A new Dean of Students was named by Fordham University in November 2025, replacing outgoing Dean Christopher Rodgers, who is now fully transitioned into his new role as associate vice president for Strategy and Operations. Kevin Williams, Ed.D., will be taking up the mantle. But who is he, and how will he assist in improving Fordham?
Williams began his Fordham journey as a child. He lived on a farm, where he grew up aspiring to be an actor. But his dream quickly switched to politics, then to education and finally to therapy. Throughout his entire childhood, William’s family had taught him the importance of learning about and helping others.
“My parents instilled at a very young age that we needed to help others, be of service to others,” Williams said. “I think that’s why the Jesuit … connection, lifelong learning and being of service to others was really important.”
Williams ended up attending Siena Heights University — a private Catholic university in Adrian, Michigan, — where he studied social science as a first-generation college student. Despite Williams’ desire to be a theater major, he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in social science. Outside of his studies, he was a Resident Assistant (RA) and a part of his university’s Residents’ Halls Association.
Following his undergraduate education, Williams pursued a masters in clinical social work at the University of Michigan (U-M). His studies revolved around the mental health of college students, which he had been inspired into pursuing while serving as an RA at Siena Heights. While at U-M, he worked in the first LGBTQ+ university center in the nation.
After graduating from the U-M, he was hired as the area coordinator at Oberlin College, where he also worked as the assistant dean of Students for Residential Life. After six years, he had transitioned into a role at Temple University, where he served as the associate director of Student Life. Williams had noted that Temple had living-learning communities similar to the Fordham Integrated Learning Communities. During his time there, he worked on housing, in Information Technologies and in ResLife.
While he was working at Temple, Williams also continued his studies — focusing on urban education — and ultimately received his Doctorate in educational leadership from the university.
Following his time at Temple, in 2018, Williams was hired to work as the assistant vice president and dean of students at the New School in New York City. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to transition to remote learning, Williams left the New School and found a hybrid role at Cornell University as their senior associate dean of students.
In 2025, he saw the opening to work at Fordham and the opportunity to be back full time. Williams credits his decision to apply to the opportunity to be back in-person and his personal alignment with Fordham’s Jesuit mission and commitment to cura personalis, or care for the whole person.
“I fell in love with and have been in love with the Jesuit mission,” Williams said. “[I] fell in love with that, that mission of helping students become competent, purposeful and ethical and so that aligned with the Jesuit mission here. That development of that whole student, helping you become lifelong learners.”
Williams shared that each of his past positions assisted in preparing him for his role at Fordham.
“I think with each new job, you learn new skills and you learn how to connect differently with different student populations and different groups who are similar or unlike your own experiences, so that you can gain a wide array of knowledge about how to support a wide array of students,” Williams said. “Each new opportunity to take on a new task or a new area or meet with different students prepares you for that next journey.”
Williams had also spoke on the goals he has for his new position. To start out, he explained his desire to engage in discourse with Fordham community members in order to inform him on how best to assist in improvements.
“I think the goal is for me, first and foremost, to listen and learn about the culture, about the community, about what’s working and where opportunities for growth are,” Williams said. “I’m one of many in a living, breathing organization and culture, and so first and foremost my mission is to listen and learn, meet with students, meet with faculty, meet with staff and understand the student experience and staff experience here at Fordham and where I can contribute.”
Williams emphasized the importance of supporting and being a resource for students.
“It’s about being visible and available and listening to what our students need, and making sure that I’m advocating for those while also setting clear expectations and understandings of what we can and can’t do right now,” Williams said. “As well as getting as much face time with students as possible.”
Williams also voiced support for University President Tania Tetlow’s recent “One Fordham” initiative, which is part of the university’s new strategic plan and underscores the desire and need to connect students across Fordham’s various campuses.
“I would say a second priority is continuing to think about how our programs and our services and our systems support the Jesuit mission, One Fordham and overall student success,” Williams said.
As his closing statement on his new role, Williams emphasized his focus on student and staff support.
“My role here is to build or to foster, to cultivate transformative communities, where students and staff can grow and learn, have that sense of belonging and well-being,” Williams said.
