President William D. AdamsWilliam D. Adams became Colby's 19th president on July 1, 2000, after serving five years as president of Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. Prior to leading Bucknell, he taught political philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Santa Clara University. Adams also served as coordinator of the Great Works in Western Culture program at Stanford University and vice president and secretary of Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

Adams has been an advocate of liberal arts education since his own undergraduate years at Colorado College, from which he graduated magna cum laude in 1972. He subsequently spent a year in France as a Fulbright Scholar and earned a Ph.D. in the History of Consciousness Program at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

One of Adams' first actions as Colby president was to initiate a strategic planning process, which resulted in the ambitious Plan for Colby (login required), a blueprint for the College's aspirations and goals in the coming decade. Colby has a tradition of strong, creative, committed presidents. The last five served an average of 18 years, and each in succession propelled the College to ever-higher levels of excellence.

Colby College President William D. Adams to Retire in 2014

January 9, 2013

Colby College President William D. Adams announced today that he will retire on June 30, 2014. Since his arrival, in 2000, Adams has overseen significant growth of the academic program, established the Goldfarb Center and a new center for the arts and humanities, and led a $376-million capital campaign, the largest in Maine history.

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Slideshow: Presidential Highlights

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Meet with Bro

President Adams keeps office hours for students that are open to all on a first-come, first-served basis. His office is located on the third floor of the Eustis Administration Building.


SPA - February 26 at 10 a.m.
March 13 at 1 p.m.
SPA - March 18 at 11 a.m.
April 1 at 4 p.m.
SPA - April 11 at 10 a.m.
April 16 at 1:30 p.m.
SPA - April 24 at 4 p.m.
April 30 at 3 p.m.
SPA - May 8 at 10 a.m.
 
 

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