William “Bro” Adams has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 10th chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Adams graduated from Colorado College magna cum laude with a philosophy degree in 1972. He entered CC with the Class of 1969; however, his time on campus was interrupted by three years of service in the Army, including one year in Vietnam. It was partly that experience that motivated him to study and teach in the humanities.

Adams, a native of Birmingham, Mich., served as president of Colby College from 2000 until stepping down in June. Before taking the helm there, Adams served as president of Bucknell University from 1995 to 2000. He was vice president and secretary of Wesleyan University from 1993 to 1995, and served as program coordinator of the Great Works in Western Culture program at Stanford University from 1986 to 1988. Adams has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

He studied in France as a Fulbright Scholar before beginning his career in higher education with appointments to teach political philosophy at Santa Clara University in California and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.