Adam F. Falk, an alumnus of UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences, has been named the 17th president of Williams College, the second oldest higher education institution in Massachusetts.
Falk graduated from UNC as a Morehead Scholar in 1987, earning a bachelor of science degree in physics with highest distinction. He was previously the dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns Hopkins University.
He earned his Ph.D. in physics at Harvard in 1991, and later became an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins in 1994. Eleven years later, he became dean at the School of Arts and Sciences, where he oversaw increases in admissions selectivity and students’ self-reported satisfaction, the establishment of a new Office of Multicultural Affairs, renovation of the university’s flagship building, and the launching of new minors in theater and museum studies.
Falk’s work in theoretical physics earned him support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), and he won young investigator awards from the Department of Energy and NSF.
“Adam captivated the board with his intelligence, passion, warmth, and outstanding record of leadership,” said Gregory M. Avis, chair of the Williams Board of Trustees and the Presidential Search Committee. “We marveled at the depth and range of his accomplishments as a topflight teacher, scholar, and administrator and at the strength of his character and values. He’ll be an outstanding president for Williams.”
