Bill is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wabash, where he was a brother of Lambda Chi Alpha and a member of the Glee Club. With a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship, Bill headed east to Cornell University, where he completed his Ph.D. in medieval history. Since 1970, he has taught at the State University of New York at Geneseo and currently holds the rank of Distinguished Teaching Professor.

Bill is the author of four books and numerous articles about medieval and Renaissance history, and is internationally known as a speaker. In recent years, Bill has done programs for Friends of Florence, an organization that restores art in Tuscany, and YPO, an International organization of CEOs. In addition to Italy, Bill has been an invited speaker in Mexico, England, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Ireland, Greece, Turkey, Kenya, Japan, and China.