To the Williams Community,
I am delighted to announce that from the list of finalists prepared by the Presidential Search Committee, the Board of Trustees has selected as the College’s 17th President Adam Falk, Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins. He will begin his presidency April 1, 2010.
The Board was captivated by Adam’s intelligence, passion, warmth, and outstanding record of leadership.
He has earned teaching awards at both Johns Hopkins and Harvard. As a scholar, Adam is an accomplished theoretical physicist, supported by the National Science Foundation, and early in his career won prestigious young investigator awards from both the Department of Energy and NSF. As an administrator, he has worked collaboratively with faculty, staff, and students to advance Johns Hopkins’ School of Arts and Sciences, from enhancing undergraduate life to renovating its main academic building.
Adam’s values align remarkably with those of Williams. He is deeply and broadly curious and instinctively collegial. He sets the highest standards, yet is very down to earth. Adam appreciates Williams and what makes it exceptional. He is eager to advance our commitments in such areas as diversity and inclusion, sustainability, and international education. He knows the importance of alumni engagement. Those who work with him say he is a great listener and community-builder, in touch with the many people required to operate a campus.
He particularly loves residential college life. Having practically grown up on the campus of the University of North Carolina, where his father chaired the philosophy department, he loves the richness of life outside the classroom, from academic and cultural events, to conversations in the snack bar and intense athletic rivalries. (Hint: Don’t wear Duke clothing when near him.)
Our new President was a Morehead Scholar at UNC, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Physics with Highest Distinction in 1987. After completing his Ph.D. in Physics at Harvard in 1991, he held post-doctoral positions at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and the University of California at San Diego before joining the faculty at Hopkins in 1994.
In three years he earned tenure, in three more was named full professor. Two years later he became Vice Dean of Faculty, a title later changed to Dean of Faculty. After three years in that position, he became Interim Dean and then Dean of Arts and Sciences.
His coming now to Williams results in significant part from the outstanding work of the Presidential Search Committee. I thank them briefly here and point you toward the longer description of the search process elsewhere on this site.
We have this happy news today also because of the great presidency of Morty Schapiro, whose leadership helped bring the College to its current position of strength.
The Search Committee and Board knew we could take the time needed for a complete, nationwide search because the College is in the capable hands of its current leadership, especially that of Interim President Bill Wagner.
Ultimately, thanks go to all, past and present, who have cared about Williams and helped make this wonderful community of learning attractive to such a compelling candidate.
In the coming months, we will see progressively more of Adam, his wife Karen, and children Briauna (14), David (8), and Alex (7). They are very excited about their move to the campus and the community. But certainly no more than are we.
Please join me in extending a warm Williams welcome to Adam and his family.
Regards,
Greg Avis ’80
Chair of the Board of Trustees and of
The 2009 Presidential Search Committee