Dr. McKeefery was educated at University of Pennsylvania (B.S., Electrical Engineering, 1941), Princeton Theological Seminary (B.D.,Theology, 1945), and Columbia University (Ph.D., Philosophy, 1949). Before assuming his post at Virginia Tech, he was Dean of Academic Affairs, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (1961-1969); Vice President, Washburn University, Topeka Kansas (11958-1961); Dean of the Faculty (1950-1958) and Assistant Professor (1948-1949), Alma College, Alma, Michigan. He served as the second Executive Vice President of Virginia Polytechnic Institite from 1969 to 1973. Author of Parameters of Learning: Perspectives in Higher Education (Southern Illinois University Press, 1970), Curriculum Study: Master Plan for Higher Education, State of Illinois (1964), and A Critical Analysis of Psychological Studies of Religious Phenomena (Eagle Press, 1950).
From the guide to the Records of William James McKeefery, Vice President, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, 1969-1973, (Special Collections, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.)
