From logger’s son to university leader: Mark Wheeler’s 35-year journey comes to an end

Admissions counselor. Dean of enrollment services. Interim vice president for student affairs. Dean of extended studies. Those are just a few titles Mark Wheeler (BA, English teaching, 1989; MPA, public administration, 1996) held over his 35-year career at Boise State.

His latest title? Retiree.

Wheeler's decades of service exemplify his steadfast belief in higher education and in ensuring others have access to the same opportunities he did. "I definitely feel fully vested in this campus-not just because I got my degrees here," he reflects. "I just feel like I've been part of growing up with the university."

Coming from a logging family in Rathdrum, Idaho, Wheeler decided to pursue his education when logging jobs were diminishing. After starting at North Idaho College, he transferred to Boise State, where he worked in the financial aid office while earning his English degree and supporting his young family.

With dreams of becoming an English teacher, Wheeler spent his first three years making meaningful connections with professors who became mentors. They helped him navigate the university, connect with professional resources and earn scholarships that made his education possible. "The fact that they did that helped my family at that time but also made me feel like a scholar," he said. "[They] changed my view of myself."

"Mark was a student in one of the first MPA courses that I taught," said Stephanie Witt, Distinguished Professor in the School of Public Service. "His experience in higher education made him such an asset to the classroom."

After graduating, Wheeler chose higher education administration over teaching English and coaching football in North Idaho-a decision that shaped his career path. He worked at Lewis and Clark State College before returning to Boise State.

When Wheeler became dean of enrollment services, he worked with Witt, who was then associate vice president for academic affairs. They focused on student needs. "Mark always had data, always showed patience in working with others, and had a vision of where Boise State could go," Witt said.

Wheeler's vision proved instrumental in the university's continued growth. He championed online programs, concurrent enrollment (a program in which high school students take college courses for credit), summer semester participation and the Osher Institute (a program offering continuing education for adults age 50 and older), expanding access to higher education for countless students.

Throughout his career, Wheeler quietly and consistently donated to scholarship funds, becoming one of the university's longest-giving donors.

When asked about his legacy, Wheeler had this to say: "I'm very fortunate to have spent my entire career doing something I'm passionate about, that I truly believed in, that I could pour my heart and soul into."

"Mark Wheeler's legacy of giving is the gold standard of what it means to be a long-term, dedicated donor who genuinely cares about the Boise State community," said Argia Beristain, CEO of the Boise State University Foundation. "His decades of giving have been profound in their impact. The compassion behind them, and his genuine wish to ensure students have access to the same opportunities he did, is a model for us all."

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