In October 2023, amidst the violence in the Middle East, I published a campus letter explaining why I was not sending out an institutional statement in response to the tragedy, and why I had concluded that it was unhelpful for me to issue statements from the college in response to global events more generally.
I consider strong, honest communication a central feature of good leadership. But within the broad category of leadership communication, so-called “institutional statements” are distinct, perhaps unique, and my thoughts on them have evolved over my tenure. In a spirit of openness, this memo turns the views articulated in my 2023 letter into a general set of principles that I will rely on (and refer to) while president of Williams.
The principles include the following:
- First, Williams’ mission is to teach students how to think, and empower them to do so for themselves—not tell them what to think. Our faculty, staff and alumni’s devotion to this educational project is central to our excellence.
- Second, tragedies and injustices occur all the time and at every scale. Many affect members of the Williams community and their colleagues, family and friends. The practice of issuing statements supports some members of our community while disregarding others, intentionally or otherwise. It makes some issues visible while leaving many more unseen.
- Third, my primary duty, when national and world events are at issue, is to help the college enact varied educational opportunities and personal supports. I will on rare occasion assert an institutional position if a matter bears very directly on our core educational mission (for example, in the case of a proposed change to federal or state educational policy). But when the subject is national and world events I do not believe it is right, or even possible, for me to speak on behalf of the thousands of people who together constitute Williams.
The Williams we value is made up of people who have come together for what I describe as the intergenerational expansion and sharing of knowledge. As we continue in our project, I will do everything I can to support your full participation. This includes, at times, holding back institutional speech so that each of you has room to develop and express your own ideas.