CAA News Today

Today, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Dr. William “Bro” Adams as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

President Obama said, “Bro brings demonstrated leadership and decades of experience as an administrator at major universities and liberal arts institutions.  His clear dedication and lifelong commitment to the humanities make him uniquely qualified to lead the nation’s cultural agency. I’m proud to nominate Bro as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities and look forward to working with him in the months and years to come.”

Dr. William “Bro” Adams is President of Colby College, a position he has held since 2000.  Previously, he was President of Bucknell University from 1995 to 2000.  Dr. Adams was Vice President and Secretary of Wesleyan University from 1993 to 1995, and was Program Coordinator of the Great Works in Western Culture program at Stanford University from 1986 to 1988.  Earlier in his career, he held various teaching positions at Stanford University, Santa Clara University, and the University of North Carolina.  Dr. Adams served in the Vietnam War as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.  In 1977, he became a Fulbright Scholar and conducted research at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes and the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, France.  Dr. Adams is a member of the Board of Directors of the Maine Film Center and the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation.  Dr. Adams received a B.A. from the Colorado College and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz.