Special to the Reporter

The Board of Trustees of the University of Montevallo recently announced the selection of Dr. Philip C. Williams to assume the presidency of the university.

Dr. Williams will assume the office upon the retirement of Dr. Robert M. McChesney on Aug. 1.

George Walker, chairman of the University&8217;s Board of Trustees, said

&8220;The University of Montevallo has been the fortunate beneficiary of the great leadership of my good friend, Bob McChesney, for the past 14 years…&8221;

He said, Williams received the unqualified support and endorsement of every campus constituency.

And he said the trustees are confident that he will provide strong leadership as the university continues with its mission to provide an affordable accessible, small college public higher education experience of high quality, with emphasis on undergraduate liberal studies and with professional programs supported by a broad base of arts and sciences.

Williams has been at Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C., for the past three years where he served as vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College.

Previously, he spent three years at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C., where he was assistant vice president for academic affairs and assistant professor of business administration.

Before 1994, he was a practicing lawyer, working as a corporate lawyer in New York and California and as a sole practitioner in the state of Washington.

Williams earned his B.A. degree with honors in history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He earned his J.D. degree at Columbia University, and later earned both his MPH and Ph.D. degrees in public health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Williams has had his research published in several professional journals and presented papers at many regional and national conferences.

He received a certificate of commendation &8220;for courageous and steadfast academic integrity&8221; awarded by the North Carolina State Conference of the American Association of University Professors. He also received the Students with Disabilities Faculty Appreciation Award, presented by the Noel Program for the Disabled at Gardner-Webb University.

A native of North Carolina and a prolific writer, Williams and his wife, Sandra, have one son, Grant, 16. They have also collaborated in writing several books