- January 11th, 2022
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Dr. William Ross Bryan, associate professor and previous assistant dean of the Honors College, will continue to serve Honors students as the associate dean of student development and engagement as of Jan. 1, 2022.
Bryan received a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Master of Science in higher education administration/educational leadership from Florida State University and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
“Dr. Bryan’s experience and strengths are perfectly suited to this position, which focuses on the elements of the Honors student experience beyond the classroom,” said Dr. Tara Williams, UA Honors College dean. “I’m excited to see the innovative ideas and initiatives that he’ll bring to the Honors community as associate dean.”
Bryan looks forward to beginning his new role as it is “the perfect combination of administration, teaching and service to the Honors College students and larger University and Tuscaloosa communities,” said Bryan. “I feel that this position [will] offer me continued challenges in the areas that I value most in being an educator and a member of our University community.”
Bryan served The University of Alabama as an adjunct professor from 2006-2011 and joined the Honors College in 2015. His administrative role has since been broad and diverse, and included leading the collaborative effort to reconstruct the Honors College student academic matriculation and develop Student Learning Outcomes. “I hope that our work, which involves Honors faculty and staff, community-based partnerships, Center for Service and Leadership and UA student services, will expand curricular and co-curricular programming for the entire college,” said Bryan.
In addition to his passion for serving students through administration and traditional advising to students, clubs and organizations, Bryan also has an extensive teaching background. He is a professor within the Honors College and has developed and taught several upper-class courses, with an emphasis on courses in the Honors service-learning areas. Bryan has been granted “graduate faculty status” since 2015 for his graduate courses in higher education administration. “Being in the classroom is very important to me, and I value teaching as much as my service and administrative work,” said Bryan.
He works closely with other departments throughout the University and has been integral in nurturing fruitful campus partnerships. Bryan currently sits on several University committees inside and outside of the Honors College, including the University Residency Appeal Committee, University Assessment Committee and Inclusive Campus Culture Committee (Campus Crossroads). In 2019, he was selected to serve on the Core Curriculum Oversight Committee, Academic Space and Schedule Oversight Committee and named the Honors College liaison for the Black Faculty Staff Association and Community-Based Partnerships.
“Perhaps my favorite service has been traveling and recruiting for the UA Office of Admissions/Recruitment,” said Bryan. “I enjoy public speaking and telling potential students and families why I love my job so much and why UA is full of access to opportunities in and out of the classroom.”
