President David K. Wilson Receives 2026 Trailblazer in Higher Education Award

Distinguished National Recognition Honors Visionary Presidents Redefining the Future of Higher Ed Through Bold Innovation and Transformative Leadership

BALTIMORE — Under the transformational leadership of David K. Wilson, Morgan State University has entered an era of unprecedented growth and advancement, emerging as one of the nation’s fastest-rising research institutions. In recognition of his impactful guidance and influence in higher education, President Wilson was named a recipient of Insight Into Academia magazine’s 2026 Trailblazer in Higher Education Award. This national honor celebrates senior leaders whose bold, strategic innovations have advanced institutional excellence, strengthened community connections, and created meaningful, measurable impact for students, employees, and the broader academic ecosystem.

“Receiving Insight Into Academia magazine’s 2026 Trailblazer in Higher Education Award is a tremendous honor, and I accept it with deep gratitude and humility,” said Wilson. “This recognition is not a reflection of my work alone, but of the collective efforts of the extraordinary faculty, staff, students, alumni, and partners who continue to shape Morgan State University’s mission and momentum. Any progress we have achieved is the result of a shared commitment to excellence, innovation, and opportunity, and I am proud to stand alongside so many dedicated individuals who propel our institution forward each day.”

Insight Into Academia selected Wilson for this award for his leadership in elevating Morgan State University from a traditional HBCU to a major urban research university and a national model for equity-driven innovation. Additionally, under his direction, Morgan has expanded its research capacity, strengthened its academic reputation, improved student outcomes and access, and demonstrated how mission-centered, equity-focused leadership can reshape institutional futures across higher education.

“We believe the future of higher education depends on leaders who are willing to challenge convention and embrace bold, impactful innovation,” says Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Academia magazine, a leader in advancing best practices in higher education excellence. “The 2026 Trailblazer honorees represent the highest levels of strategic leadership in the field, and we are proud to celebrate their extraordinary accomplishments.”

President Wilson will be featured alongside 17 other distinguished honorees in the March 2026 issue of Insight Into Academia magazine.

In addition to this most recent recognition, President Wilson was named one of The Baltimore Sun’s “25 Black Marylanders to Watch” for 2026, included on the Maryland Daily Record’s 2025 Power List for Higher Education, and selected as a recipient of the prestigious Dr. Frederick S. Humphries Sr. Leadership Award, presented by the HBCU Executive Leadership Institute (ELI) at Clark Atlanta University. The University was also honored by UNCF with an HBCU Futurist Award for boldly imagining, designing, and implementing the future of higher education under his transformative leadership.

About Morgan

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering more than 150 baccalaureate, master’s degree, doctorate and certificate programs. As Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu. 

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Media Contacts:

Larry Jones, or Dell Jackson, for Morgan State University PR
443-885-3022