Dean Richard Williams strives to bring zest, spunk and excitement into the lives of seniors furiously working out the kinks of their dreaded senior theses.
"I skulk about the 4th floor in West College . . . I will bombard you throughout the year with reminders of important deadlines," wrote Associate Dean of the College Williams in his introductory email to the senior class.
Williams is beginning his 30th year as adviser to the senior class.
To ensure that seniors do not ignore mass emails containing important information, Williams has adopted many attention-grabbing strategies. His emails all have catchy subjects like "Dean W sez 'Welcome to Senior Year!!!' " and "The Dean Sez: Save your money!"
"This is all something I started doing two and a half years ago," said Williams, whose personality is just as boisterous as his emails. "It dawned on me that I would get a better response this way [as opposed to the] old, standard, turgid administrative stuff."
Williams' humorous emails reached a new level of entertainment when he, in his own words, "had the misfortune of discovering clip art."
A message reminding seniors about the deadline for free course changes was accompanied by a sketch of a parrot in an overcoat and wide-brimmed hat holding a bag of money and a gun.
In addition to mass emails, Williams also tries to send seniors email birthday cards.
Krispy Kreme donuts are a running theme in Williams' campaign to get the senior class's attention. This year he offered a dozen donuts to the first senior who accurately predicted the score of the Princeton-Lehigh football game.
Receiving more than 100 responses, Williams ended up awarding four dozen donuts because no senior guessed the exact score. Williams plans to continue the Krispy Kreme theme "to the extent that it provides a little bit of levity and doesn't put too big a hole in my pocket."
In the email announcing the competition, Williams wrote that among those not eligible to participate was President Tilghman. In explanation, Williams laughingly recounted a story about a Krispy Kreme competition two years ago.
Tilghman's daughter, a senior at the time, apparently shared the email with her mother, who tracked down Williams. Approaching him at a meeting, Tilghman demanded that Williams also get her a box of donuts.
"She really loves them," Williams said.
In addition to his duties as senior class adviser, Williams' responsibilities include overseeing leaves of absence, withdrawal and readmission, senior thesis research funds, grades and grade changes, the Committee on Examinations and Standing, field study and academic warning and probation.
Read More
GSG approves audit, delays budget approval after ‘insufferable’ meeting
Nikki HanThe final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
The final Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting for the semester lasted more than an hour and a half when discussions over the proposed budget for the next year and a proposed Student Life Fee of $100 turned controversial.
Effort to restore chapel’s pews slowly progresses
Ben GoldstonHead carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Head carpenter Jim Sullivan has been restoring the Chapel pews over the last year. The dry atmosphere of the Chapel has warped the wooden pews over the years.
Metals, molecules, and medicine: chemical biology’s influence on health and sustainability
Aanya KaseraChemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.
Chemistry professor Chris Chang’s lab studies the chemical biology of the elements, specifically examining the roles that copper, iron, and zinc play in biology across all kingdoms of life.