Summary of the April 2022 Board of trustees meeting

April 13, 2022

Dear Williams community,

Last Friday and Saturday our Board of Trustees met in person for the first time in more than two years. They were thrilled to return to campus after such a long absence, and as part of their visit they met with various offices and campus groups in addition to their formal agenda.

During that agenda, the Board conducted the following business:

  • They reviewed a proposed college budget for fiscal year 2022-23 presented by Vice President for Finance and Operations and Treasurer Mike Wagner and then voted to approve it. Vice President Wagner and Provost Dukes Love will share details with campus between now and the July 1 start of the new fiscal year.
  • In a continuation of their attention to wellbeing on campus and Williams’ strategic initiatives, they participated in an interactive session led by staff from the Dean’s Office, Integrative Wellbeing Services and Athletics on how we might make individual, interpersonal and community wellbeing central to our conception of educational excellence.
  • Trustees heard from Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Liz Creighton ’01 about admission matters.
  • The Board also heard about and continued to encourage our work to make Williams more affordable, by seeking to address the costs of both attendance and full participation.
  • The Trustees also met in committees, which reported back to the full Board on their proceedings.
  • The members of the Student Experience Committee also toured the Davis Center building site. The Board continues to be enthusiastic about and supportive of the project.

Finally, the Board also received several reports:

  • Chief Investment Officer Collette Chilton summarized the college’s investment activity and endowment performance.
  • Vice President for College Relations Megan Morey shared information about giving and participation in this fiscal year to date.
  • Provost Dukes Love and Vice President Wagner described the college’s finances, including strategies for managing the potential impacts of rising inflation.

The visit also included time for interaction with representatives of the campus community:

  • The Board’s Executive Committee met with the Faculty Steering Committee, while the Student Experience Committee met with student leaders from the Williams Student Union, JA Advisory Board, the Record, Student Athlete Advisory Council, MinCo and others.
  • During their visit, the Trustees also hosted an open forum for students. Board members attended and heard from a variety of students on aspects of the Williams experience.

Overall, the April meeting was a welcome time for our Trustees—all Williams alumni—to re-engage with the life of the college they love, and in whose governance they share.

In closing, I also want to offer a thank you and farewell to Trustee Alice Albright ’83. Alice resigned her Board seat earlier this winter after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate as chief executive officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, an independent U.S. foreign assistance agency involved in the fight against global poverty. As always, we’ll announce the appointments and reappointments of Trustees to the board later this spring.

Williams is fortunate to have the support and leadership of such an extraordinary community of alumni.

Maud