Biography

Walter V. Wendler was appointed to the position of Chancellor of Southern Illinois University Carbondale July 1, 2001. Following the expiration of his contract in July, 2007, he returned to teaching Architecture. Immediately prior to the Chancellor appointment he served as Vice Chancellor for Planning and System Integration of The Texas A&M University System for 2 years. He was the inaugural holder of the William M Peña Professorship of Information Management in the College of Architecture. 

Professor Wendler was the Executive Assistant to the President of Texas A&M University beginning in September, 1997. He served as Dean of the College of Architecture, initially appointed in March 1992, and re-appointed in September 1996. Professor Wendler was the head of the Department of Architecture from 1989 to 1992, and Executive Associate Dean in the College of Architecture at Texas A&M University from 1988 to 1989. Before coming to Texas A&M University, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. During his tenure there, he conducted research and service work related to energy use and its affect on building design, and on design pedagogy. 

He has delivered and published numerous papers on these subjects. From 1977 through 1981, he was a principal in an architectural firm that executed residential, commercial, and institutional work. He is an excellent teacher who has been recognized by the Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University, with a Distinguished Teaching Award.

He received his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas; the professional Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley; the Bachelor of Environmental Design from Texas A&M University; and the Associate in Applied Science from the State University of New York at Farmingdale. He is a member of a number of honorary societies, a registered architect in Illinois and holds the National Council of Architectural Registration Board's certificate.

Walter V. Wendler was reared in Northport, New York. He graduated high school there in 1968. He married Mary L. Haney in 1973. They have two grown sons, Walter III and Bradley.

Strategic Initiatives & Accomplishments, 2001-07 (PDF)

Curriculum Vitae (July 2007) (PDF)

Southern Illinois University Faculty Page