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{{Short description|Private college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, US}}
{{About|the college in Williamstown, Massachusetts}}
{{Use American English|date = October 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date = October 2019}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = Williams College
 | image                  = Williams College Seal.svg
 | image_upright          = .7
 | motto                  = ''E liberalitate E. Williams, armigeri'' ([[Latin]])
 | mottoeng               = "Through the Generosity of E. Williams, Esquire"
 | established            = {{start date and age|1793}}
 | type                   = [[Private university|Private]] [[liberal arts colleges in the United States|liberal arts college]]
 | endowment              = $3.66 billion (2024)<ref name=endowment>{{cite web |url=https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/nacubo1-nacubo-prd-dc8b/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2024-NCSE-Endowment-Market-Values-for-US-and-Canadian-Institutions-FINAL-Feb-12-2025.xlsx |title=U.S. and Canadian 2024 NCSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2024 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY23 to FY24, and FY24 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student |date=February 12, 2025 |publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) |access-date=February 12, 2025 |format=XLSX |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250212074654/https://edge.sitecorecloud.io/nacubo1-nacubo-prd-dc8b/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2024-NCSE-Endowment-Market-Values-for-US-and-Canadian-Institutions-FINAL-Feb-12-2025.xlsx |archive-date=February 12, 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref>
 | accreditation          = [[New England Commission of Higher Education|NECHE]]
 | president              = [[Maud Mandel]]
 | provost                = Eiko Maruko Siniawer
 | students               = 2,150 (2025)<ref name=fastfacts/>
 | undergrad              = 2,101 (2025)<ref name=fastfacts/>
 | postgrad               = 49 (2025)<ref name=fastfacts/>
 | faculty                = 360 (2021)<ref name=fastfacts/>
 | city                   = [[Williamstown, Massachusetts]]
 | country                = United States
 | coordinates            = {{Coord|42|42|45|N|73|12|18|W|type:edu_region:US-MA|display=inline,title}}
 | campus                 = Rural, [[college town]], {{cvt|450|acre}}
 | sporting_affiliations  = {{hlist|[[NCAA Division III]] – [[New England Small College Athletic Conference|NESCAC]]|[[New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association|NEISA]]|[[Eastern Intercollegiate Ski Association|EISA]]}}
 | colors                 = {{color box|#512698}}&nbsp;{{color box|#FDCC09}} Purple & gold<ref>{{cite web |title=Williams Graphics Standards |url=https://communications.williams.edu/files/williams_marks_logos_guide-1.pdf |publisher=Williams College |access-date=28 August 2020 |archive-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119022019/https://communications.williams.edu/files/williams_marks_logos_guide-1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
 | sports_nickname        = [[Williams Ephs|Ephs]]
 | mascot                 = Ephelia, the [[Purple Cow]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.williams.edu/athletics/purplecow.php|title=Williams College - Sports Information|access-date=October 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320074721/http://web.williams.edu/athletics/purplecow.php|archive-date=March 20, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
 | website                = {{URL|www.williams.edu}}
 | logo                   = Williams College wordmark.svg
 | logo_upright           = .9
 | academic_affiliations  = {{hlist
|[[Annapolis Group]]
|[[Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges|CLAC]]|[[Consortium on Financing Higher Education|COFHE]]|[[Oberlin Group]]
|[[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program|Space-grant]]
}}
}}

'''Williams College''' is a [[Private college|private]] [[liberal arts colleges in the United States|liberal arts college]] in [[Williamstown, Massachusetts]], United States. It was established as a [[men's college]] in 1793 with funds from the estate of [[Ephraim Williams]], a colonist from the [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]] who was killed in the [[French and Indian War]] in 1755.<ref name="fastfacts" /> 

Williams's main campus is located in Williamstown, in the [[Berkshires]] in rural northwestern Massachusetts, and contains more than 100 academic, athletic, and residential buildings.<ref name="fastfacts" /> There are 360 voting faculty members, with a [[student-teacher ratio|student-to-faculty ratio]] of 6:1. {{As of|2022||df=}}, the college had an enrollment of 2,021 undergraduate students and 50 graduate students.<ref name="CDS2021" />

Following a liberal arts curriculum, Williams College provides undergraduate instruction in 25 academic departments and interdisciplinary programs including 36 majors in the humanities, arts, social sciences, and natural sciences. Williams offers an almost entirely undergraduate instruction, though there are two graduate programs in development economics and art history. The college maintains affiliations with the nearby [[Clark Art Institute]] and the [[Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art]] (MASS MoCA) along with a close relationship with [[Exeter College, Oxford]]. The college competes as the [[Williams Ephs|Ephs]] in the [[NCAA Division III]] as a member of the [[New England Small College Athletic Conference]].

==History==
Colonel [[Ephraim Williams]] was an officer in the Massachusetts militia and a member of a prominent landowning family. Williams was killed at the [[Battle of Lake George]] on September 8, 1755. His [[Will (law)|will]] included a bequest to support and maintain a free school to be established in the town of West Hoosac, Massachusetts, provided the town change its name to Williamstown.<ref>{{cite web| last =Heyes| first =Michael| title =Cycling in the Berkshires| url =http://3rvs.com/features/berkshires/berkshires.html| access-date =2007-09-13| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071020061141/http://3rvs.com/features/berkshires/berkshires.html| archive-date =2007-10-20| url-status =dead}}</ref>

Members of the Williams family first attempted to found Queens College in [[Hatfield, Massachusetts]], in 1762, but the charter was revoked within a year when Massachusetts [[Sir Francis Bernard, 1st Baronet|Governor Francis Bernard]] succumbed to pressure from [[Harvard College]], which opposed the creation of a second institution of higher learning in the [[Colonial history of the United States|colonial-era]] [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]]. 

