Arleigh Williams Forum

The Order hosts one event per year that is open to the general public: the Arleigh Williams Forum. The event is traditionally held mid-day on the Friday of Homecoming Week and features a prominent campus speaker who speaks to attendees about the speaker’s sector of the campus and then generally takes questions from the audience. It is a chance for the Order to share with the general campus community its mission of creating a respectful and civil space to discuss difficult issues facing the campus.

In the early 1930’s, a young man named Arleigh Williams came to Cal. Here, he played on both the baseball and football teams. As a student, one of his greatest achievements was a 72-yard field goal against USC. However, his legacy today focuses on his career following his time as a student. From the late 1950’s to the late 1970’s, he served as the Dean of Men, Dean of Students, and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. This was a tumultuous time for our University, state, and country, and Mr. Williams became a central figure on the campus. He was known for always having his door open and for his frequent brown-bag lunches with his staff and others, where he encouraged honest and frank discussion, often touching on the moral and ethical challenges that face the campus community. Students, faculty, and other administrators would find themselves in his office daily sharing their perspectives and insight on anything and everything.

Today, we honor Arleigh Williams’ service and legacy through this forum. His examples of frankness, honesty, civility, and respect are hallmarks of this forum, and it seeks to both inform and inspire the audience and our community.