Dr. Philip Williams, incoming Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, introduces himself by sharing his impactful background and plans for expanding opportunities at OSU.
Philip J. Williams
By Gabriella Grinbergs, CLA Student Writer - September 17, 2024
Studying abroad presents the opportunity to hear fresh points of view and personal stories in a unique educational experience. These opportunities to see what the world can offer have the power to transform a student’s perspective on their field of study, their view of the world, and ultimately their path in life.
For Dr. Philip Williams, this was exactly the case.
From UCLA to Oxford, Nicaragua to El Salvador, from California to Florida and back again, Williams’ career has led him all over the world before landing in Corvallis, Oregon, to be the next dean of the College of Liberal Arts at OSU.
Focusing on Latin America
His journey began studying political science at UCLA, taking classes in Latin American politics. Among his courses was a Spanish class where one of his peers shared their family’s personal experience of leaving an entire life behind in El Salvador to come to the U.S., fleeing political persecution and violence.
“To hear someone's personal testimony just made it so much more real for me,” he said. “It really brought home the human dimension.”
The power of personal testimony pushed Williams further as he studied as an exchange student at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England – his first international experience.
“It was the first time that I had actually seen my own country through the eyes of others who were not American,” he described. “There were a lot of events going on in the world, and they saw the United States and its involvement in those events differently than many Americans did.”
This “eye-opening” experience stayed with him as he finished his undergraduate degree and worked briefly at a law firm in Los Angeles, before returning to the UK for graduate school. Williams earned a master’s degree in Latin American studies at the University of Oxford and spent a summer studying in Nicaragua, ultimately giving him “a taste for doing research in the field.” His curiosity fueled him further through his doctoral studies at Oxford focused on religious and political conflict in Central America.
Following Oxford and a brief assistant professor position in Missouri, he spent a year at the Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) in El Salvador as a visiting Fulbright professor. Williams’ time there was marked by the final six months of the Salvadoran Civil War and the first six months of peace.
Williams described the particularly tragic atmosphere of the campus as the university was still reeling from the loss of six Jesuit priests and their helpers who were murdered by members of the Salvadoran armed forces for their courageous denunciation of the military’s human rights abuses. He keeps a poster in his office in remembrance of the martyrs of the UCA.
“It always reminds me to ask myself the question, ‘what have you done today… in the cause of social justice?’” he explained. “It can be small acts of kindness or justice towards our friends, our family, our co-workers…It was life-altering, I have to say.”
Humanizing immigration
Such focus on social justice stuck with Williams as he continued on to co-author and publish several books on politics, human rights, and Latin American migration to the U.S. Among his proudest research accomplishments are a co-edited volume, “A Place to Be”, and a co-authored book, “Living ‘Illegal’: The Human Face of Unauthorized Immigration”. Both works focus on Latin American immigration to the U.S. South.
“Living ‘Illegal’” was a multi-sited, multinational collaboration with researchers from Brazil, Guatemala, and Mexico, both in “sending communities” – regions where migrants originated – and settling communities in the U.S. – particularly Florida and Atlanta. Many of the researchers studied communities they originated from as well, and were able to follow the stories of the families they interviewed.
“When you tell those personal stories, it humanizes the issue in a way that is … lost, sometimes in the news coverage,” he stated. “But certainly in the way politicians often talk about it.”
Williams is especially proud of how the project featured “the human dimension” of immigration.
“Sometimes we just think ‘oh, they're just … hordes coming here.’ It's not like that at all. … people want to stay where they are. They don't want to leave their communities,” Williams continued. “There's all kinds of reasons for it. And when they have to make that decision, it is a gut-wrenching decision.”
Williams worked alongside anthropologists, sociologists, social psychologists, and religious studies experts to incorporate a multitude of academic angles and perspectives. He encourages students to explore topics outside their discipline to broaden their understanding of not only their field, but fields they wouldn’t otherwise look into.
Engaging with students
Williams' desire to have a positive impact on students' lives drives his passion for research and academia. He found his time as a professor to be a grounding experience in his scholarship.
“I didn't get into this business to become an administrator or a dean. But as I had those opportunities, I looked at them as platforms to have a broader impact,” he stated.
While he misses teaching for its direct interaction with students, Williams still works to carve out time to meet directly with students, even as an administrator. During his previous position as CLA dean at California Polytechnic State University, Williams met regularly with the college’s student advisory council, which represented every major and graduate program and allowed students the opportunity to speak directly with the dean about their concerns and experiences. He also hosted a quarterly lunch for the first fifteen students to sign up and hopes to continue this at OSU.
He expressed, “I do hope to find ways to create access to students because it's important for me to hear about the student experience in the college directly from the students.”
However, much of a dean’s job includes traveling to meet with donors and alumni to secure private fundraising for scholarships which go towards supporting students. Maintaining these crucial relationships often takes place away from campus, which leaves less time to connect regularly with students.
“I don't know what happens now in terms of the dean's access to students,” he said. “… But I think it's possible to carve out some time.”
In his time at OSU, Williams plans to prioritize the major goals detailed in the CLA’s five-year strategic plan and propel the college into the future with a focus on interdisciplinary research and creative activities. He also aims to focus on providing equitable access to the full range of opportunities at OSU to first generation and underrepresented students.
“If you don't have financial privilege, you can't take an unpaid internship. Sometimes the study abroad opportunity is just outside of your possibilities,” he elaborated. “So how do we remove barriers to those high-impact practices and expand those opportunities to all students?”
Finally, Williams wants to build on OSU’s land-grant identity to emphasize public and community engagement. “So what does that mean for a college of liberal arts? And how can we really lean into that public and community engagement piece of it?” he added.
With a lifetime of remarkable academic experiences and dedication to social justice, Williams is thrilled to begin this exciting new opportunity with the College of Liberal Arts and the OSU community.