In 1765, the west township was incorporated as Williamstown. Five years later, the town's proprietors brought the executors of Williams' estate before the General Court to dispute the delay in establishment of the free school, and in 1795, the Massachusetts legislature finally granted the school its charter.<ref>{{cite web| last =Kennick Brown| first =Sylvia| title =Founding of Williams College| url =http://3rvs.com/features/berkshires/berkshires.html| access-date =2021-04-06| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20210407043524/https://specialcollections.williams.edu/williams-history/groups/founding-of-williams-college/| archive-date =2021-04-07| url-status =live}}</ref>

The Williamstown Free School opened with 15 students on October 26, 1791. The first president was [[Ebenezer Fitch]]. Not long after its founding, the school's trustees petitioned the Massachusetts legislature to convert the free school to a tuition-based college. The legislature agreed and on June 22, 1793, Williams College was chartered. It was the second college to be founded in Massachusetts.[[File:West College (Williamstown, MA).jpg|thumb|Depiction of West College, which composed the entire college in its early years.|alt=]]At its founding, the college maintained a policy of racial segregation, refusing admission to black applicants. This policy was challenged by [[Lucy Terry Prince]], who is credited as the first black American poet,<ref>{{cite book|last=James|first=Edward T.|title=Notable American Women, 1607–1950, Vol. III|year=1971|publisher=Belknap Press of Harvard University Press|location=Cambridge, MA|isbn=978-0674627345|page=573}}</ref> when her son Festus was refused admission on account of his race.<ref name="Phelps 1888 79">{{cite book|last=Phelps|first=John Wolcott and Rodney B. Field|title=The Local History of Guilford, Vt., 1754-1888|year=1888|publisher=Anny Maria Hemmenway|location=Chicago|page=79}}</ref> Prince, who had established a reputation as a [[raconteur]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Wheatley|first=Phillis|title=Complete Writings|year=2001|publisher=Penguin|location=New York|isbn=978-0140424300|page=199|editor=Vincent Carretta}}</ref> and rhetorician, delivered a three-hour speech before the college's board of trustees, quoting abundantly from scripture, but was unable to secure her son's admission.<ref name="Phelps 1888 79" /> Later scholarship questions whether these events occurred as Festus Prince may have been refused entry for an insufficient mastery of Latin, Greek, and French, all of which were necessary for successful completion of the entrance exam at the time, and which would most likely not have been available in the local schools of [[Guilford, Vermont]], where Festus was raised.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Proper|first=David R.|title=Lucy Terry Prince: "Singer of History"|journal=Contributions in Black Studies: A Journal of African and Afro-American Studies|date=January 1992|volume=9|series=15|page=14|url=http://scholarworks.umass.edu/cibs/vol9/iss1/15|access-date=17 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919171358/http://scholarworks.umass.edu/cibs/vol9/iss1/15/|archive-date=September 19, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1806, a student [[prayer meeting]] gave rise to the American Foreign Mission Movement. In August of that year, five students met in the maple grove of Sloan's Meadow to pray. A thunderstorm drove them to the shelter of a haystack, and the fervor of the ensuing meeting inspired them to take the [[Gospel]] abroad. The students went on to build the [[American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions]], the first American organization to send [[missionary|missionaries]] overseas. The Haystack Monument near Mission Park on the Williams Campus commemorates the historic "[[Haystack Prayer Meeting]]".
[[File:Zephaniah Swift Moore, painting of.jpg|thumb|Zephaniah Swift Moore, the second president of the college and first president of Amherst College]]
By 1815, Williams had only two buildings and 58 students and was in financial trouble, so the board voted to move the college to [[Amherst, Massachusetts]]. In 1821, the president of the college, [[Zephaniah Swift Moore]], who had accepted his position believing the college would move east, decided to proceed with the move. He took 15 students with him, and re-founded the college under the name of [[Amherst College]]. Some students and professors decided to stay at Williams and were allowed to keep the land, which was at the time relatively worthless. Moore died just two years later after founding Amherst, and was succeeded by [[Heman Humphrey]], a trustee of Williams College.<ref>{{cite web| title =Williams College Presidents| publisher =Williams College| url =http://www.williams.edu/home/presidents/| access-date =2007-09-15| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070823052737/http://www.williams.edu/home/presidents/| archive-date =2007-08-23| url-status =dead}}</ref>
[[File:Thompson Memorial Church, Williams College, Williamstown, Mass (NYPL b12647398-68120).tiff|left|thumb|Thompson Memorial Church, early 20th century]]

[[Edward Dorr Griffin]] was appointed President of Williams and is widely credited with saving Williams during his 15-year tenure. A Williams student, Gardner Cotrell Leonard, of Albany, New York, whose family owned the city's Cotrell & Leonard department store, designed the gowns he and his classmates wore to graduation in 1887.<ref name="Academic Garb">{{cite web|title=Academic Garb |publisher=Williams College |url=http://www.williams.edu/home/focus/robes/ |access-date=2009-04-16 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090521102435/http://www.williams.edu/home/focus/robes/ |archive-date=May 21, 2009 }}</ref> Seven years later he advised the Inter-Collegiate Commission on Academic Costume, which met at [[Columbia University]], and established the current system of U.S. [[academic dress]].<ref>Walters, Helen. "The Story of Caps and Gowns," p. 9. Chicago: E. R. Moore, 1939.</ref> One reason gowns were adopted in the late 19th century was to eliminate the differences in apparel between rich and poor students.<ref>Leonard, Gardner Cotrell. "The Cap and Gown in America; Reprinted from the University Magazine of 1893; To Which is Added: An Illustrated Sketch of the Intercollegiate System of Academic Costume," p. 9. Albany, New York: Cotrell & Leonard, 1896.</ref> Gardner Cotrell Leonard went on to edit the book ''The Songs of Williams'', a collection of songs sung at the college. During [[World War II]], Williams College was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the [[V-12 Navy College Training Program]] which offered students a path to a Navy commission.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://science.williams.edu/files/HistSci00/chapter3_3.html |title=The V-12 Program |publisher=[[Williamstown, Massachusetts]]: Williams College |access-date=September 27, 2011 |year=2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122083715/http://science.williams.edu/files/HistSci00/chapter3_3.html |archive-date=November 22, 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Originally a [[men's college]], Williams became [[co-educational]] in 1970. [[Fraternity|Fraternities]] were also phased out during this period, beginning in 1962.<ref name="fastfacts">{{cite web |title=Tuition and Fees |url=https://www.williams.edu/sfs/manage-your-account/tuition-fees/ |access-date=22 May 2025 |website=williams.edu}}</ref>

