Williams, Marcellette

Chancellor, UMass Amherst: 2001-2002

A professor of English and Comparative Literature, Marcellette G. Williams served as Chancellor of the Amherst campus from July of 2001 through June of 2002.

The first woman to serve as Chancellor, Williams led the campus through a challenging period of budgetary pressures which involved program reductions and administrative reorganization throughout the University. Throughout her tenure, Williams advocated for the importance of community, collaboration, interdisciplinary understanding, and human enablement. Her educational philosophy emphasized “living values” and the creation of a learning environment through the integration of knowledge and scholarship that served the formation of more complete and enabled human beings.

Prior to serving as Chancellor, Williams served for seven and a half years as Deputy Chancellor with cross-cutting responsibilities in areas including budgeting, planning, and information technologies. During her tenure as Deputy Chancellor, a major technology campus initiative created network connectivity in all campus buildings; established new public access PC areas; purchased additional computer projection equipment for classrooms and auditoria; expanded central network servers; and began implementation of an integrated Student Information System.

Before coming to the University, Williams served in several administrative positions at Michigan State University. She also taught and consulted throughout Asia and in Europe and Africa. She has served on numerous boards and has held local, state, regional, national and international positions.

• Cary, H. (1962). The University of Massachusetts: A History of 100 Years. Amherst: University of Massachusetts.