About Williams
Values
At Williams, we believe that the most versatile, practical and enduring education we can offer students is a liberal arts education. We seek to inspire creativity and imagination, openness and empathy, intellectual curiosity and academic vigor, and self-reflection and awareness through the powerful combination of students learning and living together.
Here, students become partners in the process of discovery—contributing to knowledge in an intimate, supportive environment, developing close intellectual and personal relationships with professors, peers and mentors, and learning from and with each other through free inquiry and the open exchange of ideas.
We place great emphasis on the learning that takes place outside the classroom, as well, and encourage wide participation in and student authorship of our co-curriculum.
In all we do, we aim to be an inclusive learning community in which all can thrive: students, faculty and staff.
We teach and learn this way because we believe that such holistic immersion prepares students to make deep connections between ideas and people. By cultivating within students both the wisdom and skills they will need to become responsible contributors to their communities, we aim to prepare our alumni to create opportunities for others through service and leadership in society at large and to lead fuller, more impactful lives.
History
Founded in 1793, Williams College is the second-oldest institution of higher education in Massachusetts. The campus is home to approximately 2,100 students who develop close intellectual and personal relationships, learning from and alongside some of the world’s leading scholars. Williams’ faculty is devoted to teaching, mentoring, and scholarly research. Williams also offers two graduate programs: a two-year master’s degree in the history of art in partnership with the Clark Art Institute, and a yearlong master’s program designed for economists from low- and middle-income countries. Upon graduation, our students join an extraordinarily devoted body of alumni—the oldest society of alumni in the country—whose financial generosity makes every aspect of a Williams education possible.
Leadership
Our system of shared governance, attentive to the interests of all constituent groups, is central to the enduring excellence of the college and the vitality of our community. Faculty carry primary responsibility for the curriculum and related matters; staff have a voice through college committees and advisory boards; and students shape many aspects of campus life through three interconnected groups known as the Three Pillars. The President and Senior Staff manage the college's strategic and day-to-day affairs, while the Board of Trustees is the ultimate corporate and fiduciary authority responsible for the college's policies and programs.