Following a [[liberal arts]] curriculum, Williams College provides undergraduate instruction in 25 academic departments and interdisciplinary programs including 36 majors in the [[humanities]], [[arts]], [[social sciences]], and [[natural sciences]]. Williams offers an almost entirely undergraduate instruction, though there are two graduate programs in [[development economics]] and [[art history]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Graduate Programs |url=https://www.williams.edu/academics/graduate-programs/ |access-date=2024-08-02 |website=Academics |language=en-US}}</ref> The college maintains affiliations with the nearby [[Clark Art Institute]] and [[Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art]] (MASS MoCA), and has a close relationship with [[Exeter College, Oxford|Exeter College]], [[Oxford University]], where the school runs a year-long [[Study abroad in the United States|study abroad]] program for juniors. The college competes as the [[Williams Ephs|Ephs]] in the [[NCAA Division III]] as a member of the [[New England Small College Athletic Conference]]. Their athletic program has been highly successful, winning 22 of 29 College [[Directors Cup|Directors' Cups]] for NCAA Division III.<ref>{{cite web |title=Williams College Wins 22nd Learfield IMG College Directors' Cup in 24-Year History of National Award |url=https://ephsports.williams.edu/sports/2020/7/7/x-dl4f0.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201192831/https://ephsports.williams.edu/sports/2020/7/7/x-dl4f0.aspx |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |access-date=27 January 2021 |website=Home of the Williams College Ephs}}</ref>

Williams is a [[College admissions in the United States|highly selective]] school with an acceptance rate of 8% for the Class of 2025.<ref name="Class of 2025 Acceptance Rate">{{cite web |title=College acceptance rate lowers to 8 percent for Class of 2025 |url=https://williamsrecord.com/456508/news/college-acceptance-rate-lowers-to-8-percent-for-class-of-2025/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331162651/https://williamsrecord.com/456508/news/college-acceptance-rate-lowers-to-8-percent-for-class-of-2025/ |archive-date=March 31, 2021 |access-date=24 October 2021 |website=Williams Record}}</ref> It has ranked first in [[U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking|''U.S. News & World Report'''s rankings]] of National Liberal Arts Colleges every year since 2004.<ref name="US News history">{{cite web |date=July 13, 2017 |title=U.S. News & World Report Historical Liberal Arts College and University Rankings |url=http://andyreiter.com/datasets/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916095502/http://andyreiter.com/datasets/ |archive-date=September 16, 2017 |access-date=26 August 2020 |website=Datasets |publisher=Andrew G. Reiter}}</ref> In April 2022, Williams transitioned to an all grants system for financial aid, one of the few institutions of higher learning in the United States to do so.<ref>{{cite web |title=Williams moves to all grants for financial aid |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2022/04/13/williams-moves-all-grants-financial-aid |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413155604/https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2022/04/13/williams-moves-all-grants-financial-aid |archive-date=April 13, 2022 |access-date=April 13, 2022}}</ref>

=== Coeducation ===

Though Williams College officially began the process of coeducation in the late 1960s, women integrated the college as early as the 1930s. Beatrice Irene Wasserscheid (née Acly) was the first woman to be awarded a Williams degree after successfully petitioning the trustees to pursue a master of arts degree in American literature.<ref name="timeline">{{cite web |title=Timeline of the Society of Alumni |url=https://alumni.williams.edu/200/history/ |publisher=Williams Alumni Relations |access-date=11 February 2021 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212123225/https://alumni.williams.edu/200/history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She received her master's degree in June 1931. That same decade, in 1935, Emily Cleland became the first woman to teach at Williams when she finished teaching her late husband's geology course after he died in an accident.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Science at Williams |url=https://sites.williams.edu/history-of-science-at-williams/notable-events-timeline/ |access-date=11 February 2021 |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515112232/https://sites.williams.edu/history-of-science-at-williams/notable-events-timeline/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The first tenured woman faculty member at the college, Doris DeKeyselingk, oversaw the Russian department beginning in 1958.<ref name = "WaW">{{cite web |title=Women at Williams: The College's Road to Coeducation |url=https://unbound.williams.edu/williamsarchives/islandora/object/exhibits%3A34 |website=Unbound |access-date=11 February 2021 |archive-date=June 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613140921/https://unbound.williams.edu/williamsarchives/islandora/object/exhibits%3A34 |url-status=live }}</ref>

During his time as president of Williams College, John E. Sawyer officially initiated the process of coeducation. After overseeing the abolition of fraternities, Sawyer created a faculty-trustee committee, the Committee on Coordinate Education and Related Questions, in 1967 to explore options for coeducation and co-ordinate education.<ref>{{cite web |title=Williams College Oral History Project Interview with John E. Sawyer |url=https://unbound.williams.edu/islandora/object/oralhistoryproject%3A163?search=%2522jack%2520sawyer%2522%2520and%2520%2522fraternities%2522 |access-date=16 February 2021 |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706034337/https://unbound.williams.edu/islandora/object/oralhistoryproject%3A163?search=%2522jack%2520sawyer%2522%2520and%2520%2522fraternities%2522 |url-status=live }}</ref> In response to the Committee on Coordinate Education's final report, the trustees voted in June 1969 to regularly admit women undergraduate students in fall 1971.<ref name = WaW /> The college welcomed 137 women as first-year students in fall 1971.<ref name="coed">{{cite web |title=Coeducation Collection (Williams College) |url=https://archivesspace.williams.edu/repositories/2/resources/34 |website=ArchivesSpace |publisher=Williams College Archives and Special Collections |access-date=11 February 2021 |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515113526/https://archivesspace.williams.edu/repositories/2/resources/34 |url-status=live }}</ref> They were joined by 90 transfer and exchange students from women's colleges who, during their junior and senior year, participated in the Ten College Exchange Program which Sawyer helped to establish in the mid-to-late 1960s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Williams College Oral History Project Interview with John E. Sawyer |url=https://unbound.williams.edu/islandora/object/oralhistoryproject%3A163?search=%2522jack%2520sawyer%2522%2520and%2520%2522fraternities%2522 |website=Unbound Williams Digital Collections |access-date=16 February 2021 |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706034337/https://unbound.williams.edu/islandora/object/oralhistoryproject%3A163?search=%2522jack%2520sawyer%2522%2520and%2520%2522fraternities%2522 |url-status=live }}</ref> The graduating class of 1975 was the first fully co-educational class to graduate from Williams.<ref name=coed />

