Meet Sean Williams, director of ASU's new School of Applied Professional Studies

ASU alumnus Sean D. Williams has joined Arizona State University’s College of Integrative Sciences and Arts as the inaugural director of the School of Applied Professional Studies, based at ASU Polytechnic campus.

The school is one of three new schools launched in ASU’s College of Integrative Sciences and Arts on July 1.

Since 2019, Williams served as the founding director of the technical communication and information design program at the University of Colorado — Colorado Springs, where he was a champion for faculty success, student success and program growth. Williams spent the first 20 years of his professorial career at Clemson University and served in multiple leadership positions there, including as Provost’s Fellow; chair and associate chair of the Department of English; associate dean of the graduate school; and co-director of the doctoral program in rhetorics, communication and information design.

Williams’ research accomplishments span the spectrum of professional and technical communication.

In his early career, for example, he investigated information design for the web and interactive media, produced an interactive installation of veterans’ stories and secured a $1.5 million NSF grant to study information design in three-dimensional virtual worlds. His work in social media and UX design led to a yearlong research fellowship in Barcelona, Spain, to study social media used by international technology startups. As a consultant he has designed services and associated communication products for investors and customers in the technology, financial, health care, manufacturing and pharmaceutical sectors.

Williams has authored or co-authored two books and more than 50 articles, book chapters and trade publications. His recent scholarship — focused on environmental communication — includes his 2023 edited collection “Technical Communication for Environmental Action.”

Williams earned a Master of Arts in rhetoric and composition from ASU’s Department of English, a doctorate in technical communication from the University of Washington, an MBA from Clemson University and a bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Utah.

“Sean is passionate about continuing to grow our portfolio of degrees with an applied emphasis at Polytechnic campus as well as career-connected learning opportunities that will accelerate students’ professional development,” said Joanna Grabski, dean of the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts. “He is committed to helping students build leadership, management and communication skills that they can adapt to changing societal needs and technological innovations.”

ASU News spoke with Williams to find out more about his past work, some of his interests and his perspective on his new position.

Question: What excites you most about your new role and joining the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts at ASU?

Answer: The opportunity to develop partnerships within ASU and within our community is exceptional. The three programs we currently have — organizational leadership, project management, and technical writing and communication — each have extraordinary potential to develop meaningful collaborations within our community that help prepare the next generation of students. I’m also excited about the opportunity to develop collaborations within the school for some new curriculum initiatives as well as research partnerships. We have a unique combination of programs that doesn’t exist at other universities, and that positions us well to do some creative things. 

Q: If you had to give a short elevator pitch to a prospective student about why they should consider pursuing a degree from the School of Applied Professional Studies, what would you say?

A: Are you a person who finds joy in accomplishing things and solving challenges by collaborating with others? In helping people reach their goals? Then this is the school for you! Our degrees have broad applications; they can be a pathway into any industry, from health care to finance to technology.

Each program has its own special strengths. For example, the opportunities to build ethical and effective communication that helps to build communities and solves complex problems is one exciting feature of our technical writing program. Our project management program’s focus on sustainability sets us apart and provides excellent opportunities for our graduates to secure jobs managing others in a way that makes the world a better place. Leadership opportunities — and the need for quality leaders — are all around us. For students who want to lead others into the future and help develop others as leaders, our program in organizational leadership is an exceptional choice. 

Q: CISA emphasizes career-connected learning. Tell us about your first job; what was the most important (or memorable) lesson you learned?

A: My very first job when I was 12 was hauling hay. We started at about 6 a.m., worked until the sun was high, took a quick break for lunch and were back at it until about dusk. Anyone who has ever done this type of work knows that it’s backbreaking: walking through a field, throwing 70-pound bales of alfalfa onto a truck, driving those to a barn, and then unloading and stacking them again. I learned that nothing substitutes for hard work, but also that it’s important to learn from those around you. The team that I worked with was more experienced than I was and they knew how to manage the tough work in ways that made it easier and faster. Listening to the others also created an environment that was fun to work in. Working hard and working smart are important, but enjoying work and those around you matters, too.

Q: When or how did you realize you wanted to pursue this field in higher education? 

A: Truthfully, I sort of fell into technical communication and its connections to business. As an undergraduate, I worked in the printing industry, and as a master’s student got started in desktop publishing and editing. Back in those days, we literally cut and pasted things! While a PhD student in the mid-1990s, I was hired to create websites. The web was just being born and I became fascinated with the possibilities of using this thing called “the internet” to communicate.

I started doing research on how companies and other organizations were using the web for good — and bad — purposes, mostly to try to persuade people to take action of various kinds. I was in Seattle and it was a crazy time for tech startups, so that research evolved into working with tech companies. What we now call UX (user experience) didn’t exist by that name, but that’s exactly what I was doing: helping organizations create communication products to help people understand and solve problems.

From there, I just kept working in the field, mostly in what is called “information architecture” and how to design the best systems possible. All this is to say that it wasn’t really a choice I made somewhere. It just sort of happened and it has been a great ride!

Q: Talk to us more about your newest book and the power that technical communicators have to influence environmental knowledge and action.  

A: The book “Technical Communication for Environmental Action” shares a dozen essays from multiple perspectives and distinct voices to describe ways that technical communicators can participate in concrete action to improve the environment.

In a way, I see technical communicators as first responders. Like medical personnel, teachers, utility workers, firefighters — in a time of global health challenges, climate change, water scarcity, technical communicators are in a helping profession that’s just as critical. They’re harnessing the power of effective and ethical communication in multiple media formats to bring clarity and understanding about how to make positive change.

A very tangible example here at ASU is a project led by School of Applied Professional Studies technical communication Professor Claire Lauer. Claire is leading a team of ASU scholars who are designing and assessing a mixed-reality water sustainability educational game and museum exhibit for communities in the desert Southwest. Last week the project was awarded a $2 million Advanced Informal STEM Learning grant from NSF. The School of Applied Professional Studies is off to an amazing start in this regard!  

Q: What led you to earn an MBA degree 18 years after completing your doctorate?

A: For many years, I had a consulting company and worked with a lot of startups and large companies on various technology and UX projects. I was even involved as a co-founder on a few projects — sadly, they didn’t succeed — and began teaching communication in an MBA program. Through all these experiences, I learned how much I didn’t know about the business of innovation, and so I pursued an MBA specifically in innovation and entrepreneurship to help me better understand the operational side of businesses. I had learned many things through trial and error, but the MBA helped give me some tools and concepts to make better choices and decisions, especially about growing an organization. I’ve since used those skills to develop some pretty significant projects, not businesses exactly, but substantially new things within higher education.

Working at ASU, I think, is the perfect place to continue implementing these ideas because as we all know, ASU is a global leader in innovation. I’m glad to be a part of that and building a great future for our faculty, students and community!