Leadership
William Pepicello, Ph.D.
President, University of Phoenix
Dr. William Pepicello became University of Phoenix’s acting president in July 2006 and was formally appointed the sixth president of the University in September 2006. In addition to his leadership responsibilities at University of Phoenix, President Pepicello serves as a consultant-evaluator for the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, a non-governmental organization that grants accreditations to public and private schools and districts and has been improving schools for the last 100 years. He also serves on the Commission for Postsecondary Education under the Office of the Governor for the State of Arizona and is a member of the advisory board of the Greater Phoenix Boys and Girls Clubs.
In 1995, President Pepicello came to University of Phoenix, where he served as the first dean of the College of General and Professional Studies. He subsequently held the position of vice president of Academic Affairs until 2000. After leaving the University briefly to serve as the president of the University of Sarasota, President Pepicello returned to University of Phoenix and became the founding dean of the School of Advanced Studies. In November of 2003 he was named the vice provost for Academic Affairs and in January 2006, President Pepicello was promoted to provost of the University.
Accomplished in the areas of classical languages, linguistics, psychology, anthropology, folklore and humor studies, President Pepicello has held faculty positions at the University of Delaware, Temple University, and University of the Pacific. He has also served in an administrative capacity, including department chair for classics at Temple University and regional dean for Southern California for National University.
President Pepicello earned his bachelor’s degree in classics from Gannon University in his hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. He holds both master’s and doctorate degrees in linguistics from Brown University.