College of Education and Human Development

Center for the Study of Lives

William R. Ferris

Dr. William R. Ferris is an author, folklorist, filmmaker and academic administrator who became chairman of the NEH in November, 1997 after serving for 18 years as founding director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Southern Mississippi, which in 1993 was named a nongovernmental organization affiliated with the United Nations.  He spearheaded the creation of the best-selling Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and has been used in Russia, eastern Europe and Australia as a tool for understanding cultural diversity.  His scholarship covers the fields of folklore, American literature, music and photography, and is also the author of Blues From the Delta, and Images of the South.  His films include Mississippi Blues, which was featured at the Cannes Film Festival in 1983, and has produced numerous sound recordings and been a consultant to the 1985 movie, The Color Purple.