Former University of Sussex student John Wilton has been appointed Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance at the prestigious Berkeley campus of the University of California.
The university, amidst California’s economic crisis, is facing extensive financial cuts. Wilton, who studied economics and statistics at the University of Sussex, has been employed to manage UC Berkeley’s $1.8 billion budget, and will oversee almost 2,400 employees when he commences work on 1 February this year.
Wilton studied a PhD course in economics at the University of Cambridge, but left in 1982 to begin work for the World Bank, where he stayed for 25 years.
The World Bank assists developing countries, funding projects that help to stabilise economies and decrease poverty. In 2010 it provided $46.9 billion for 303 projects, for which Wilton was chief financial officer.
UC Berkeley, currently rated 8th in The Times higher education world university rankings, will be challenged by restrictions on its resources this year, and has employed Wilton on account of his vast experience in financial stabilisation.
It is with confidence in his knowledge of finance, economics and the managing of large, complex organizations, that the university has appointed him Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration.
