By Melissa Burbidge
Richard N. Williams has been appointed by President Merrill J. Bateman as BYU”s new associate academic vice president.
The five-year appointment began this month, after Williams replaced James D. Gordon, who completed his term and returned to full-time teaching and research in the J. Reuben Clark Law School.
“It was a great experience to work in administration; you work with bright and talented people,” Gordon said.
As the associate academic vice president, Williams looks over faculty hiring, faculty rank and status, academic freedom issues and personal issues regarding the university.
Williams worked as the assistant to Gordon for two years. Gordon said the transition for Williams should not be difficult.
“He has good experience,” Gordon said.
Commitment to the university and its mission is Williams” first priority, Gordon said.
“My dad is very dedicated and hard working. He is passionate about what he does,” said Williams” daughter Andra Macdonald, 21, a senior from Provo majoring in community health.
Professional ambitions are not what she sees as her father”s greatest achievements, Macdonald said.
“I think my dad”s greatest accomplishment is his family,” Macdonald said.
This will be the first semester Williams has not taught school in nineteen years.
“Teaching is what I miss most,” he said.
Williams said his new position does not offer him significant opportunities to interact with students. However, he said one of his goals as the new associate academic vice president is to “enhance the quality of the students” experience in line with the aims of the BYU education.”
“I don”t think that students appreciate the infrastructure that makes the BYU experience possible; it is substantial. Students should understand that people are working hard in their behalf,” Williams said.
Students at BYU represent a very small proportion of all college-age Latter-day Saints, Williams said.
“Take advantage of the opportunity to learn and to grow in a place as undisturbed as possible from as much of the profanity and vulgarity of the world as we can make it,” Williams said.
“You ought not look at your education at BYU as what you do to prepare to go out to the real world, because the world out there is not real. The world here, where we take the gospel seriously … this is the real world, it”s that one that is false,” he said.
Macdonald said her father has a love for the gospel that carries into his professional work and he has chosen to be at BYU because of the opportunity it gives him to freely share the gospel.
Williams takes a new seat in the administrative board; however, he said his advice to students remains the same.
“Enjoy your sojourn in the real world so that you are strengthened and empowered and can go out and make a difference in the other world,” Williams said.
