Columns, Essays, and Speeches

Why ‘Need-Blind’ is the Wrong Goal for College Admissions

“Need-blindness,” taken literally, is actually a narrow and misleading construct. There’s a passiveness to the term that implies, quite wrongly, that we can address the issue of college accessibility simply by turning a blind eye to students’ financial circumstances. Rather, what’s needed is for colleges to act affirmatively to bring socioeconomic diversity to our campuses. Continue reading »

Women at Williams

In marking four decades of coeducation, what we celebrate most deeply aren’t the ways in which Williams has changed women, but rather how women have changed Williams. Continue reading »

Sports at Williams

I hope and expect that we’ll continue to win a lot of contests, and even perhaps more Directors’ Cups. The real measure of our athletics program’s success, though will always be how well we fulfill our deeper ideals. Continue reading »

State Testimony on Student Loans and Debt

Remarks Submitted to the Joint Committee on Higher Education’s Subcommittee on Student Loans and Debt for Its Hearing of November 18, 2013 Thank you, Senator Donoghue, Representative Paul, and the members of the subcommittee, for this opportunity to share data and perspectives on the issues that are before you. They… Continue reading »

What We Value

From the Fall 2013 Williams Magazine Fall brings each year an odd juxtaposition. It’s the season of college rankings, in the middle of which we honor members of the Williams family with Bicentennial Medals. Both say something about the value of a Williams education, or at least… Continue reading »