The college's admission of women undergraduate students coincided with the diversification of faculty and staff. An [[affirmative action]] program, launched in 1972 by President [[John Chandler]], reinforced equal opportunity employment. In addition to facilitating the hiring and retention of African-American staff and faculty, the program prioritized hiring women. As a result of the efforts of the dean of faculty and the provost in collaboration with "Committee W", a women-led group dedicated to fulfilling the program's mission, the number of women faculty steadily rose. From the inception of Williams's affirmative action program in 1972 to its revision in 1975, the proportion of women full-time faculty increased from 4.5% to 11.7%.<ref name="women">{{cite web |title=Women Faculty, 1970 - 2006 |url=https://archivesspace.williams.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/10942 |website=ArchivesSpace |publisher=Williams College Archives and Special Collections |access-date=11 February 2021 |archive-date=May 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515115439/https://archivesspace.williams.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/10942 |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1975, 34% of the first-term assistant professors were women.<ref name="women" />

Throughout the 1970s, Williams College experienced an increase of women in high administrative and advisory positions as well. In February 1970, the college hired its first female dean, Nancy McIntire.<ref>{{cite web |title=July 1st, 1970 |url=https://specialcollections.williams.edu/history-timeline/20th-century/july-1st-1970/ |website=Special Collections |access-date=11 February 2021 |archive-date=February 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228094209/https://specialcollections.williams.edu/history-timeline/20th-century/july-1st-1970/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In October 1971, at age 29, Gail Walker Haslett was elected as a three-year term trustee on the Williams College Board of Trustees. She was the first woman to ever serve on the board.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Williams Record October 8, 1971 |url=https://unbound.williams.edu/islandora/object/williamsrecord%3A742?search=Gail%2520W.%2520Haslett%2520 |website=Unbound |access-date=11 February 2021 |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706034337/https://unbound.williams.edu/islandora/object/williamsrecord%3A742?search=Gail%2520W.%2520Haslett%2520 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1976, Pamela G. Carlton '76 became the first woman alumni trustee<ref name="timeline" /> and Janet Brown '73, the first woman graduate of Williams to serve on the executive committee of the Society of Alumni.<ref name="timeline" />

{{As of|2021}}, 45.6% of full-time faculty<ref name="Ranking">{{cite web |title=Overview of Williams College |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/williams-college-2229 |website=U.S.News Best College Rankings |publisher=U.S.News |access-date=11 February 2021 |archive-date=March 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309135006/https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/williams-college-2229 |url-status=live }}</ref> and 51.6% of the undergraduate class are women-identifying at Williams.<ref>{{cite web |title=Faculty and Classes at Williams College |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/williams-college-2229/academics |website=U.S.News Best College Rankings |publisher=U.S.News |access-date=11 February 2021 |archive-date=May 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210530152231/https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/williams-college-2229/academics |url-status=live }}</ref> In July 2018, [[Maud Mandel]] began her tenure as the 18th and current president of Williams College. She is the first woman to assume this role.

===Construction and expansion===

In the last decade, construction has changed the look of the college. The addition of the $38 million Unified Science Center to the campus in 2001 set a tone of style and comprehensiveness for renovations and additions to campus buildings in the 21st century. This building unifies the formerly separate lab spaces of the [[physics]], [[chemistry]], and [[biology]] departments. In addition, it houses Schow Science Library, notable for its unified science materials holdings and architecture. It features vaulted ceilings and an [[atrium (architecture)|atrium]] with windows into laboratories on the second through fourth floors of the science center.

In 2003, Williams began the first of three massive construction projects. The $60 million '62 Center for Theatre and Dance was the first project to be successfully completed in the spring of 2005. The $44 million student center, called [[David Paresky|Paresky]] Center, opened in February 2007.

Construction had already begun on the third project, called the Stetson-Sawyer project, when it was delayed due to the [[2008 financial crisis]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.massdevelopment.com/news/williams-college-issued-tax-exempt-bond-for-new-library/ | title=Williams College Issued Tax-Exempt Bond for New Library | work=Mass Development | date=March 31, 2011}}</ref> College trustees initially balked at the Stetson-Sawyer project's cost, and revisited the idea of renovating Sawyer in its current location, an idea which proved not to be cost effective. The entire project includes construction of two new academic buildings, the removal of Sawyer Library from its current location, and the construction of a new library at the rear of a renovated Stetson Hall (which served as the college library prior to Sawyer's construction). The academic buildings, temporarily named North Academic Building and South Academic Building, were completed in fall 2008. In the spring of 2009, South Academic Building was renamed Schapiro Hall in honor of former president [[Morton O. Schapiro]]. In spring 2010 the North Academic Building was renamed Hollander Hall. Construction of the new Sawyer Library was completed in 2014, after which the old Sawyer Library was razed.

