While at Drew he was alumni secretary for two years; he also taught philosophy and served as assistant to the president.
He assumed the presidency of Allegheny College on July 1, 1931,[3] and became Syracuse University Chancellor in September 1942.
[4] Tolley led Syracuse through the war crisis and through major expansion until his retirement in 1969.
[3][5] As the end of World War II approached, Syracuse University Chancellor William Tolley was asked by President Roosevelt to serve as a member of a small group of college and university leaders, tasked with creating what would ultimately become the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 (the GI Bill).
Today most historians assert that the GI Bill is among the most important legislative acts in the history of this country, as the legislation played a key role in positioning the U.S. as a technological superpower throughout the 21st century.