Donald Williams Sr., longtime dean of the Office of Minority Affairs at Grand Valley State University, has announced he will retire effective December 31.
Williams was hired in December 1985 as the director of GVSU's Minority Business Education Center and appointed to his present position in 1989.
An active member of numerous city coalitions and clubs, Williams said his plans following retirement include leading a fund drive to build a youth center in Grand Rapids. He is president of the Concerned Citizens Council, which has announced plans for a $5.5 million center at Franklin and Jefferson.
We want the center to serve as notice to the community that your kids are as valuable to us as ballplayers, and convention visitors, Williams said.
Williams is also a Grand Rapids Rotary Club officer, and active in the Economic Club of Greater Grand Rapids, Minority Affairs Council for Michigan Universities, West Michigan Coalition for African American Men, and Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce.
At GVSU, he has established three specific programs to address the academic and social needs of minority students in business, science and mathematics, and education. Each of these programs offers scholarships, tutoring sessions, and mentoring programs.
One of the things I'm most proud of is we've dramatically changed the caliber of the minority student who is enrolling in Grand Valley, Williams said.
The Office of Minority Affairs also sponsors the King-Chavez-Parks College Day, for area sixth-12th grade students; and Start Now!, a college-prep program for Holland middle and high school students.
Our reputation is so great within the university, community and statewide, and it is my hope that Grand Valley maintains this energy we've put into what we've built and does not diminish the effort to fit into future budget patterns, he said.
Williams' retirement announcement precedes Blues on the Banks of the Grand, the annual benefit concert that raises money for minority scholarships. During the past six years, more than $700,000 has been raised; Williams hopes to surpass the $1 million mark this year.
We need everyone's help, he said. These are scholarships truly raised by nickels and dimes.
The concert, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 31, at Frederik Meijer Gardens, will feature Memphis jazz artist Joyce Cobb.
Williams and his wife, Mary, live in Grand Rapids. They have three children: Donald Jr., Tanja, and Kishna.
