01-26-2007, 03:08 PM
Quote:Tennant McWilliams, dean of the UAB School of Social and Behavioral Sciences since 1990, is stepping down this summer and returning to the faculty. Under his leadership, the number of degree-seeking students has nearly doubled to 2,010.
"I am ready to get back to teaching and writing full-time," McWilliams said. "I look forward to returning to the classroom and helping our students understand history and how it shapes their lives."
McWilliams, 63, was born into academia. His father, Richebourg Gaillard McWilliams, was a linguist and English professor at Birmingham-Southern College and his mother had an equally intellectual nature. His parents often spoke French around the dinner table to encourage their children to learn the language.
"I can remember wanting another piece of fried chicken and not getting it until I could ask for it in French," McWilliams said.
He joined the UAB faculty in 1974 as an assistant professor of history, later served as department chair, assistant vice president for academic affairs and interim senior vice president for University College before being named dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences in 1990.
As dean of the school, he was skilled at finding ways to meet the needs of growing departments even when money and space was scarce. But his chief skill was his charm, said Carl McFarland, chair of the department of psychology and a friend of McWilliams. He fostered a collegial atmosphere among the faculty and made sometimes skeptical recruits feel comfortable coming to the Deep South
Later this year, McWilliams latest book is due out, "New Lights in the Valley," a 600-page narrative history of UAB. He leaves his post with a new home for the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences under construction at the heart of campus.
"The school is positioned to become a major force in many areas," McWilliams said.
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