Though NYU typically likes to publicize heavily when it appoints new deans, no official announcement was made when Jonathan Williams was internally promoted to Dean and Director of Admissions on Aug. 1.

Despite almost no publicity, few employees at NYU hold as much power as the dean of Admissions, who shapes every incoming class. As the university rapidly becomes more selective and NYU receives more applications than any other private university in the United States.

Williams attributes much of that recent success to his predecessor, Shawn Abbott, who left NYU over the summer to become a vice provost at Temple University in Philadelphia. Under Abbott’s watch, NYU’s acceptance rate dropped from 33 to 19 percent in eight years. Rather than seeking to implement radical changes, Williams simply aims to continue Abbott’s success.

“My predecessor did a lot of things right which has led to making NYU one of the most popular institutions on the planet,” Williams said in an email to WSN.

Williams also wants to spend more time helping students prepare for college before they apply.

“I am really looking forward to growing our efforts in the area of pre-college access and helping students and families learn how to prepare for the college admissions process before they actually apply to NYU,” Williams said. “We can promote the wonderful opportunity that attending NYU is while also using our resources to support schools, communities, students and their families to better understand the many paths to getting here.”

Williams noted that the record-low acceptance rate for the class of 2022 was the result of an increased volume of first-year applications and the high number of qualified applicants.

“[The acceptance rate] is a function of who and how many students are in the applicant pool, Williams said. “Of course, that changes from year to year. Last year, NYU received more applications than any private school in the history of U.S. education. It turned out to be one of the most academically gifted applicant pools that we have ever seen.”

Tisch junior Amber Burgh wants the new dean of Admissions to continue the current review process for applications but hopes the trend of increased selectivity leaves with Abbott.

“NYU did a fantastic job for Tisch applicants because they looked at the applicant holistically, but at the same time, I don’t want the school to become more selective,” Burgh said.

Other students share her concern about selectivity and worry that the admissions process will become less comprehensive.

“I hope that NYU will continue to look at the applicants more holistically, as there is a lot of pressure on students for their grades or SAT scores,” CAS first-year Rio Quezada said.

Besides admissions, Williams is also focused on cementing NYU’s place among the nation’s top universities. He believes that NYU, currently ranked at 30 in the U.S. News and World Report, will continue to rise in the rankings each year.

“It is important to be seen as the top caliber institution that we are,” Williams said. “While the national rankings are not the be all and end all of who we are, it does help to show what we are doing well in comparison to our peer institutions for those that want to measure that. Fortunately, NYU does a lot of stuff really well so we continue to get better in the national rankings year after year.”

After improving six spots in the U.S. News rankings from 2016 to 2017, the university did not move up in the rankings this year. However, rankings are less important to Williams than recruiting talented students from diverse backgrounds.

“As for goals, there are many,” Williams said. “However, our single most important goal as an office is to engage and enroll talented, dynamic and diverse students who will thrive at NYU and beyond.”

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Sept. 24 print edition. Email Britney Omene at [email protected].