DSU President Harry Williams Takes Part in ACE Crises Roundtable

DSU President Harry L. Williams presented his perspective as a roundtable participant at the June 22 American Council on Education (ACE) Presidential Roundtable on “Leadership in Times of Crisis” held in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Williams was one of 17 university and college chief academic officers who along with several other higher education expert took part in the day-long discussion. The participants shared their experiences concerning how crisis events have been handled at their institutions and some of the challenges that were encountered.

“We were able to share how crisis situations have been handled at each of our universities and colleges, and many of the valuable lessons that were learned,” Dr. Williams said. “We were not dealing in hypotheticals, but in the higher education crisis controversies that have taken place recently at Penn State, the University of Virginia and elsewhere. It was a valuable and informative experience.”  

Dr. Rod Erickson, current president of Penn State University, gave a presentation on “Living through a Crises with the Scars to Prove it,” in which he talked about how his institution was rocked by the sex abuse scandal that has been a dominant news story since last November.

Dr. Williams, the 10^th president of DSU, was joined for roundtable event by the ninth president of DSU, Dr. Allen L. Sessoms, who is now the president of the University of the District of Columbia.