Prof. Elizabeth Wiles
Asst. Professor, Criminal Justice Studies, Director of Interdisciplinary Studies & Student Research
I am taking parental leave spread out over the 2024-25 school year. Please email me to schedule an appointment.
B.A. Philosophy & Religion, magna cum laude ('06)
J.D. magna cum laude, University of Missouri School of Law
Elizabeth Wiles, Assistant Professor, graduated from Truman with a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy & Religion ('06) and earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law, where she served on the Editorial Board of the Missouri Law Review. During law school, she interned for the Honorable Mary R. Russell ('80) of the Supreme Court of Missouri. After law school, she served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Patricia Breckenridge of the Supreme Court of Missouri.
As Chair of Legal Studies & Pre-Law Programming, Professor Wiles aims to provide meaningful mentorship to improve access to legal education to students from all backgrounds. She was awarded the William O'Donnell Lee Advising Award in 2020.
In 2024, Professor Wiles was awarded Educator of the Year. In 2025, she received the Governor's Award for Excellence in Education from Govenor Kehoe.
Professor Wiles teaches courses such as: Introduction to Criminal Justice Studies, Wrongful Convictions, American Law & Society, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law & Due Process: Limits on Law Enforcement, First Amendment: Fight for Free Speech, and Criminal Justice Studies Capstone. Her academic interests include higher education/legal education policy, wrongful convictions and the innocence movement, and merit-based judicial selection methods.
As Director of Interdisciplnary Studies & Student Research, Professor Wiles oversees the Interdisciplinary Studies Major, interdisciplinary minors, and the Office Of Student Research programs such as Tru Scholars and the annual Student Research Conference.
She is a proud native of rural northern Missouri, originally from nearby Chillicothe, and loves everything outdoors about Kirksville and the surrounding areas - especially when she can be outside with her husband and five wonderful children.