Gregory H. Williams served as the 27th president of the University of Cincinnati, one of the nation’s top 25 public research universities and named by Forbes as one of the world’s most beautiful campuses. He began his tenure at UC on November 1, 2009 and stepped down on August 21, 2012. During his first year at UC, he launched a new strategic plan, UC2019 – Accelerating Our Transformation, which took its name from the university’s upcoming bicentennial year.
Under President Williams, UC enrollment reached an historic high of more than 42,400 students. He committed the university to becoming a first-choice destination for students, patients, faculty and staff. The UC2019 plan set ambitious goals, based on external benchmarks, to position UC among the best universities in the world.
During his tenure at UC, the university formed a new health system called UC Health, which included the university’s Academic Health Center as well as University Hospital, UC Physicians, West Chester Hospital and Drake Center.
President Williams also led the final phase of the university’s Proudly Cincinnati campaign, the largest in UC’s history with a goal of $1 billion.
From 2001-2009, Dr. Williams served as president of The City College of New York (CCNY), the flagship college of The City University of New York. He also worked as a university administrator for over 30 years, serving in a variety of posts at The George Washington University, The University of Iowa and The Ohio State University. Prior to becoming CCNY’s president, he was Dean of the Law School and Carter C. Kissell Professor of Law at The Ohio State University. Early in his career, Dr. Williams was a Deputy Sheriff, and he later worked as an aide to a U.S. Senator.