Buffalo, NY – Canisius University Vice President for Student Affairs Daniel A. Dentino, PhD, has appointed Bennie D. Williams assistant dean of students and director of the Multicultural Student Center. Williams is charged with supporting and advancing the college’s initiatives related to the student experience with a focus on students of color and the education of the entire student population around issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. In his new role, Williams works directly with the ALANA Student Center to provide African American, Latinx American, Asian American and Native American students with services to help them succeed at Canisius and beyond. Williams also oversees the college’s Center for International Education, which supports the academic needs and development of the global student community.
Williams came to Canisius from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY, where he served in a number of capacities within the institution’s Student Development Division. Most recently, he was director of the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Global Education, a role in which he oversaw student diversity and inclusion, international student services and study abroad. During his tenure, Williams also directed the 2018 National Jesuit Student Leadership Conference and the 2019 annual meeting of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) Conference on Diversity and Equity, both of which were hosted by Le Moyne.
An alumnus of Canisius, Williams earned his bachelor of arts degree in 2011, in childhood education (grades 1 – 6) and master’s degree in college student personnel in 2013. Williams came to Canisius as part of the Urban Leadership Learning Community, a novel scholarship and educational program that aims to advance diversity and develop the next generation of leaders within Western New York. Williams also served a two-year term as president of the Afro-American Society, a student club with a mission to orient Afro-American students to the college community.
Williams is currently vice chair for AJCU’s Conference on Diversity and Equity, and most recently co-hosted the Jesuit Association of Student Personnel Administrators summer institute.
One of 27 Jesuit universities in the nation, Canisius is the premier private university in Western New York. Canisius celebrates its sesquicentennial anniversary during the 2019-20 academic year, marking 150 years of Jesuit education and leadership in the city of Buffalo and Western New York. Visit www.canisius.edu/150 for more information about Canisius’ milestones and celebratory events.
