His successful tenure at Marshall, accomplished despite wartime budget constraints, led to his appointment as Chancellor of the University of Mississippi in 1946.
[4] Amenable toward multiculturalism while at Marshall College, Williams conformed to the segregationist agenda then prevailing among Ole Miss trustees upon his appointment; among the African-Americans barred from admission in subsequent years was Medgar Evers.
He privately felt that these policies conflicted with his Methodist background and was the only head of a Mississippi university at the time to publicly question segregation.
[5] The most significant milestone of Williams' tenure at Ole Miss was the September 30, 1962, admission of James Meredith, an African-American student, following a court ruling.
Williams kept the university open during the ensuing unrest, and helped facilitate the arrival of African-American students on campus subsequently.