William G. Thomas III, professor of history and John and Catherine Angle Chair in the humanities, will begin serving as the associate dean for research and graduate education in the College of Arts and Sciences starting January 4th, 2021.
Will joined the Department of History in 2005 and served as chair from 2010 to 2016. He teaches U.S. history and specializes in the Civil War, the U.S. south, slavery, and digital history and digital humanities. He received the Hazel R. McClymont Distinguished Teaching Fellow Award in 2012 from the college and was selected as a 2016 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow. His efforts helped earn the department the University-wide Departmental Teaching Award in 2017.
As a fellow of the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities, Will's projects include "Railroads and the Making of Modern America," funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, and "O Say Can You See: Early Washington, D.C., Law, and Family." The latter is the basis for his award-winning film "Anna" and the feature film in production, "The Bell Affair." He also co-directs the History Harvest, which partners with undergraduate students and the local community to collect, digitize, and archive historical artifacts. It was adopted to K-12 curriculum in Lincoln Public Schools.
At the university level, he co-led the Nebraska 150 Commission—which created a plan for the university's future—and is an ex-officio member of the N150 Strategy Team that will implement the plan.
Will brings his research knowledge and leadership experience to this associate dean role, where he will foster research support for faculty in all areas in the college, maintain connections to funding agencies, and oversee the college's research award programs. As part of some administrative realignments in the Dean's Office, he will also provide leadership for the advancement of graduate education in the college.
"We are excited about the contributions that he will make to the expanded role of associate dean for research and graduate education," Dean Mark Button said in an email.
The college thanks the search committee, chaired by Dan Claes, for their efforts in Will's selection and John Osterman for his two and a half years in the Dean's Office. Over the last nine months, John stepped in as interim associate dean for research in addition to his academic programs position.