After several years of planning, the college decided to group undergraduates starting with the Class of 2010 into four geographically coherent clusters, or "Neighborhoods".<ref>{{cite web | title =Williams College: Neighborhood System 2006–2007 | publisher =Williams College | url=http://www.williams.edu/dean/campus_life/neighborhoodsystem.html | access-date =2007-09-20 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070526220804/http://www.williams.edu/dean/campus_life/neighborhoodsystem.html | archive-date =2007-05-26 | url-status =dead }}</ref> Since the fall of 2006, first-years have been housed in Sage Hall, Williams Hall and Mission Park, while the former first-year [[dormitories]] East College, Lehman Hall, Fayerweather, and Morgan, joined the remaining residential buildings as upperclass housing. During the spring 2009 semester, a committee formed to evaluate the neighborhood system, and released a report the following fall.<ref>{{cite web|title =Williams College: Neighborhood Review Committee Interim Report|publisher =Williams College|url =http://www.williams.edu/dean/nrc/|access-date =2009-11-09|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100810054949/https://www.williams.edu/dean/nrc/|archive-date =2010-08-10|url-status =dead}}</ref> From 2003 through 2008, Williams conducted a capital campaign with the goal of raising $400 million by September 2008. The college reached $400 million at the end of June 2007. By the close of the campaign, Williams had raised $500.2 million.<ref>{{cite web|title=Climb Far: The Williams Campaign |publisher=Williams College |url=http://www.williams.edu/alumni/campaign/ |access-date=2009-10-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027135249/http://www.williams.edu/alumni/campaign/ |archive-date=October 27, 2009 }}</ref>
[[File:Morgan Hall of Williams College in the fall (27 October 2010).jpg|thumb|290x290px|The college's Morgan Hall]]
As of the 2008–09 school year, the college eliminated [[student loan]]s from all [[Student financial aid (United States)|financial aid]] packages in favor of grants. The college was the fourth institution in the United States to do so, following Princeton University, Amherst College, and [[Davidson College]].<ref>{{cite web|title =Letters from the President|publisher =Office of the President, Williams College|url =http://www.williams.edu/admin/president/letters/071101_no_loans.php|access-date =2007-11-02|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071116071908/http://www.williams.edu/admin/president/letters/071101_no_loans.php|archive-date =2007-11-16|url-status =dead}}</ref> However, in February 2010, the college announced it would re-introduce loans to its financial aid packages beginning with the Class of 2015 due to the college's changed financial situation.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/education/02loans.html | work=The New York Times | title=Williams College Will Bring Loans Back to Aid Packages | first=Jacques | last=Steinberg | date=February 2, 2010 | access-date=February 23, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160221215839/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/education/02loans.html | archive-date=February 21, 2016 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://money.cnn.com/2010/04/09/pf/college/no-loan_financial_aid/ | work=CNN | title=No loans! Major colleges pledge aid without debt | first=Annalyn | last=Censky | date=April 9, 2010 | access-date=April 9, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605103658/http://money.cnn.com/2010/04/09/pf/college/no-loan_financial_aid/ | archive-date=June 5, 2011 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Supiano, Beckie. (2010-04-08) [http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Most-Colleges-Plan-to-Stick/22392/ Most Colleges Plan to Stick With Pledges to Limit Loans in Student Aid - The Ticker - The Chronicle of Higher Education] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726062037/http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Most-Colleges-Plan-to-Stick/22392/ |date=July 26, 2010 }}. Chronicle.com. Retrieved on 2013-08-02.</ref> In January 2007 the board voted unanimously to reduce college [[CO2 emissions|CO<sub>2</sub> emissions]] 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, or roughly 50% below 2006 levels.<ref name="Williams Sustainability Initiative">{{cite web| title =Williams Sustainability Initiative| publisher =Williams College| url =http://www.williams.edu/resources/sustainability/index.php| access-date =2008-05-08| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080513221247/http://www.williams.edu/resources/sustainability/index.php| archive-date =May 13, 2008| url-status =live}}</ref> To meet those goals, the college set up the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives and has undertaken an [[energy audit]] and efficiency timeline. Williams received an 'A−' on the 2010 College Sustainability Report Card, following 'B+' grades on both the 2008 and 2009 report cards.<ref name="College Sustainability Report Card">{{cite web | title =College Sustainability Report Card | publisher =College Sustainability Report Card | url =http://www.greenreportcard.org/ | access-date =2009-11-09 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090405103641/http://www.greenreportcard.org/ | archive-date =April 5, 2009 | url-status =live }}</ref> In December 2008, President Morton O. Schapiro announced his departure from the college to become president of [[Northwestern University]].<ref name="Pres. Shapiro to Lead Northwestern">{{cite web|title=Pres. Shapiro to Lead Northwestern |publisher=Letters from the President |url=http://www.williams.edu/admin/president/letters/081216_Northwestern.php |access-date=2008-12-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219084153/http://www.williams.edu/admin/president/letters/081216_Northwestern.php |archive-date=December 19, 2008 }}</ref>

On September 28, 2009, the presidential search committee announced the appointment of [[Adam Falk]] as the 17th president of Williams College. Falk, dean of the [[Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences]] at [[Johns Hopkins University]], began his term on April 1, 2010.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web| title =Adam Falk Named 17th President of Williams| publisher =Williams College Press Releases| url =http://www.williams.edu/admin/news/releases/1851| access-date =2009-10-05| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20091001221840/http://www.williams.edu/admin/news/releases/1851| archive-date =2009-10-01| url-status =dead}}</ref> Dean of the Faculty [[William G. Wagner]] took the position of interim president beginning in June 2009, and continued in that capacity until President-elect Falk took office. In 2014, Williams College brought their endowment above the 2 billion dollar mark. On March 11, 2018, former dean of the college at [[Brown University]] Maud Mandel was selected to be the 18th president of Williams College.<ref>{{cite web|title=Maud Mandel named President of Williams College|url=https://president.williams.edu/announcement-from-the-board-chair/|website=president.williams.edu|access-date=15 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216040135/https://president.williams.edu/announcement-from-the-board-chair/|archive-date=December 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Mandel assumed the role on July 1, 2018.

