Durden completed high school at The Albany Academy in Albany, New York. He holds a B.A. degree from Dickinson (class of 1971) and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in German Languages and Literature from Johns Hopkins University. While at Dickinson, he was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity.

Durden was the executive director of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth for 16 years and a member of the university's German Department. For 11 of his years at Hopkins, he was a senior education consultant for the U.S. Department of State and chair of its Advisory Committee on Exceptional Children and Youth. Dr. Durden has also served as President of the Sylvan Academy of Sylvan Learning Systems, Inc. and as Vice-President for Academic Affairs of the Caliber Learning Network, a joint distance-learning venture of Sylvan and MCI.

Recently, he was appointed chair of the Advisory Board of the Center for the International Exchange of Scholars, Fulbright Scholar Program.

He was a faculty member of the St. Paul's School in Baltimore, Maryland.

His trademark attire is a bow-tie and he is known for his fondness of Dickinson founder Benjamin Rush. Durden is renowned for his fondness for interacting with the Dickinson student body. He is often seen around campus, engaged in spirited academic discussions with students. He frequently passes time in the Quarry, an on-campus coffee shop that is popular with students. The Quarry has a ping-pong table in its basement. A popular urban legend among students is that Durden is the best table tennis player in Pennsylvania.

External links

• Dickinson College biography of William Durden
• YouTube Video: How to Tie a Bowtie