Gregory Howard Williams was born on November 12, 1943, in
Muncie, Indiana.[5] He was the son of James Anthony, a businessman, and Mary, a homemaker. He grew up in
Gum Springs, Virginia, until his parents separated, and his father lost his business. At the age of 10, Williams and his brother moved to
Muncie, Indiana,[6] where his father had family, and he first became aware of his father's
African American heritage.[7] Despite a period of confusion about his own identity, Williams embraced his father's passion for education.[8]
Williams earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Ball State University in 1966, where he paid tuition by earning money as a
deputy sheriff in the Delaware County Sheriff's Department in
Muncie, Indiana, from 1963 to 1966. Between 1966 and 1970, Williams taught classes in Virginia state government and history George Mason Junior – Senior High School in
Falls Church, Virginia. In 1969, he earned a master's degree in government and politics from
University of Maryland. Williams earned a J.D. from
George Washington University in 1971. From 1971 to 1973, Williams was a legislative assistant to Senator
Vance Hartke (D-Indiana) of the
United States Senate,
Washington, D.C. In 1977, Williams earned a master's degree in political science, and in 1982, a doctorate in political science, both from
George Washington University with a thesis "Legal and political problems of police discretion".[9][10] He also earned an MBA from
Mercy College (New York).[11]
Career
In 1977, Williams joined the
University of Iowa Law faculty, where he taught
criminal law,
criminal procedure, and
legislation. Williams was faculty scholar from 1990 to 1993. At Iowa, Williams served as
associate dean of the Law School, from 1977 to 1993, where he oversaw admissions, financial aid, student and faculty recruitment, and student support, and he served as associate vice president of academic affairs from 1991 to 1993.[12]
From 1975 to 1977, he consulted to the Foreign Lawyer Training Program in
Washington, DC. He was a member of the Iowa State Advisory Commission to the
United States Civil Rights Commission from 1978 to 1988, and a member of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council from 1979 to 1985.[13]
From 1991 to 1993, he held the position of associate vice-president for Academic Affairs at the
University of Iowa in
Iowa City, Iowa. From 1993 to 2001, Williams held the positions of Carter Kissell Professor of Law and dean of the Michael E.
Moritz College of Law at
Ohio State University.[14][15] While dean, the size of the faculty increased by 40 percent, the number of named chairs and professorships doubled, and $25 million was raised from alumni of approximately 7,000 graduates.[16][17]
College presidencies
In 2001, Williams was appointed the 11th president of
the City College of New York – the flagship campus of the
City University of New York system. His appointment followed his tenure as a law school dean at
Ohio State since 1993, where Williams taught courses in criminal law, he raised $25 million and oversaw the increase of the school's endowment by about 50 percent.[18] During his tenure at Ohio State, Williams also served as the president of the Association of American Law Schools and his autobiographical book, Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black, (Dutton, 1995) won the 1995 Los Angeles Times Book Award.[19][20][21]
Under Williams' presidency of
the City College of New York, enrollment increased by 60 percent and academic standards improved significantly; nearly 90 percent of the student body continue to represent racial minority groups.[22][23] Williams successfully oversaw the first
capital campaign at City College,[24] raising more than $230 million and effectively establishing a culture of philanthropy, and more than doubled City College's research funding.
