The following biographical sketch was compiled at the time of induction into the Academy in 2000.

William Van Muse served as President of Auburn University from 1992-2001. As CEO of the largest university in Alabama, he oversaw a student enrollment of more than 27,000 and a budget of approximately $500 million. He is currently Chancellor of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.

Dr. Muse received a B.S. degree in accounting from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, in 1960. After work experience as an accountant with Interstate Oil Pipeline Company in Sheveport, Louisiana, he attended the University of Arkansas, earning an M.B.A. in 1961 and a Ph.D. in Business Administration in 1966.

In 1964, Dr. Muse joined the faculty of the School of Industrial Management at Georgia Tech. In 1965, he moved to Ohio University where he served as Chairman of the Department of Marketing and Director of the Division of Research. In 1970, he was selected as the first Dean of the College of Business at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, and was responsible for organizing and developing the new college. Assuming this post at the age of 31, he was one of the youngest business school deans in the nation.

From 1973-79, Dr. Muse served as Dean of the College of Business Administration at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. During the 1977-78 year, he was one of 50 individuals selected to go to Washington, D.C., to serve as a Presidential Exchange Executive and worked with the U.S. Office of Education.

In July 1979, Dr. Muse moved to Texas A&M University as Dean of the College of Business Administration; and in February 1983, he was appointed Vice Chancellor for Academic Programs of the Texas A&M University System. From 1984-92, Dr. Muse served as President of the University of Akron, the third largest university in Ohio, where he provided leadership for significant gains in the enhancement of academic programs, growth in minority enrollment, expansion of private fund raising, and increased recognition for the University.

Dr. Muse served as a member of the Board of Directors of Alabama Power Company, American Cast Iron Pipe Company, SouthTrust Bank, the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science, and the Alabama Council on Adult Education. Nationally, he was a director of the Teke Educational Foundation and was President of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Dr. Muse is the author of three books and numerous articles on higher education, management, and marketing.

Dr. Muse led Auburn University through critical state budget issues, a major reorganization, and a successful fund raising campaign. His efforts to position the University for the challenges of the 21st century attracted national attention to his leadership and broad support from across Alabama.

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