Greensboro College President Craven E. Williams Retires

Posted: July 7, 2009
Greensboro College Communications Office

GREENSBORO, NC – The Greensboro College Board of Trustees has announced that Dr. Craven E. Williams has retired, stepping down from his post as president of the College. 

Williams has been president of the school since 1993 and was the 17^th president in the 171-year history of the school. He had previously served as president of Gardner-Webb University for 10 years.

In making the announcement, Greensboro College Board of Trustees President Robert Stout said, "We congratulate Dr. Williams on his invaluable contributions to the College and wish him well in his retirement."

Stout said that an interim leadership team at the College would assume the president's full range of duties in preparation for the fall semester.

Stout added, "The board will also name a search committee as soon as possible and move quickly to find Dr. Williams' successor. While I know we will have an impressive list of candidates, replacing the president will not be easy.

"Our primary objective, as this search goes forward, is to maintain Greensboro College's academic excellence," Stout said. "I want to ensure our students and faculty that the Board of Trustees is committed to this overarching goal."

In reviewing Williams' career in Greensboro, Stout said, "Since Dr. Williams' arrival at GC, our endowment has grown handsomely, SAT scores have improved dramatically and we have entered new levels of international exchange, honors programs and campus-wide technology."

An ordained minister in the United Methodist Church, Williams holds degrees from Wake Forest University, Southeastern Theological Seminary and Union Theological Seminary.

During his time at the helm of Greensboro College, Williams was a central figure in a wide range of civic activities, including the Boy Scouts of America, the state and local Chambers of Commerce and The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.

His past and present board memberships include the Greensboro Symphony, the Moses Cone Health System, Greensboro Day School, Greensboro Sports Council, the Salvation Army and the Center for Creative Leadership.

During Williams' 26 years as a college president, eight of his former faculty/staff members have gone on to assume their own college presidencies, the most recent being Dr. Tiffany Franks, now at Averett University in Virginia.