On Monday, the University of Cincinnati formally welcomed its brand new president on campus, complete with a marching band and a real-life bearcat.
Gregory Williams, the former President of the City College of New York for eight years, says he would have preferred a warmer warming to start his new job. The new president says he enjoyed getting a very warm reception from his administration, faculty, staff and students who gathered in front of the University Pavilion to greet him.
The UC marching band helped keep the crowd of several hundred warm and on beat as they prepared to say hello to Williams on his first day.
The 65-year old former Law School Dean at Ohio State University replaces Nancy Zimpher, who is now Chancellor of the State University of New York.
Williams told reporters he feels UC is prepared to take advantage of future opportunities. "If you look at everything in the last few years, academics have improved, research and research dollars have grown. It's truly a great time to be here. My goal is to build on that momentum."
Williams says he was very surprised and pleased at the rousing reception he got on his first day, including a welcome from the real UC Bearcat mascot, Lucy, who was brought over from the Cincinnati Zoo.
Almost immediately, Williams has some real challenges to face along with the university itself. Those challenges include figuring out the future for University Hospital and a $1 billion future growth campaign for the school with increasingly tight operating budgets.
