As the 18th president in Utah Tech’s rich and storied history, Dr. Williams is eager and qualified to help the university carve out its niche. He recognizes the importance of moving quickly and methodically when deciding what programs and offerings the institution should focus on, build, and add.
Prior to his arrival at Utah Tech, Williams served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Indiana State University. In this position, he worked with all university academic departments and focused on helping students succeed in their studies while attending the university, and he continued to help them as they started their careers.
Before he was appointed provost, Williams was the founding dean of ISU’s College of Nursing, Health and Human Services. In this capacity, he created a vision for a robust college while carving out niche offerings. He also led the effort of developing six new degree programs that were of healthcare workers. Under his direction, school enrollment increased 100 percent and retention went up 21 percent.
Dr. Williams also served as an associate dean of the College of Education at the University of Northern Iowa, where he was a faculty member, executive associate director of the School of Health, Physical Education, and Leisure Services, and chair into his tenure at Northern Iowa, Williams proposed a new baccalaureate degree in athletic training. In three years under his leadership, the athletic training program’s passing rate on the Board of Certification exam was 100 percent, compared to the national average of 27 percent.