EMMANUEL'S FACULTY ATHLETICS REPRESENTATIVE HONORED AT COMMENCEMENT
June 9, 2011
Emmanuel College's Faculty Athletics Representative, Dr. Todd Williams, was honored at the College's 89th commencement exercises on May 14th. Williams, an Associate Professor of Biology, was one of two members of the Emmanuel faculty recognized during the ceremony. Dr. Williams received the Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award, while Professor of Nursing Joan Riley was conferred the rank of Professor Emeritus.
Williams, a seven-year member of the Emmanuel faculty, just completed his first academic year at the Saints' Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR). In his role as the College's FAR, Dr. Williams serves as a liaison between the Institution and the Athletic Department, while also representing Emmanuel in conference and NCAA affairs.
Employed by the College since 2004, Dr. Williams teaches courses in Anatomy and Physiology and Endocrinology, as well as Neurobiology, Medical Neuroscience, and the Senior Seminar in Neuroscience. The latter three courses compose a large portion of Emmanuel's Neuroscience Concentration, which Williams developed in his first year with the College.
With a vast education himself, Williams received a Doctorate in Neuroscience from Florida State University in 2002 and a Master's Degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology from Northeastern University in 1998. Williams did his undergraduate work at Springfield College, earning a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1992.
While at Springfield, Williams was a member of the then Division II NCAA Men's Tennis Team. He competed in both singles and doubles, playing singles matches at numbers 2 through 5 and doubles contests at 2 and 3. Williams helped Springfield win two Northeast 10 Conference Championships and served as the team's captain as a senior. In addition to his experience as a collegiate student-athlete, Williams is also a former tri-athlete.
Dr. Williams is a native of Stonington, Connecticut and currently resides in Jamaica Plain. He was nominated for the 2011 Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award by one of his peers. Upon nomination and application, Williams faced a selection committee made up of three past honorees. Williams' selection for this high honor was in part due to continued exceptional evaluations by his students. Dr. Williams' allocates a large portion of his Medical Neuroscience class to dealing with case studies in the field. This class tends to be one of the top-rated courses at Emmanuel.
Williams recently attended the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Athletic Director's meeting hosted by Emmanuel on May 17th. He was impressed with the proactive approach that the GNAC Athletic Directors applied with scheduling and managing upcoming issues surrounding the conference and its student-athletes.
During the 2010-2011 academic year, Dr. Williams worked directly with Emmanuel's Director of Athletics Pam Roecker as a liaison between the Athletic Department and the College faculty. Williams will continue in this role in the upcoming year. The Saints congratulate Dr. Williams on his prestigious honor!