Complex sentence: Williams was appointed Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge in 1967, vacating the chair to serve as Provost of King's College from 1979 until 1987.
Split into simpler sentences: Williams was appointed Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge in 1967, joining King's College. In 1979 he vacated the chair to serve as Provost of King's, a position he held until 1987.