ALBANY, GA -- Albany State University officials announced today ASU’s first endowed chair.

The Fuller E. Callaway Endowed Chair of Nursing is funded by the Fuller E. Callaway Professorial Chairs Trust through Bank of America. The trust provides a 50 percent supplement to the Callaway Endowed Chair’s salary.

“Being selected for the establishment of the Fuller E. Callaway Endowed Chair of Nursing is a tremendous honor for Albany State University,” said ASU President Dr. Everette J. Freeman. “We are grateful to be recognized for our academic excellence and our commitment to students through the establishment of this endowed chair.”

The first Fuller E. Callaway Endowed Chair of Nursing, Dr. Cathy Williams, recently became chair of the Department of Nursing. Williams was also named ASU Teacher of the Year for 2010-11.

“We were delighted to nominate Dr. Williams for the very first endowed chair at Albany State University,” said Clifford Porter Jr., Vice President for Institutional Advancement. “While writing the proposal for the endowed chair, I was especially impressed by Dr. Williams’ philosophy on teaching and learning coupled with her outstanding career as an educator and as a practicing nurse.”

Williams earned an associate degree in nursing from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in 1984, the same year she was licensed as a registered nurse. She continued her studies at Albany State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1992 and a master’s degree in nursing in 1997. In 2007, Williams graduated from the Medical College of Georgia with a Doctorate of Nursing Practice.

Williams began teaching at Albany State University in 2005 as an assistant professor. In 2010 she was promoted to the rank of associate professor. From 2007 to 2010, Williams served as the coordinator of the ASU undergraduate nursing program. In 2010 she became the director of the Nursing Department. Last month, Williams was named chair of the Nursing Department.

“Learning is a lifelong process. I am proud to be a dynamic contributor to the student’s learning process,” Williams wrote about her teaching and learning philosophy. “I know that I am successful as a teacher when students state that they have learned and I can see evidence that they use critical thinking skills in the application of the new knowledge that they have gained.”