To the Williams community,
Following is a summary of the Fall 2024 Board of Trustees meeting, held last Friday and Saturday, September 27 and 28.
We were joined at this meeting by our newest Board members, Trustees Joel Hellman ’84 and Mary Kipp ’89; Alumni Trustees Cheryl Robinson Ocansey ’85 and Heidi Sandreuter ’92; and Society of Alumni President Funmi Olosunde ’06, who attends by invitation of the Trustees. It was also the first meeting led by Betsy Andersen ’87 P’18 as incoming board chair. I am grateful for the service of such a talented and devoted group of trustees and alumni leaders.
Speaking of firsts, this was the first meeting in her official capacity for Gina Puc, our new special assistant to the president and secretary of the college. I hope many of you will get to know Gina as she continues to reach out across the campus and local community.
Every Board meeting has its own character. This time the agenda coalesced around strategic planning, program studies and progress reports in the areas of athletics and wellbeing and decarbonization:
- The Trustees heard about a new strategic plan for the Department of Physical Education, Athletics, and Recreation, via a presentation from Department Chair and Director of Athletics Lisa Melendy and Dean of the Faculty and Kimberly A. ’96 and Robert R. ’62 Henry Professor of Economics Lara Shore-Sheppard. The plan will guide the Department’s investments in operations, facilities and cross-campus collaboration.
- The Board then engaged in discussion with Andrew Grote and Jennifer Williams from Perkins & Will, our partners on the Athletics and Wellbeing Programming Study. Andrew and Jennifer explained the firm’s processes for assessing the physical condition of our athletics, physical education and recreation facilities; engaging faculty and staff in the study; and ensuring alignment of their work with the Department’s strategic plan. The Trustees are excited about advancing our commitments to athletics excellence and student wellbeing and discussed their own aspirations for the program study.
- We were joined by Assistant Director for Energy and Utilities Jason Moran and Executive Director of the Zilkha Center for the Environment Tanja Srebotnjak, who reported to the Trustees on Phase I of the Energy and Carbon Master Plan and described our progress on each component of that project.
The Board received reports and financial updates from Vice President for College Relations Megan Morey; Vice President for Finance and Operations and Treasurer Mike Wagner; and Chief Investment Officer Abigail Wattley ’05. They also heard and discussed an overview from Lara Shore-Sheppard about how the Williams curriculum is developed and governed, and how faculty lines are allocated.
Along with votes on routine items, the Board voted to approve a public art process and set of policies that will clarify our future approach to public art and explicitly acknowledge the importance of high-quality public art on campus. Thank you to the Ad Hoc Public Art Committee and Provost and Charles R. Keller Professor of History Eiko Maruko Siniawer ’97 for developing a robust process.
At lunch on Friday, groups of Board members met with the Williams Staff Committee and with students involved in the arts. During their time on campus the Board also held the second of two promised meetings with representatives from Students for Justice in Palestine and Jews for Justice (SJP and J4J). The students shared new ideas on financial transparency and Williams’ investment approach. The Board regularly meets with diverse groups of students, faculty and staff regarding issues of concern and appreciates such opportunities to hear perspectives from the many stakeholders in our work.
It is nice to have our fall Board meetings coincide with the start of a new academic year, autumn in the Berkshires and all the lively activity of a typical Williams weekend. This year, we were simultaneously mindful of meeting amidst hard-fought national elections, as well as conflicts and challenges at home and abroad. Our hope is that everyone at Williams can find ways to study, reflect on and engage with the world meaningfully while caring for yourselves and finding both joy and strength in community.
Maud