Selase williams --

provost and vice president of academic affairs

The university's provost, Selase Williams, views himself as a bridge builder, but of the metaphorical sort -- bringing together people from different backgrounds, connecting students to faculty and creating new links between Southern and the communities it serves.

Williams, the first provost in Southern's 112-year history, began his duties in September 2005. He serves as provost and vice president for academic affairs, and his responsibilities include overseeing all academic programs at Southern and playing a key role in the day-to-day operations of the university. As the second highest-ranking individual at the university, he is acting president when President Cheryl J. Norton is off campus for any significant period of time.

"Across his career, Selase has demonstrated a commitment to the mission of the urban/metropolitan university," says President Norton. "He has championed multicultural and international education. And his broad and deep experience in a wide variety of administrative and scholarly positions, as well as his extensive background in building public-private partnerships, serve Southern well."

Before coming to Southern, Williams was at California State University at Dominguez Hills for 11 years, 10 of those years as dean of the college where he supervised nearly 200 full-time faculty, 175 part-time faculty and 42 technical/clerical staff. In his last year at Dominguez Hills, he participated in the solicitation of more than $2 million in gifts from private and corporate donors. He also developed partnerships with public schools and community colleges that streamlined the process for students entering bachelor's degree programs at California State.

His commitment to quality education for all students, but especially those who have historically been deprived, spurred him to become a founding member and board president of the New Designs Charter School in Los Angeles.

He believes those accomplishments prepared him well to be an effective leader on campus and in the Greater New Haven community.

"It is my strong belief that we, as educators and educational administrators, have a responsibility to empower people of all races, ages, religions and genders with the knowledge, skills and abilities to achieve their personal and professional goals," he says. "Our location in an urban community and our standing as a public institution are strengths. I think it would be fair to think of Southern as 'the people's university.' I believe firmly in the unique mission of an urban/metropolitan comprehensive university like Southern," says Williams, whose father and stepfather both worked in a steel and iron foundry of the Midwest. "Education was my ticket out of the foundry," he adds. "I was the first in my family to go to college. At Southern, stories like mine are abundant."

Williams initiated several projects while at Dominguez Hills, including a first-year student success program, the establishment of policies and procedures to diversify the faculty and efforts to attract millions of dollars in grants to support faculty and student research. He plans to explore similar initiatives and goals here at Southern.

Williams says, "I am excited about the prospects of Southern's future and am very impressed with the visionary leadership ability of President Norton." Williams adds that, as a strong advocate of worldwide education, he would like to broaden Southern's international studies programs and encourage faculty, students, and staff to take part in exchange programs with colleges and universities across the globe. "I have traveled extensively during my lifetime -- to Asia, South and Central America, Africa and Europe. I have to say that these were life-altering experiences. I want our students to have the opportunity to experience that." Williams describes his management style as "collaborative decision-making." "John Donne once wrote, 'No man is an island.' I agree. I want to build teams."

On a personal note, Williams says he is a strong supporter of the arts, especially music. "I love jazz, and I started playing the drums when I was 10 or 11 years old." He also enjoys an occasional game of tennis, but when it comes to sports, his passion is golf. "I have found golf to be a very humbling experience, but also one in which you can learn a lot about yourself and other people. You learn about the need for patience and discipline because your game is never going to be perfect."

Williams and his wife, Deborah, an artist and curator, live in New Haven. He has two adult daughters, Beth and India, and a teenage daughter, Nubia.