==Campus==
[[File:Williams_College_-_West_College_(cropped).jpg|thumb|West College, the oldest building of Williams's campus.]]
Williams is located on a {{convert|450|acre|ha|adj=on|abbr=off}} campus in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in the [[Berkshires]] in rural northwestern Massachusetts. The campus contains more than 100 academic, athletic, and residential buildings.<ref name=fastfacts/>

The early planners of Williams College eschewed the traditional collegiate quadrangle organization, choosing to freely site buildings among the hills. Later construction, including East and West Colleges and Griffin Hall, tended to cluster around Main Street in Williamstown. The first campus quadrangle was formed with East College, South College, and the Hopkins Observatory.<ref>{{cite web|title=Williams College|url=http://tclf.org/landscapes/williams-college|website=The Cultural Landscape Foundation|access-date=16 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102035857/http://tclf.org/landscapes/williams-college|archive-date=January 2, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Olmsted Brothers]] design firm played a large part in shaping the campus design and architecture. In 1902, the firm was commissioned to renovate a large part of campus, including the President's House, the cemetery, and South College; as well as incorporating the George A. Cluett estate into the campus acreage. Although these campus renovations were completed in 1912, the Olmsted Brothers would advise the gradual transformation of campus design for six decades. The present-day grounds layout reflects much of the design intent of the Olmsted Brothers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bishop|first1=Karina|title=The Olmsted Firm in the Berkshires|url=http://tclf.org/news/features/olmsted-firm-berkshires|website=The Cultural Landscape Foundation|access-date=16 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150313142527/http://tclf.org/news/features/olmsted-firm-berkshires|archive-date=March 13, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Hopkins Observatory Williams College.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Old Hopkins Observatory]]

Williams College is the site of the [[Hopkins Observatory]], the oldest extant astronomical observatory in the United States.<ref name="Pasachoff">{{cite journal| last =Pasachoff| first = Jay M.| title =Williams College's Hopkins Observatory: the oldest extant observatory in the United States | journal = Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage| year = 1998| volume = 1| issue = 1| page = 61| publisher =Smithsonian/NASA ADS Astronomy Abstract Service| doi = 10.3724/SP.J.1440-2807.1998.01.04| bibcode =1998JAHH....1...61P }}</ref> Erected in 1836–1838, it now contains the Mehlin Museum of Astronomy, including [[Alvan Clark]]'s first telescope (from 1852),<ref name="Pasachoff" /> as well as the Milham Planetarium, which uses a [[zeiss projector|Zeiss Skymaster]] ZKP3/B optomechanical projector and an Ansible [[digital projector]], both installed in 2005. The Hopkins Observatory's 0.6-m DFM [[reflecting telescope]] (1991) is installed elsewhere on the campus.<ref>{{cite web | title =Astronomy Department and the Hopkins Observatory | publisher =Williams College | url =http://www.williams.edu/go/sciencecenter/center/RS05html/Repsci2005-ASTRONOM.html | access-date =2007-09-19 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071022075755/http://williams.edu/go/sciencecenter/center/RS05html/Repsci2005-ASTRONOM.html | archive-date =2007-10-22 | url-status =dead }}</ref> Williams joins with [[Wellesley College|Wellesley]], Wesleyan, [[Middlebury College|Middlebury]], [[Colgate University|Colgate]], [[Vassar College|Vassar]], [[Swarthmore College|Swarthmore]], and [[Haverford College|Haverford]]/[[Bryn Mawr College|Bryn Mawr]] to form the Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium, sponsored for over a decade by the [[Keck Foundation]] and now with its student research programs sponsored by the [[National Science Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web| title =The Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium| publisher =Vassar College| url =http://physicsandastronomy.vassar.edu/events.shtml| access-date =2007-09-19| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070917052831/http://physicsandastronomy.vassar.edu/events.shtml| archive-date =2007-09-17| url-status =dead}}</ref> Hopkins Hall serves as the administration building on campus, housing the offices of the president, [[Dean of the Faculty]], [[Registrar (education)|registrar]], and [[provost (education)|provost]], among others. There is a [[Newman Center]] on campus.

{{anchor|Chapin Library}}
The Chapin Library supports the liberal arts curriculum of the college by allowing students close access to a number of rare books and documents of interest. The library opened on June 18, 1923, with an initial collection of 9,000 volumes contributed by alumnus [[Alfred Clark Chapin]], Class of 1869. Over the years, Chapin Library has grown to include over 50,000 volumes (including 3,000 more given by Chapin) as well as 100,000 other artifacts such as [[Printmaking|prints]], photographs, [[map]]s, and [[bookplates]].<ref>{{cite web |title=History of the Chapin Library |publisher=Williams College |url=http://www.williams.edu/resources/chapin/history/history.html |access-date=2007-09-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070826151117/http://www.williams.edu/resources/chapin/history/history.html |archive-date=2007-08-26 |url-status =dead}}</ref> The library is currently located on the fourth floor of the recently reopened Sawyer Library.

The Chapin Library's Americana collection includes original printings of all four founding documents of the United States: the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], the [[Articles of Confederation]], the [[United States Constitution|Constitution]], and the [[United States Bill of Rights|Bill of Rights]]. Additionally it houses George Washington's copy of ''[[The Federalist Papers|The Federalist]]'' and the British reply to the Declaration of Independence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chapin.williams.edu/exhibits/founding.html|title=The Founding Documents of the United States|first=Chapin|last=Library|access-date=April 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421194000/http://chapin.williams.edu/exhibits/founding.html|archive-date=April 21, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Chapin Library's science collection includes a first edition of [[Nicolaus Copernicus]]'s ''[[De revolutionibus orbium coelestium]]'', as well as first editions of books by [[Tycho Brahe]], [[Johannes Kepler]], [[Galileo]], [[Isaac Newton]], and other major figures.<ref name="Chapin">{{cite web|title = Chapin Library Collections|publisher = Williams College|url = http://www.williams.edu/resources/chapin/collect/collect.html|access-date = 2007-09-19|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070826151000/http://www.williams.edu/resources/chapin/collect/collect.html|archive-date = 2007-08-26|url-status = dead}}</ref>
[[File:Williams_College_Museum_of_Art_-_building_front.jpg|thumb|Lawrence Hall, home of the [[Williams College Museum of Art]]]]
The [[Williams College Museum of Art]] (WCMA), with over 12,000 works (only a fraction of which are displayed at any one time) in its permanent collection, serves as an educational resource for both undergraduates and students in the graduate art history program.<ref name="WCMA">{{cite web |title=Williams College Museum of Art |url=https://artmuseum.williams.edu/ |publisher=Williams College Museum of Art |access-date=28 January 2021 |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202151031/https://artmuseum.williams.edu/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A new 76,800 sf building is scheduled to open in 2027 and be constructed using mass timber. Renderings by SO – IL show a nebulous, low-lying structure with an aluminum shingle roof that ebbs-and-flows across the pastoral landscape, mimicking the nearby Berkshire Mountains.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roche |first=Daniel Jonas |date=2024-03-07 |title=SO – IL unveils a new home for the Williams College Museum of Art |url=https://www.archpaper.com/2024/03/so-il-unveils-williams-college-museum-of-art/ |access-date=2025-09-30 |website=The Architect’s Newspaper |language=en-US}}</ref>

