Writings and Remarks

Caring for Ourselves and Each Other

Dear Students, We are reaching out with some thoughts about how our community is moving forward following last week’s tragedy. Reactions after loss vary. Crises of many kinds can disrupt one’s sense of predictability, security and safety. Restoring these feelings is important and happens in different ways for different people. Continue reading »

Sad news from Williams

Dear Williams parents and families, Your student may have shared the sad news about a student who died on the Williams campus yesterday. The death of a student is heartbreaking to parents, students and all of us. We are now taking the atypical step of reaching out directly to you:… Continue reading »

Resources for our grieving community

To the Williams community, Maud sent an all campus message last night, informing you all of the death of a student. Please know that staff are planning to hold space today and also to host a community-wide vigil tonight. We will share details about the vigil in a followup message. Continue reading »

The Retirement of Keli Gail

Williams faculty, students and staff, As promised in my Board summary email, I want to pay tribute to Keli Gail, Assistant to the President and Secretary of the College, who has announced her plan to retire this July. While this requires another long email in a week of such… Continue reading »

Summary of the January 2024 Board of Trustees Meeting

To the Williams community, I write, as usual, to report on the recent Board of Trustees meeting. The Board met at Williams last Friday and Saturday, January 19-20. Their agenda included high-level discussions about how Williams achieves our mission, combined with sessions that focused on specific projects advancing us toward… Continue reading »

Defacement of posters with calls for violence

Williams students, faculty and staff, Last night, posters in Paresky about the Israeli hostages were defaced with graffiti that, among other things, supported violence against Israelis. Any defacement of posters is disrespectful, but the call for violence in this case is a breach of both college values and Williams… Continue reading »

Williams Firsts Celebration Week 2023

Dear Williams Community, This year marks the 58th anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Opportunity Act which expanded college opportunities for low-income and first generation populations. To commemorate this moment, National First-Generation Celebration Day is held each Nov 8th and celebrated by colleges and universities across… Continue reading »