at Trinity in San Antonio, Texas.
“The skills I learned at Illinois really helped prepare me for being at Trinity,” Terrell Jr. said, noting that he had received critical advice from faculty including Professor Emeritus John Walker, who told him to find his own teaching style. “[That advice] really empowered me to think about what I wanted to do in terms of teaching,” Terrell Jr. recalled.
Now, as Associate Provost, Terrell Jr. enjoys being able to support the university’s academic mission and use his support to make a difference.
“There’s never a dull moment,” he said of his current day-to-day life. “Sometimes I put out fires, but I’m always thinking about things to support our faculty and staff, which can then benefit our students. How do we help our students not just to graduate in a timely fashion, but also to have a great experience?”
As he continues learning and growing in his current role, while keeping an eye on the horizon for whatever comes next, Terrell Jr. is always relying on his engineering roots.
“I think about how we solve a problem that we’ve never seen before,” he said. “[Identifying] the inputs you need and the techniques to use, and figuring out how to explain it to someone so that they understand. These [are the skills] that I learned at Illinois, and they’ve been so beneficial for me in what I’ve done as a teacher and an administrator.”