Robert A. Williams, PhD, joined PSU in July 2026 as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs because the Portland State mission, Let Knowledge Serve the City, is personal to him.
Dr. Williams believes that admitting a student is a promise. His work is built around keeping it — reducing the institutional complexity that too often stands between students and their degrees, closing equity gaps, and making sure a PSU education translates into real economic opportunity for students and the Portland region.
Prior to joining Portland State, Dr. Williams served in senior academic leadership roles within the California State University system, including as Academic Administrator in Academic Affairs, Dean of the College of Education and Allied Studies at California State University, East Bay, and Associate Dean of the Graduate College of Education at San Francisco State University — both Hispanic-Serving Institutions with significant populations of first-generation, Pell-eligible, and historically underserved students. As dean, he led a college that achieved the highest six-year graduation rate on campus, reduced equity gaps for first-generation students to the lowest level in at least six years, and generated more grant revenue than the university’s three other colleges combined. He has led enrollment stabilization and dual enrollment expansion efforts, directed region-wide K-16 partnership grants exceeding $18 million, and built workforce development programming that connects students in the liberal arts, social sciences, and health fields to meaningful careers.
A licensed psychologist and Fulbright Fellow, Dr. Williams has led more than $10 million in federally funded research on behavioral health and student outcomes. He holds a PhD and MA in Clinical Psychology from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and a BS in Psychology from Howard University.