William Richardson of Tacoma, Wash., has been named dean of the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts at Coastal Carolina University, effective July 1.

“I am excited about coming to Coastal at a time of change and growth, and I look forward to working with an exceptional faculty of teachers and scholars, a committed and hard-working staff, a diverse and dedicated student body, and a supportive community,” said Richardson.

Richardson has been director of interdisciplinary arts and sciences at the University of Washington at Tacoma since 2000. Since joining the UWT faculty in 1990 he served in numerous positions, including director of the liberal studies program, acting dean and campus head as well as interim director of the global honors program. Richardson earned bachelor's degrees in Russian and history from the University of California at Santa Barbara. He earned both a master's degree and a doctorate in history from the University of California at Berkeley. Coastal English professor John Beard has served as interim dean of the Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts since July 2005.

Departments within the Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts are English, Journalism and Communication, Foreign Languages, History, Music, Philosophy and Religion, Politics and Geography, Theater and Visual Arts. The Waccamaw Center for Cultural and Historical Studies and the Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values are also part of the College.

More than 1,000 students are majoring in humanities and fine arts programs at Coastal. The college has 80 full-time faculty members.