McNeese President Williams to retire

Original Article Found at American Press

McNeese State University President Dr. Philip Williams announced today that he will retire on June 30, 2017. Williams has served as president since July 1, 2010.

“McNeese is an exceptional university with extraordinary employees who are dedicated to student success and live the McNeese motto of providing ‘excellence with a personal touch.’ It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as president. Southwest Louisiana is filled with some of the most generous and sincere people that I have ever met. They warmly welcomed Sandra, Grant and me into the community and we will forever be grateful for the kindness shown us,” Williams said. “I am also grateful for the support of the University of Louisiana System Board and staff.”

McNeese is one of nine universities in the University of Louisiana System.

“Dr. Williams is a thoughtful professional and McNeese will benefit from his leadership for years to come,” University of Louisiana System President Jim Henderson said. “The southwest region of Louisiana is a hub of economic growth and McNeese is a central component. The System Board and I will work closely with the faculty, staff, alumni and community at large to select the university’s next leader with an emphasis on securing that regional growth.”

According to ULS Board Policy, the ULS Board of Supervisors will conduct a national search for a new McNeese chief executive.

During his time at McNeese, the university has been named one of the best regional universities in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report’s prominent annual “Best Colleges” list. It has been selected as a “Top School” in the 2017 Military Advanced Education and Transition Guide to Colleges and Universities, and in 2016, McNeese was also designated as a Military Friendly School by Victory Media and named a “Governor’s Military and Veteran Friendly Campus.”

“McNeese offers outstanding quality and its affordability provides students with a tremendous value and return on their educational investment,” Williams said. “Receiving national recognition validates the work of our faculty and support staff and shows that observers on the national level are recognizing the outstanding quality and value that McNeese offers.”

‘I will be turning 65 next month and I am hoping to resume my interests in writing as well as consulting in the fields off strategic planning and management.’

Prior to his appointment at McNeese, the North Carolina native served as president of the University of Montevallo in Montevallo, Ala. Williams is the sixth president in the university’s 78-year history and he succeeded Dr. Robert Hebert who retired in June 2010.

Williams said that he is not leaving McNeese for another university.

“I will be turning 65 next month and I am hoping to resume my interests in writing as well as consulting in the fields of strategic planning and management,” he said.

Williams authored several works of fiction, non-fiction and a series of children’s books with his wife prior to his career in higher education.