Senior Administrative Appointments

To the Williams Community,

The enduring strength of Williams, over the decades, is due in large part to the extraordinary service rendered by the faculty who serve for a time in senior administrative roles. These three positions – Dean of the Faculty, Dean of the College, and Provost – together constitute the central form of faculty leadership of the College, in partnership with the President.

Dean of the College Sarah Bolton has been serving with distinction since last summer. In identifying her new colleagues as Dean of the Faculty and Provost, I’ve benefitted from extensive consultation with faculty throughout the College, concerning both the qualities most important in these two positions and the suggestions of exceptional candidates to fill them. I’m very grateful to those who took the time to share their thoughts on these important matters.

I’m happy now to report that, after talking with a number of extraordinary candidates, I’ve asked Peter Murphy, Professor and Chair of English, to serve as Dean of the Faculty and Will Dudley, Professor of Philosophy, to serve as Provost. They’ve agreed, the Board of Trustees has approved their appointments, and they’ll begin July 1.

Both are deeply respected across campus, for good reason, and will bring to their new responsibilities substantial experience.

In addition to chairing a large department, Peter Murphy has served as Dean of the College, Chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Departments and Programs, and member of numerous committees, including the Faculty Steering Committee, Faculty Review Panel, and Multicultural Center Advisory Committee.

Will Dudley’s College service has included chairing the Committee on Undergraduate Life and service on the Committee on Educational Policy, Faculty Interview Panel, and Committee on Diversity and Community. He’s a member of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and early in his career he worked in finance for the global energy firm AES Corporation.

We’ll have many opportunities in the coming months to thank Bill Wagner and Bill Lenhart for the extraordinary service they’ve rendered us all, but for now I’ll just note how fortunate we are to have people as talented, wise, and dedicated as these four to serve in these vital roles.

Best wishes,
Adam Falk
President