Notable works include ''Morning in a City'' by [[Edward Hopper]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Williams College Museum of Art Presents: Drawing on Hopper |url=https://artmuseum.williams.edu/drawing-on-hopper-gregory-crewdson-edward-hopper/ |publisher=Williams College Museum of Art |access-date=28 January 2021 |archive-date=November 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103005355/https://artmuseum.williams.edu/drawing-on-hopper-gregory-crewdson-edward-hopper/ |url-status=live }}</ref> a commissioned wall painting by [[Sol LeWitt]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Sol LeWitt |url=https://artmuseum.williams.edu/sol-lewitt/ |publisher=Williams College Museum of Art |access-date=28 January 2021 |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202001519/https://artmuseum.williams.edu/sol-lewitt/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and a commissioned outdoor sculpture and landscape work by [[Louise Bourgeois]] entitled ''Eyes''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Williams College Museum of Art Williams College Museum of Art to Honor Benefactors to 75th Anniversary Sculpture Installation |url=http://www.wcma.org/press/02/02eyeceremony.shtml |website=Wayback Machine |publisher=Williams College Museum of Art |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060809172648/http://www.wcma.org/press/02/02eyeceremony.shtml |access-date=28 January 2021|archive-date=August 9, 2006 }}</ref> Because the museum is intended primarily for educational purposes, admission is free for all students.<ref name = "WCMA" />

Located in front of the West College dormitory, the Hopkins gate serves as a memorial to brothers [[Mark Hopkins (educator)|Mark]] and Albert Hopkins. Both made lasting contributions to the Williams College community. Mark was appointed as president of the college in 1836,<ref>{{cite web |title=Biographical Chronology of Mark Hopkins |url=https://archivesspace.williams.edu/repositories/2/resources/92 |website=ArchivesSpace |publisher=Williams College Archives and Special Collections |access-date=27 January 2021 |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706034337/https://archivesspace.williams.edu/repositories/2/resources/92 |url-status=live }}</ref> while Albert was elected a professor in 1829.<ref>{{cite web |title=Biographical Chronology of Albert Hopkins |url=https://wso.williams.edu/wiki/index.php/Albert_Hopkins |website=Willipedia |access-date=28 January 2021 |archive-date=July 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706034338/https://wso.williams.edu/wiki/index.php/Albert_Hopkins |url-status=live }}</ref><br />

==Organization and administration==
The [[board of trustees]] of Williams College has 25 members and is the governing authority of the college.<ref>{{cite web |title=Williams College Employee Handbook |url=https://handbooks.williams.edu/ |publisher=Williams College |access-date=28 January 2021 |archive-date=February 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209114028/https://handbooks.williams.edu/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The president of the college serves on the board ''[[ex officio]].'' There are five alumni trustees, each of whom serves for a five-year term. There are five term trustees, each elected by the board for five-year terms. The remaining 14 members are regular trustees, also elected by the board but serving up to 15 years, although not beyond their seventieth birthday. The current chair of the board of trustees is Liz Robinson.

The board appoints as senior executive officer of the college a president who is also a member of and the presiding officer of the faculty. Nine senior administrators report to the president, including the [[dean of the faculty]], [[provost (education)|provost]], and dean of the college. Adam F. Falk is the 17th president of Williams, and took office on April 1, 2010.

College Council (CC) was the student government of Williams College until 2020, when the student body voted to replace it with the Three Pillars plan: student-faculty committees, Williams Student Union (WSU), and Facilitators for Allocating Student Taxes (FAST). The WSU consists of 12 members (three representatives per class year) who are elected by their classes and serve semester terms. FAST members are responsible for managing the student activity tax and are in charge of distributing funds to registered student organizations (RSOs). 

To manage its [[Financial endowment|endowment]], the college started the [[Williams College Investment Office]] in 2006. In 2020, the endowment-per-student ratio reached $1.40 million unadjusted for [[inflation]], while in 1990, it was $151,000. Adjusting for inflation, the endowment-per-student ratio had still increased to almost $600,000.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Williams College's financial muscle grows with impressive endowment return |url = http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2015/11/10/williams-colleges-financial-muscle-grows-with.html|website = Boston Business Journal|access-date = 2016-01-07|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160203045527/http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2015/11/10/williams-colleges-financial-muscle-grows-with.html|archive-date = February 3, 2016|url-status = live}}</ref> In 2021, Williams' endowment-per-student ratio was one of nine colleges or universities to exceed $2 million along with [[Princeton University|Princeton]], Yale, [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], [[Stanford University|Stanford]], Harvard,
Amherst, [[Pomona College|Pomona]], and [[Swarthmore College|Swarthmore]].<ref name="nacubo22">{{cite web |year=2022 |title=U.S. and Canadian 2021 NTSE Participating Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2021 Endowment Market Value, Change in Market Value from FY20 to FY21, and FY21 Endowment Market Values Per Full-time Equivalent Student (Excel--Updated March 2022) |url-status=live |publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers |url=https://www.nacubo.org/-/media/Nacubo/Documents/research/2021-NTSE-Endowment-Market-Values-US-and-Canadian-Institutions--REVISED-March-1-2022.ashx |access-date=November 28, 2022 |archive-date=August 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220821234406/https://www.nacubo.org/-/media/Nacubo/Documents/research/2021-NTSE-Endowment-Market-Values-US-and-Canadian-Institutions--REVISED-March-1-2022.ashx }}</ref>

===Presidents===
[[File:Mark_Hopkins_circa_1840s.jpg|thumb|[[Mark Hopkins (educator)|Mark Hopkins]] was the fourth and longest-serving president of Williams College.]]
The Office of the President is located in Hopkins Hall, named after [[Mark Hopkins (educator)|Mark Hopkins]], Williams's fourth president, and the president of the college lives in the Samuel Sloan House, erected in 1801.<ref name=house>{{cite web|url=http://facilities.williams.edu/2010/03/presidents-house-1801-samuel-sloan-house/|title=President's House – 1801 (Samuel Sloan House)|work=Facilities |publisher=Williams College|access-date=January 10, 2011|archive-date=July 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720114604/http://facilities.williams.edu/2010/03/presidents-house-1801-samuel-sloan-house/|url-status=live}}</ref> Before moving into the Samuel Sloan House, the president originally lived in a nearby house where Hopkins Hall now stands.<ref>Perry, 231</ref> The house has been renovated multiple times since originally being built, including over $500,000 in renovations in 2000 and 2001.<ref name=house/>

Since its creation in 1793, Williams College has had 17 full-time presidents and two interim presidents. The 18th president and current president is [[Maud Mandel]], who began her tenure on July 1, 2018.

