Kyle R. Williams Named Assistant Vice President and Dean of Intercultural Engagement
October 2, 2024
Communications Staff
Kyle R. Williams, a dedicated educator and administrator with extensive experience in community building and culturally responsive pedagogies, has been named Assistant Vice President and Dean of Intercultural Engagement at Oberlin College and Conservatory. He began September 16.
Prior to Oberlin, Williams served as special advisor to the Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life at Emory University in Atlanta. He has performed a variety of roles within student affairs at Oglethorpe University, Washington University in St. Louis, and Texas A&M University-Commerce, among other institutions.
“Kyle is a highly skilled and knowledgeable scholar-practitioner who embodies the seamless integration of theory and practice,” says Karen Goff, Vice President and Dean of Students. “His student-centric philosophy will help to facilitate spaces that transcend diversity and prioritize inclusion and belonging for all students, so that they can be active co-creators—rather than passive observers—of intercultural connections.
“Kyle’s commitment to enhancing the student experience aligns perfectly with the overall vision of Student Affairs. Furthermore, his depth and breadth of expertise within Student Affairs is an added value, which will help to advance the work within our division. I am thrilled and excited to welcome Kyle to the Student Affairs Team and the Oberlin community.”
Williams arrives at a time of great energy in the Center for Intercultural Engagement, or CIE. This fall, it celebrates the creation of a new office—Gender and Attraction Initiatives (GAI)—and christens new spaces in Wilder Hall for the Office for Disability and Access and the Multicultural Resource Commons (MRC). CIE also includes the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life (ORSL) and International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).
I’ve long regarded Oberlin College and Conservatory as a beacon of hope in American higher education—a place where equality in education first took root.”
A native of Cincinnati, Williams is a graduate of Otterbein College, where they studied voice. They completed a Master of Science in Educational Leadership at Old Dominion University and an EdD in Higher Education at Texas A&M-Commerce. Their dissertation was titled “Influence of Mattering on Black Males Intent to Persist at a Regional Predominately White Institution.”
“As a scholar-practitioner, I’ve long regarded Oberlin College and Conservatory as a beacon of hope in American higher education—a place where equality in education first took root,” says Williams, who uses the pronouns he/they. “I am overjoyed to return home to the Buckeye State and to build upon the legacy of the Center for Intercultural Engagement alongside dynamic and knowledgeable leaders, especially at a time when identities are so politicized. Together, we will ensure that Obies, both past and present, have a space to engage, thrive, and contribute to the ongoing story of justice and inclusion.”
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