WILLIAMS NAMED ASSOCIATE VICE CHANCELLOR FOR UNIVERSITY RELATIONS AT UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Roger L. Williams of State College, Pa., has been named associate vice chancellor for university relations at the University of Arkansas, effective Oct. 1, according to G. David Gearhart, vice chancellor for university advancement.

Williams, 49, had been serving in an interim capacity since June 28. He declared his candidacy on Wednesday and became the unanimous choice of the search committee, which had reviewed the credentials of 76 candidates. He will report to Gearhart and earn a salary of $98,000 per year.

Since 1996, Williams has served as executive director of consulting services for Dick Jones Communications, a higher education public relations, communications and marketing firm. Prior to that, he had served as associate vice president for communications at Georgetown University and assistant vice president for university relations at Penn State, where he worked with Gearhart for 10 years.

"Dr. Williams is known nationally as one of the very best of his generation of university relations leaders," Gearhart said. "I am delighted he has chosen to stay on at Arkansas and know that he will work with his talented staff to forge an aggressive program of national visibility for the University while building strong relationships with news media across the state.

"His skills go far beyond media relations," Gearhart added, "and he will create a wide range of communications and marketing strategies designed to help position Arkansas as a nationally competitive research university. He will also be a tremendous asset to our fund-raising programs with his public relations and communications talents."

University Chancellor John A. White said, "We are particularly pleased with the creative and effective work Dr. Williams has accomplished over the past three months, and are thrilled with his efforts to generate national and greater statewide visibility for the University. He has inspired good will among his staff and across the University, and we know he will bring this same quality to the many constituencies and friends we need to nurture externally."

Williams has done extensive consulting work with more than 30 public and private higher education institutions, including major research universities, state systems of higher education, national higher education associations, historically black universities, cooperative education universities and law schools.

"The University of Arkansas is at a critical juncture, and has set an ambitious agenda to emerge as a peer of the great public universities in America," Williams said. "The University has strong leadership, a talented faculty and staff, great students, a beautiful campus in a beautiful and forward-looking region, strong alumni support, a legendary athletics program and an adoring public"all the ingredients required for success. I look forward to working with Chancellor White, Vice Chancellor Gearhart, the university relations staff, and everyone at the University to move things forward."

At Penn State, Williams's university relations operation won the grand gold medal in institutional relations from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in 1991 and 1992. His operation also shared with Penn State's Division of Development and University Relations CASE's grand gold medal for excellence in the overall advancement program, in 1987, 1988, and 1990.

He also is adjunct assistant professor of higher education at Penn State and a faculty associate in its Center for the Study of Higher Education. He has published 20 professional and scholarly articles. His book, The Origins of Federal Support for Higher Education: George W. Atherton and the Land-Grant College Movement (Penn State Press, 1991), was drawn from his doctoral thesis, which won the 1989 dissertation of the year award from the Association for the Study of Higher Education. He also is associate editor of the scholarly journal History of Higher Education Annual.

He holds a bachelor's in history, a master's in journalism, and a doctorate in higher education, all from Penn State.

He is married to Karen Magnuson, assistant director of the department of publications at Penn State. His son, Nathan, 23, is a doctoral student in clinical psychology at George Mason University in Virginia. His daughter, Andrea, 21, serves in a U.S. Army parachute regiment in Fort Benning, Georgia. He also has two step-children, Jessica, 13, and Philip, 9.