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John Davis Williams was Chancellor for 22 years, and his influence
on the University was profound. During the years of growth after World
War II, he reorganized the administrative structure of the rapidly
expanding University. He kept the University open and stabilized during
the difficult period of integration in 1962. He saw the University
experience a revival of athletics (the football teams were consistently
successful during his term as Chancellor). He helped the University
celebrate its Centennial (an event highlighted by the publication of Dr.
J. Allen Cabaniss' A History of The University of Mississippi). A
Kentucky native born in 1902, Williams was the first and only Chancellor
to hold the Ed.D. (Doctor of Education) degree. In 1955 he oversaw the
establishment of the Medical Center campus in Jackson and the transition
from a two-year medical program to a four-year school that was fully
accredited. Three years later (1958), the School of Nursing was added on the
Jackson campus. Doctoral programs were authorized in biology, physics,
political science, and psychology, and Carrier Scholarships were
established to attract the best students. Also during his long tenure,
the University built an alumni headquarters and celebrated its unique
relationship with William Faulkner.