During his tenure as president of the City College of New York, Williams served as chair of the Commission on Access, Diversity, and Excellence (CADE) of the
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Williams moderated and presented at the 2001 Association of American Law Schools annual meeting.[25][26] Upon his departure in September 2009,[22] Williams left behind a
City University of New York campus in
Harlem, New York, where more than one-third of the students are
Hispanic, and nearly 30-percent are
African or
African American, and half are born outside of the
United States of America. In total, ninety languages are spoken on campus.[27]
Williams began his tenure as president of the
University of Cincinnati on November 1, 2009.[28] During William's first year in the office of president, he launched a strategic plan, UC2019 – Accelerating Our Transformation, which took its name from the university's upcoming bicentennial year.[29] During his presidency at the
University of Cincinnati, enrollment reached a historic level; the university established a new health system.[30][31][32] In 2012, Williams resigned from the position of president, citing personal reasons.[33] That same year, Williams chaired the search for a new commissioner of the
Big East Conference.[34]
Professional recognition
Williams has been recognized for his contributions in scholarship, academic leadership, and fundraising. In 1998,
President Bill Clinton invited Williams to join the United States President's Call to Action to promote
diversity and
pro bono legal services. The following year, Williams was selected by the National Association of Public Interest Law (NAPIL) as Dean of the Year. That same year, the
National Bar Association awarded Williams the A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. Award for Contributions to the Preservation of Human and Civil Rights.[35]
Independent Trustee, Franklin Templeton, Franklin Managed Trust and Value Investors Trust,
San Mateo, California, 2008- [43]
Finance Committee, Nominations Committee, Independent Director, Urban America Fund II, 2005 -
Chair, Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council, 1982–83, 1985, Vice-chairperson, 1981–82,1984–85; Member, 1980–85, appointed by the Governor of Iowa for two terms, and confirmed by
Iowa State Senate
Williams' book is a reflection on his life growing up as the son of a white mother and a father who passed for white and identified himself as
Italian American.[46][47] At 10-years-old, Williams moved from his home in Virginia to
Indiana, where he learned his father was
African-American.[48]
Williams, G. H. (1995, 1999, 2014). Life On The color line: The true story of a white boy who discovered he was black. New York, N.Y: Dutton.[56][57][58]
Williams, G. H. (1986). The Iowa guide to search and seizure. Iowa City: University of Iowa.[59]
Williams, G. H. (1984). The law and politics of police discretion. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.[60]
Articles and other contributory publications
Williams, Gregory H. (1998) "Transforming the Powerless to the Powerful: the public responsibility of law school." 1, New Mexico Law Review Journal, 28, 17 pages.[61]
Williams, Gregory H. (1993) "Controlling the Use of Non-Deadly Force: Policy and Practice," 10 Harvard Black Letter Journal 79, 25 pages.
Williams, Gregory H. (1992) "Teaching Criminal Law: 'Objectivity' in Black and White," 9 Harvard Blackletter Journal 27, 16 pages.
Williams, Gregory H. (1991) "The Supreme Court and Broken Promises: The Gradual but Continual Erosion of Terry v. Ohio," Criminal Justice Symposium, 34 Howard Law Journal 567, 22 pages.
Williams, Gregory H. (1990) "America's Drug Policy: Who are the Addicts?" 75 Iowa Law Review 1119, 15 pages.
Williams, Gregory H. (1990) "Good Government by Prosecutorial Decree: The Use and Abuse of Mail Fraud," 32 Arizona Law Review. 1, 35 pages.
Williams, Gregory H. (1989) "Police Discretion: A Comparative Perspective." 64 Indiana Law Journal 873, 33 pages.[62]
Williams, Gregory H. (1987) "Where is Freedom: Federal or State Constitutions?" 30 Howard Law Journal 799, 7 pages.
Williams, Gregory H. (1989) "Police in the Dock: Law or Fact?" Criminal Law Review 719, 7 pages.
Williams, Gregory H., et al. (1986). Discrecin̤, justicia y democracia: Una perspectiva de la polt̕ica pb︢lica. Mex̌ico: Noema.
Williams, Gregory H. (1984) "Police Rulemaking Revisited: Some New Thoughts on an Old Problem." 47 Law and Contemporary Problems 123, 61 pages.[63]
Williams, Gregory H. (1984) "Use of Citations in Lieu of Custodial Arrest." Report of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy Council to the Iowa General Assembly.
Williams, Gregory H. (1983) "Police Discretion: The Institutional Dilemma--Who Is In Charge?" 68 Iowa Law Review 431, 63 pages.
Video
Williams, G. H., Brown, T., Smith, K., & Ashby, W. (2006). The man who is black and white—not half white. New York: Tony Brown Productions Inc.[64]
Personal life
Williams married Sara Catherine Whitney, (m. August 29, 1969). Their children are Natalia Dora, Zachary Benjamin, Anthony Bîadîmir, Carlos Gregory.[65]
^Mabunda, L Mpho; Phelps, Shirelle (1996). Contemporary Black biography. Volume 11 : profiles from the international Black community. Detroit, Mich: Gale Research Inc.
ISBN9781414435398.
^Williams, Gregory (1999). Life on the color line: The true story of a white boy who discovered he was black (Special Ball State University ed.). New York: Plume.
ISBN0613035364.
^Williams, Gregory Howard (2014). Life on the color line : the true story of a white boy who discovered he was black. New York: Plume.
ISBN9781440673337.
^Williams, Gregory Howard (1986). The Iowa guide to search and seizure. University of Iowa.
ISBN0874140447.
^Williams, Gregory Howard (1984). The law and politics of police discretion. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.
ISBN0313240701.
^Williams, Gregory Howard (October 1, 1984). Allen, Ronald J (ed.). "Police Rulemaking Revisited: Some New Thoughts on an Old Problem". 47. Law and contemporary problems. 4. Durham, N.C.: Duke University School of Law: 312.
OCLC908031874.