Tsutsui served as Dean of Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas from 2010 to 2014. He was also Professor in SMU's Clements Department of History. Previously, he had been a faculty member in the History Department at the University of Kansas from 1993 through 2010. At Kansas he served as Acting Director of the Center for East Asian Studies, Founding Executive Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Kansas, Chair of the History Department, and Associate Dean for International Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Tsutsui served as president of the Kansas State Historical Society in 2003-2004 and was a member of the board of directors of the Kansas Humanities Council from 2000 to 2006. He chaired the Northeast Asia Council of the Association for Asian Studies and served on the board of the Association for Asian Studies in 2010-2011. He has served on the boards of directors of the World Affairs Council of Dallas-Fort Worth, the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce, EIIA, and the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, and was a member of the National Advisory Committee of the Japan-America Student Conference and the NCAA Division III Presidents Council. He current serves on the boards of the Federation of State Humanities Councils, the Association for Asian Studies, and the U.S.-Japan Council. In May 2020, he was appointed to the Japan-United States Friendship Commission and The U.S.-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange. In 2020-2021, Tsutsui is the Edwin O. Reischauer Distinguished Visiting Professor at Harvard University, where he is affiliated with the Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies and the Department of East Asian Languages & Civilizations.
On November 1, 2013, Hendrix College announced that Tsutsui would become its 11th president beginning in June 2014. Tsutsui's move into the Hendrix College presidency marked a new turn in his career as a scholar and administrator. While he had previously served in positions at a large state university and church-affiliated private university, he had never before held a position in a small liberal arts college. Upon the announcement of his selection as the Hendrix president, Tsutsui commented, “I am deeply honored for the opportunity to serve as President of Hendrix." He went on, "Today, despite the challenges faced by all liberal arts colleges, Hendrix holds an enviable position... I firmly believe that Hendrix is well prepared for the challenges ahead and I look forward to working with the trustees, faculty, staff, and students to make a real contribution to Hendrix’s future.”
Selected works
In a statistical overview derived from writings by and about William Tsutsui, OCLC/WorldCat encompasses roughly 20+ works in 40+ publications in 2 languages and 1,000+ library holdings.
Stabilization and Reconstruction in Japan, 1945-1950
Banking policy in Japan: American Efforts at Reform during the Occupation
From Taylorism to Quality Control: Scientific Management in Twentieth-Century Japan
Manufacturing Ideology: Scientific Management in Twentieth-Century Japan
Banking in Japan: The Evolution of Japanese Banking, 1868-1952
Japanese Banking in the High-Growth Era, 1952-1973
Japanese Banking Since 1973: Deregulation, Internationalization and Adjustment
Godzilla on my Mind: Fifty Years of the King of Monsters ; Japanese translation: with Kyōko Kamiyama
A Companion to Japanese History
In Godzilla's Footsteps: Japanese Pop Culture Icons on the Global Stage co-edited with Michiko Ito
