Imani Perry, an author and professor of African American studies at Princeton University, presented the evening keynote address for Claiming Williams day on Feb. 2. In her talk, Perry discussed the role of the South in American history, arguing that it remains a vibrant and complex focal point of American culture.
After 16 years at the College, Chief Investment Officer Collette Chilton — the first leader of the College’s investment office, established in 2006 — will retire at the end of the 2023 calendar year, President Maud S. Mandel announced in an email to the College community on Jan. 26.
Arshay Cooper, a rower, author, and motivational speaker, as well as the subject of the documentary A Most Beautiful Thing, presented the morning keynote for Claiming Williams on Feb. 3. This year, the event's theme was “Justice & Institutional Power,” and the morning keynote was co-sponsored by the College’s Athletic Department, Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and the Allyship in Athletics (AIA) committee.
The College’s Board of Trustees voted on Jan. 20 to contribute $5 million, at a rate of $1 million per year for the next five years, to the construction of Williamstown’s new fire station — if Town voters approve the proposal to build the station.
At its winter meeting, the
Board of Trustees approved
the promotion of 11 assistant
professors to associate
professorships with tenure:
Alexander Bevilacqua, history;
Nicole Brown, classics; PeiWen Chen, biology; Brahim
El Guabli, Arabic studies;
Man He, Asian languages,
literatures, and cultures; Bill
Jannen ’09, computer science;
Laura Martin, environmental
studies; Sarah Olsen, classics;
Ben Snyder, sociology; Mason
Williams, leadership studies;
and Ricardo Wilson, English.
The promotions will go into
effect on July 1.
“I’m the classic Williams
liberal arts kid,” said Yvonne
Hao ’95, the new secretary
of economic development for
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in an interview with the Record. “I never knew that I’d have a career in business — it’s all been kind of unplanned
and accidental.”
The Office of Accessible Education (OAE) will adopt a new software program in the fall of 2023 to streamline its workload amid a staff shortage. The program, which is called Accommodate, aims to simplify the process of renewing academic accommodations — the most common kind of disability accommodation handled by OAE.
The College announced its newest addition to the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (OIDEI), Ivonne García, on Wednesday, Jan. 11. She will serve as assistant vice president for OIDEI.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation
(MassDOT) is conducting
the Northern Tier Passenger Rail Study to explore
the feasibility of passenger train service between
North Adams and Boston,
as called for by the commonwealth’s 2020 budget.
Until a storm blanketed the College in nine inches of heavy snow Sunday night, Winter Study had lacked one of its most characteristic features. The first two weeks of January included just one day of measurable snowfall in Williamstown, totaling only 0.3 inches, according to data provided by the College’s Environmental Analysis Lab.
In December 2022, China
began to roll back its COVID-19 restrictions, moving away from mass P.C.R.
testing in areas not considered “high risk” and relaxing quarantine and isolation
requirements for symptomatic individuals and international travelers.
On Jan. 18, Yale University revealed updates to its policies regarding leaves of absence and withdrawals, following a year-long review of its mental health policies by the Yale College Dean’s Office.
