UC Announces New President: Dr. Gregory H. Williams

The campus is abuzz today with the excitement of this morning's Presidential Selection Committee and Board of Trustee's meetings where Dr. Gregory H. Williams was unanimously voted in as our new university president.

The announcement is still very fresh, so I haven't done much research on Dr. Williams. Here is the bio that went out in the email announcement to the University community, written by Chair of the UC Board of Trustees Buck Niehoff:

"Dr. Williams brings to the University of Cincinnati a bold vision for the future of higher education. He has a remarkable record in building enrollment while ensuring academic excellence and diversity. He is a noted scholar with a substantial background in academic leadership, particularly in a public setting.

Our next president has earned five degrees, including a J.D. and a Ph.D. from The George Washington University, and he holds three honorary doctorates. He has been a university administrator for more than 30 years, previously serving in a variety of posts at The George Washington University, The University of Iowa and The Ohio State University. Immediately prior to becoming president of The City College of New York, he was dean of the Law School and Carter C. Kissell Professor of Law, The Ohio State University. Early in his career, Williams was a deputy sheriff, and he later worked as an aide to a United States senator.

Author of three books and a number of articles and book reviews, Williams is best known for his award-winning and best-selling memoir, 'Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black.' As a result of his autobiography, he has been featured on a number of national programs including 'Oprah,' 'Dateline NBC with Tom Brokaw,' 'Larry King Live,' ABC's 'Nightline with Ted Koppel' and 'Fresh Air with Terri Gross' of National Public Radio."


One thing about Dr. Williams that I am glad to have learned is his record with diversity at CCNY - he increased overall enrollment, increased enrollment standards, and maintained a high level of racial diversity while doing so. I think that his knowledge and experience in doing that will be good for UC as we continue to grow.


I'll be ordering at least one copy of Dr. Williams' book for the RAPP Resource Library. Come by soon to check it ou!

-Rebecca