Williams Ushered in Era of Openness at UA

Roger Williams, who has served since 1998 as chief spokesman for the University of Arkansas, has taken a job as executive director of the Alumni Association at Penn State University, his alma mater.

Williams plans to leave Fayetteville in early May and begin his new job on June 1. In the meantime, the UA will initiate a national search for his replacement.

We’re sorry to see him go. Williams took over a public relations department that was more of a problem for the press than anything else.

Under the regime of Joan Watkins, the Office of University Relations operated as if the UA were a private institution. Faculty members were instructed not to speak to reporters without approval from the P.R. office.

Williams immediately set out to change that policy and to make the UA more open to the media and the public in general.

Not long after Williams arrived at the UA, we went to campus to take a photo of Razorback Stadium. An employee in the administration building told us we weren’t allowed to take pictures on campus without the prior approval of the University Relations office.

We called Williams, and his response went something like, “This is a public university. Of course you can take pictures on campus without asking.”

For all that he’s done for the university, we would like to say thank you.