Director of the Echols Scholars Program

For the past 23 years it has been my great privilege to serve the students of the College of Arts and Sciences as an association dean. Before returning to Charlottesville in 1988 to take on this position (I am an old hoo) I was in the Theology Department at Loyola College in Maryland. This was a wonderful post, but to have the opportunity to teach and conduct research here at Virginia and work closely with our undergraduate Arts and Sciences students to help them attain their academic hopes and dreams has been a true labor of love. “Association Dean at U.Va.” is the best title a professor can have.

Dean William Wilson
wmw2v@virginia.edu

Over these years I have had many other roles in the office alongside Association Dean. I have overseen fellowships and scholarships (Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, and the like), I have been in charge of Interdisciplinary Majors, and I have monitored our programs in undergraduate research. But my greatest role came along six years ago when I became Dean (and now Director as well) of the Echols Scholars Program. I have found the privilege of serving Virginia undergraduates to be especially rewarding with these exceptional students.

I teach two or three classes a year in the Department of Religious Studies where I hold the rank of Associate Professor. My classes are in Religion and Literature and Philosophical Theology as is my research and publication. Several years ago I was a co-editor and contributor to a three volume collection of essays on every Canto of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Of all my publications I am especially pleased with this.

My bride of 33 years, Barbara Wilson, is Associate Professor of Dermatology in the Medical School. We have six children; three are U.Va. graduates and one is a second year Classics major. A family of this size does not leave much free time for any of us. We can generally be found reading, playing our own music, playing backyard sports, and jogging the back roads of Western Albemarle County.

Assistant Director of the Echols Scholars Program

The Assistant Director of the Echols Scholars Program is Beverly Colwell-Adams, Ph.D. Dean Adams is also associate professor of the Psychology Department where she teaches courses entitled "Psychology of Reading" and "Psychology of Ubiquitous Computing". Dean Adams graduated from Spelman College, University of Pittsburgh, and University of Massachusetts. She is the association dean for the Lile, Tuttle, Cauthen, and Woody dorms.

Secretary of the Echols Scholars Program

Sherry Bullock has been the secretary for the Echols Scholars program for 15 years. She keeps in contact with the students through her famous e-mails. Many students come to her for information and support, or to just relax. As secretary of the Echols Scholars Program, her job is to make sure students keep in contact with their dean if there are any situations or problems, and that prospective students, their parents and guidance counselors are provided current information on the Echols Scholars Program.

As the mother of 4 boys, two in college, one in high school, and one in elementary school, Mrs. Bullock is extremely passionate and caring to her Echols Scholars. She enjoys meeting them, talking to them about their dreams and aspirations, and she "requires" that they keep in contact with her after they graduate.  

Those interested in the Echols Scholars Program, please contact Mrs. Bullock at (434) 924-3350.

2011-2012 Echols Advisors