To the Williams community, I write to offer a summary of the June 7-8 Board of Trustees meeting. The Board devoted particular attention to sustaining Williams’ focus on our mission and priorities amidst significant political and financial uncertainty. Their agenda included the following items: Provost and Charles R. Keller Professor… Continue reading »
Dear Williams community, I want to close the academic year with one more tribute to this weekend’s wonderful commencement and a look at some of the challenges in front of us. I will start by once more congratulating our undergraduate and Master’s degree recipients. It buoyed my spirit to greet… Continue reading »
Dear Williams community, I write with the sad news that Daniel D. O’Connor, Mark Hopkins Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy, Emeritus, passed away on Saturday, May 24, 2025. I will send a full commemoration soon. In the meantime, my thoughts go out to Dan’s loved ones… Continue reading »
Williams colleagues, I write to share the sad news that former Alumni Trustee Lamson (Choppy) Rheinfrank, Jr., ’62 passed away on April 27, 2025, in Concord, MA. He was 84 years old. I will send a fuller tribute in the coming days. In the meantime, our thoughts go out… Continue reading »
To the Williams community, Today, Tuesday, May 6, is Staff Appreciation Day 2025. Every spring the college honors staff who reach major milestones in their Williams careers. Today we celebrate 131 colleagues for such anniversaries, along with 25 others who are retiring. I am especially grateful for their dedication… Continue reading »
Dear Williams community, Today, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) issued a document called “A Call for Constructive Engagement.” This open letter, which I signed along with more than 200 fellow leaders in higher education, decries “government overreach and political interference” in regards to America’s colleges and… Continue reading »
To the Williams community, Last week, a rumor quickly spread in the Williamstown and Northern Berkshires community that federal immigration officials had detained a Williams student. We promptly looked into the matter, as Campus Safety Director Jeff Palmer informed you in his email. ICE was not on campus and we… Continue reading »
To the Williams community, Last week the Board of Trustees held their April 2025 meeting. Given the Board’s fiduciary role, the agenda was focused on Williams’ financial position for the year ahead and beyond. Throughout various sessions of the meeting the Trustees also engaged in significant discussions of the current… Continue reading »
To the Williams community, On Saturday, the New York Times editorial board published a powerful defense of American higher education, entitled, Colleges Are Under Attack. They Can Fight Back. Such a defense is urgently needed given recent governmental intervention. The Times board focused their piece on large universities. But… Continue reading »
Dear Colleagues, I am delighted to announce that Thomas Everett Smith ’88, the J. Hodge Markgraf ’52 Professor of Chemistry and current chair of the Chemistry Department, has accepted our invitation to become the next director of the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford University (WEPO). Tom’s term of service will… Continue reading »