成人视频

成人视频鈥檚 new president, Dr. William M. Downs, describes GWU as a 鈥渉idden gem.鈥� Working with faculty, staff and alumni, his goal is to polish all facets of 成人视频鈥檚 brilliance for everyone to see.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 want anybody in North Carolina to ever ask again,
鈥榃here鈥檚 成人视频?鈥欌�� Downs offered. 鈥淭hey should know鈥攁nd they will know鈥攚ho we are. They should know where we are, and they should be very clear about the impact we are making.鈥�

He hopes to extend that name recognition far beyond the state.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a challenge, but it provides us an opportunity to get creative, entrepreneurial and aggressive about pushing our brand out,鈥� he asserted. 鈥淲e had a wonderful moment with March Madness and the success of our men鈥檚 basketball team鈥攚hen all of a sudden the country heard about 成人视频 and Boiling Springs. We want to build on that momentum. We want them to know that there is not just excellent athletics here, but that we have incredible academic programs and incredible world class scholars here as well.鈥�

Downs officially began his term on July 1, selected unanimously by the 成人视频 Board of Trustees after a highly competitive one-year national search. In his first meeting with faculty and staff, Downs described his excitement about his new role.

鈥淚 am honored to be here; I am humbled, and I am excited. To be president of 成人视频 is, in my view, the privilege of a lifetime and certainly of my career,鈥� shared Downs, the 13th president of 成人视频.

鈥淭ogether, we have the opportunity to provide a world-class education in a caring, compassionate Christian environment. That鈥檚 our mission at its core and that is precisely what we will do.鈥�

Downs鈥� career spans over two decades of service in higher education. Before GWU, he was dean of the Thomas Harriot College of Arts & Sciences at East Carolina University (ECU) in Greenville, N.C. He had been at ECU since 2014 and was also the W. Keats Sparrow Distinguished Chair in the Liberal Arts and a professor of political science.
According to David Royster III, a GWU Board of Trustees member and chairman of the Presidential Search Committee, Downs impressed the committee with his significant leadership experience. 鈥淗e has served as a faculty member, department chair, program director and dean,鈥� Royster noted. 鈥淭he 成人视频 Board of Trustees has faith that this university will thrive and continue to provide transformative opportunities for students under his guidance.鈥�

At ECU, Downs introduced several initiatives to improve undergraduate research and international study opportunities.

鈥淚 am an avowed internationalist, both in my own scholarship and in my approach to higher education,鈥� Downs remarked. 鈥淚 firmly believe that our students must have global competence if they are going to be competitive in a global economy and thrive in a global society.鈥�

From 1997 to 2014, Downs served various roles at Georgia State University (Atlanta), including dean, department chair, director and professor. He is an accomplished lecturer, research scholar and the author of 鈥淧olitical Extremism in Democracies: Combating Intolerance.鈥� He has been a research fellow at Harvard University鈥檚 Minda
de Gunzburg Center for European Studies, a graduate research associate at the Carter Center鈥檚 African Governance Program and a Fulbright Research Fellow in Belgium.
A Raleigh native, Downs earned his Bachelor of Arts in political science (with a minor in journalism) from North Carolina State University (Raleigh) in 1988, and his Master of Arts (鈥�90) and Doctoral (鈥�94) degrees in political science from Emory University (Atlanta). Downs is married to Kimberly Harwood Downs and has two children, Rachel and Bradley.

He and his family are long-time followers of the Christian faith. 鈥淚 fully embrace 成人视频鈥檚 commitment to providing rigorous academic programs in a compassionate Christian environment,鈥� noted Downs, 鈥渁nd I look forward to celebrating the University鈥檚 Baptist heritage.鈥