To the Williams community,
On May 31 and June 1, the Board of Trustees held its final scheduled meeting of the 2023-24 academic year. It was timed to coincide with Commencement weekend, and many Board members participated in the festivities. After our busy but celebratory graduation and reunion season, I am writing to report on their agenda and votes:
- The Board heard and discussed information from Dean of Admission and Student Financial Services Liz Creighton ’01 as part of their ongoing attention to Williams’ admission policies and practices, in the context of broad and significant changes in the higher education landscape. The Board will continue to review and assess the college’s admission program over time, but affirmed their strong support for our current approach and enthusiasm for the extraordinary students it yields. We will publish our customary profile of newly enrolling students when we welcome them to campus in the fall. (I feel some version of this every year, but it is astonishing to me that we could already be talking about the Class of 2028!).
- Next, the Board received an update from Pam Franks, Class of 1956 Director of the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA), about the next phase of museum design work. Pam was joined for her presentation by Museum Project Director Devon Nowlin, Senior Project Manager Scott Henderson and Associate Vice President for Campus Planning and Operations Mina Amundsen. The Board is very pleased with the work so far, and we expect some of the early site work to begin this summer.
- I provided the Trustees with an annual update on Strategic Plan progress, including recent accomplishments and my outlook for the year ahead. Accomplishments include the all-grant financial aid program, the opening of the new Davis Center and progress on various academic initiatives, including education with and through art, among many others. The Board asked me to express their appreciation to you all for your energy and focus in our work toward shared goals.
- On Saturday, at the Board’s request, I provided an overview of lessons learned from managing recent campus emergencies and steps we are taking to enhance our preparedness, response and communication protocols.
- The Board received routine updates from Vice President for Finance and Operations and Treasurer Mike Wagner on college budget and finances; Vice President for College Relations Megan Morey on college fundraising; and Chief Investment Officer Abigail Wattley ’05 on endowment performance.
- Throughout the meeting, the Trustees also devoted time to learning about the latest developments related to Winter Study, the JA program and Williams-Mystic.
- Finally, as promised, the Board considered the report of the Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility and its recommendations, which were backed by the Board’s Investment Committee. Following extensive discussion, the Trustees accepted the ACSR’s recommendations in full. Board Chair Liz Robinson ’90 and I will send a community email shortly that characterizes the Board’s deliberations.
The Trustees also voted on several matters:
- As noted in my announcement last week, they approved hiring Gina Puc as our new Special Assistant to the President, Director of Community Relations and Secretary of the College. Gina will succeed Assistant to the President and Secretary of the College Keli Gail, who retires this summer. Following the vote, Gina attended the remainder of the Board meetings and Commencement.
- The Board also approved three motions related to funding for the WCMA project and a programming study for Lawrence Hall, including the use of gift funds and a potential issuance of bonds for WCMA construction, part of our standard financing model for major capital projects.
The June meeting was also a time of transitions. Among the Trustees, it was the final meeting for Board Chair Liz Robinson ’90 and trustees Michele Rogers ’79 and Martha Williamson ’77, all of whom will retire from the Board at the end of this month. Trustee Danielle Deane-Ryan ’97 had also left the Board earlier this year after accepting a role with the Environmental Protection Agency, to forestall any potential conflict of interest.
On July 1, Liz Robinson will be succeeded as Board Chair by Elizabeth Andersen ’87, P’18, as announced in June 2023. On that date we will also welcome two new Trustees, Mary E. Kipp ’89 and Joel S. Hellman ’84, and two new Alumni Trustees, Heidi Sandreuter ’92 and Cheryl Robinson Ocansey ’85. We are grateful to all of them for their willingness to serve.
On the staff side, in addition to Gina Puc we were joined for the meetings by Associate Vice President for Communications Meike Kaan, who will become chief communications officer after Jim Reische retires from that role on July 1. On Friday night the Trustees offered a warm thank you and farewell to Jim and Keli, both of whom were attending their last Board meeting.
After our business concluded, many of the Trustees stayed to cheer on the graduates. Such joyful moments vividly affirm the value of our work. The Trustees asked me to congratulate the seniors (now alumni!), and thank everyone—students, families, staff, faculty, alumni and friends—who made it a celebration to remember.
Maud