Gregory H. Williams

President
The City College of New York

Gregory H. Williams is the 11th president of The City College of New York, the flagship college of The City University of New York and one of the oldest public universities in the United States, established in 1847. City College includes among its graduates nine Nobel Prize winners, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Dr. Jonas Salk, and the founder of Intel Corp., Andrew Grove.

Since his arrival in August 2001, President Williams’ leadership has brought the College increased national recognition. Enrollment has increased by nearly 50% — including an increase in new freshman, under new, more rigorous admissions standards, with the largest incoming honors class in the College’s history. CCNY now boasts a student body of over 15,000. According to US News and World Report, City College is one of the most diverse college campus in the nation. In addition, The City College is in the top tier among its peer institutions, ranked on such factors as academic reputation and faculty. Under his leadership, the State of New York is investing nearly a billion dollars in new science facilities and a new home for the CCNY School of Architecture, and beginning in the Fall of 2009, the College will issue doctoral degrees in engineering and science. President Williams is also leading the first capital campaign in the College’s history, and has already raised nearly $310,000,000.

President Williams has earned five degrees, including the J.D. and a Ph.D. from George Washington University, and he holds three honorary doctorates. He has been a university administrator for over 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 Dr. Williams was a Deputy Sheriff, and he later worked as an aide to a United States Senator.

Dr. Williams has published three books and a number of articles and book reviews for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post. He 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.

In 1995, Life on the Color Line was selected as Book of the Year by The Los Angeles Times. In 1996, the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights in North America named Life on the Color Line an “Outstanding Book on the Subject of Human Rights.” It is often required reading for entering students at U.S. colleges and universities.

President Williams received the “Governor’s Tribute to African-American Leaders of Excellence in State Service” from Governor George Pataki in 2004 for his significant contributions to the people of New York. In 1999, he was named the first recipient of the National Bar Association’s A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Preservation of Human and Civil Rights. Also in 1999, he was selected as “Dean of the Year” by the National Association of Public Interest Law. In 2006, he received the Austrian Cross of Honor in Science and Art, First Class. In 2007 he received the Langston Hughes Medal for his contribution to the arts and letters.

President Bill Clinton invited Dr. Williams to the White House in 1998 as part of his “Call to Action” to promote pro bono work and diversity in the legal profession. Currently, he serves as Chair of the Commission on Access, Diversity and Excellence (CADE) of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and he is a past President of the Association of American Law Schools.