Radford University has appointed Rachel Marie-Crane Williams, Ph.D., as dean of the
College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA), effective July 10.
Williams brings extensive experience as an interdisciplinary arts scholar and administrator
to Radford, and has spent her entire academic career at public universities. Her areas
of expertise include educational policy, conflict resolution, research, pedagogy and
curriculum development.
“My passion for public education and the arts stems from the transformative arts education
I received as a student, which was an experience that enriched my life immeasurably,”
Williams says. “The arts create pathways to profound personal fulfillment, they are
an economic engine for communities, and they help us celebrate all the creative and
communal possibilities within humanity. I'm particularly inspired by Radford's exceptional
community of dedicated faculty, talented staff, and passionate students who share
this commitment to artistic and academic excellence and growth.”
Since June of 2022, Williams has served as dean of the Division of Liberal Arts at
the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, leading a division which provides
general education for undergraduates at the Winston-Salem based institution. In 2023,
Williams partnered with the UNCSA library to launch the Textbook Affordability Program,
an initiative that saved students over $44,000 in its pilot year and was a focal point
of the school’s spring 2024 giving campaign. Prior to UNCSA, Williams spent 23 years
at the University of Iowa (1999–2022) in roles that included four years as chair of
the Department of Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies, three years as the university
ombudsperson in the office of the president and 11 years as a dual-appointed associate
professor.
An area of focus in Williams’ scholarly research has been women in prison, and she
has worked with incarcerated women as an artist, scholar and teacher since 1994. American
alternative/single creator comics and graphic novels have been a focus of her creative
scholarship. Her current research focuses on intersecting systems of oppression, gender,
race, sexuality and arts-based research.
“Rachel is a dynamic, highly-regarded individual with expertise in studio arts, a
track record of successful leadership and fundraising, and a deep understanding of
interdisciplinary breadth – traits that are perfectly suited for this role,” says
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Bethany Usher. “At Radford
University, we believe that the arts should create engagement with our community and
make this a great place to live. Rachel is ready to step in and help us strengthen
our connections through CVPA’s programming and initiatives.”
Williams’ writing appears in Southern Cultures, Meridians, the Journal of Arts Management
Law and Society, The Journal of Poetry Therapy, Feminist Studies, and Visual Arts
Research. She is also the author of “Teaching the Arts Behind Bars” (Northeastern
U. Press, 2003); “Elegy for Mary Turner: An Illustrated Account of a Lynching” (Verso
Press, 2021); and “Run Home If You Don’t Want to Be Killed: The Detroit Uprising of
1943” (UNC Press/Duke Center for Documentary Studies, 2021).
Williams received a B.F.A. in painting and drawing from East Carolina University,
and a Ph.D. in art education and an M.F.A. in studio art from Florida State University.
