Ryan Williams, Ph.D. is the Interim Dean of the College of Professional Studies, Syracuse University’s home for continuing and professional education, practice-oriented degree and non-credit programs, and workforce development. As Interim Dean, he serves as chief academic and executive officer, providing strategic, fiscal, and managerial leadership for the College.
Dr. Williams is a Professor of Practice at the College of Professional Studies and holds a faculty appointment at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.
Before his appointment as Interim Dean, Dr. Williams served as Senior Associate Dean at the College of Professional Studies, responsible for a growing portfolio of market-aligned, online undergraduate and graduate degree programs. His role included oversight of curriculum, faculty, pre-college, and international programs.
In his leadership positions at the College of Professional Studies, Dr. Williams has worked to further the University’s ambitious online objectives, including: the expansion of degree and non-degree programming; growing online enrollment nationally and internationally; building a full-service online course design, development, and production facility and team; establishing a scalable model for online recruiting, admissions, advising, and student support; and leveraging the strengths of the University’s thirteen schools and colleges to develop new degrees, certificates, and alternative credentials.
Before joining the College of Professional Studies in 2020, Dr. Williams served as Assistant Dean and Director for the Maxwell School’s operations in Washington, D.C., a role he had for eleven years. In Washington, he was responsible for all aspects (from recruitment through alumni development) of an academic center with multiple graduate and undergraduate programs. During his time there, the DC Program enrolled around 200 students per year and employed close to 20 faculty members (full and part-time), who were seasoned academics and professionals in public administration and international affairs.
Dr. Williams began his career at Syracuse University as the Assistant Director of SU Abroad before becoming Associate Director of Graduate Studies in Maxwell’s International Relations Program.
Prior to his career in higher education, Dr. Williams worked in investment banking and management consulting on both sides of the Atlantic, in New York and San Francisco, and more extensively in France and Germany. In Europe, Dr. Williams worked on cross-border mergers and acquisitions as well as initial public offerings on the German stock exchange.
He holds a B.A. in German, French, and International Business from Nazareth University, as well as a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (M.A.L.D.) from Tufts University’s Fletcher School and an M.B.A. from Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) School of Management in Paris. He also completed both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Political Science at Maxwell, with fields of study in comparative and international politics.
Dr. Williams’ broad academic interests include foreign policy analysis, decision-making, and political psychology. More narrowly, his doctoral research focused on cosmopolitanism, citizenship and international education.