The following persons served as president of Williams College:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://specialcollections.williams.edu/williams-history/presidents/ |title=Presidents |publisher=Williams College}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://archives.williams.edu/presidents/ |title=Williams College Presidents |publisher=Williams College |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510094858/http://archives.williams.edu/presidents/ |archive-date=2017-05-10 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:90%"
|-valign="top"
! width="*%"| {{abbr|No.|Number}}
! width="*%"| Image
! width="40%"| President
! width="23%"| Term begin
! width="23%"| Term end
! width="6%"| {{refh}}
|-
| 1
|
| [[Ebenezer Fitch]]
| 1793
| 1815
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/fitch-ebenezer.php|title=Fitch, Ebenezer 1793–1815|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510234650/http://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/fitch-ebenezer.php|archive-date=May 10, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 2
| [[File:Zephaniah Swift Moore.jpg|70px]]
| [[Zephaniah Swift Moore]]
| 1815
| 1821
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/moore-zephaniah-swift.php|title=Moore, Zephaniah Swift 1815–1821|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711100145/http://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/moore-zephaniah-swift.php|archive-date=July 11, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 3
| [[File:Edward Dorr Griffin (cropped).jpg|70px]]
| [[Edward Dorr Griffin]]
| 1821
| 1836
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/griffin-edward-dorr.php|title=Griffin, Edward Dorr 1821–1836|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510234656/http://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/griffin-edward-dorr.php|archive-date=May 10, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 4
| [[File:Mark Hopkins circa 1840s.jpg|70px]]
| [[Mark Hopkins (educator)|Mark Hopkins]]
| 1836
| 1872
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/greylock/mhopkins.php|title=Hopkins, Mark 1836–1872|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705031058/http://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/greylock/mhopkins.php|archive-date=July 5, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 5
| [[File:PaulAChadbourne.png|70px]]
| [[Paul A. Chadbourne|Paul Ansel Chadbourne]]
| 1872
| 1881
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/chadbourne-paul-ansel.php|title=Chadbourne, Dr. Paul Ansel 1872–1881|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510234833/http://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/chadbourne-paul-ansel.php|archive-date=May 10, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 6
| [[File:Franklin Carter Yale College.jpg|70px]]
| [[Franklin Carter]]
| 1881
| 1901
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/greylock/fcarter.php|title=Carter, Franklin 1881–1901|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170503195122/http://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/greylock/fcarter.php|archive-date=May 3, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
| ''Acting''
| [[File:John Haskell Hewitt.png|70px]]
| [[John Haskell Hewitt]]
| 1901
| 1902
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/hewitt-henry-haskell.php|title=Hewitt, John Haskell (acting) 1901–1902|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510164045/http://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/hewitt-henry-haskell.php|archive-date=May 10, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 7
| [[File:Henry Hopkins (1837–1908).png|70px]]
| [[Henry Hopkins (pastor)|Henry Hopkins]]
| 1902
| 1908
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/hopkins-henry.php|title=Hopkins, Henry 1902–1908|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510235001/http://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/hopkins-henry.php|archive-date=May 10, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 8
| [[File:Harry Augustus Garfield.png|70px]]
| [[Harry Augustus Garfield]]
| 1908
| 1934
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/presidents/garfield.php|title=Garfield, Harry Augustus 1908–1934|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510162102/http://archives.williams.edu/presidents/garfield.php|archive-date=May 10, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 9
|
| [[Tyler Dennett]]
| 1934
| 1937
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/dennett-tyler.php|title=Dennett, Tyler 1934–1937|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517214100/http://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/biographies/dennett-tyler.php|archive-date=May 17, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 10
|
| [[James Phinney Baxter III]]
| 1937
| 1961
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/presidents/baxter.php|title=Baxter, James Phinney 1937–1961|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608160136/http://archives.williams.edu/presidents/baxter.php|archive-date=June 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 11
|
| [[John Edward Sawyer]]
| 1961
| 1973
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/sawyerlibrary/jsawyer.php|title=Sawyer, John Edward 1961–1973|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608153857/http://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/sawyerlibrary/jsawyer.php|archive-date=June 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 12
|
| [[John Chandler (educator)|John Wesley Chandler]]
| July 1, 1973
| 1985
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/presidents/chandler.php|title=Chandler, John Wesley 1973–1985|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608153153/http://archives.williams.edu/presidents/chandler.php|archive-date=June 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 13
|
| [[Francis Christopher Oakley]]
| 1985
| 1993
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/presidents/oakley.php|title=Oakley, Francis Christopher 1985–1993|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608153847/http://archives.williams.edu/presidents/oakley.php|archive-date=June 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 14
|
| [[Harry C. Payne|Harry Charles Payne]]
| January 1, 1994
| 1999
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/presidents/payne.php|title=Payne, Harry Charles 1994–1999|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608155815/http://archives.williams.edu/presidents/payne.php|archive-date=June 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 15
|
| [[Carl W. Vogt]]
| 1999
| 2000
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/presidents/vogt.php|title=Vogt, Carl W. 1999–2000|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608161359/http://archives.williams.edu/presidents/vogt.php|archive-date=June 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| 16
| [[File:Morton Schapiro, Meet Northwestern’s New President.jpg|70px]]
| [[Morton O. Schapiro|Morton Owen Schapiro]]
| July 1, 2000
| June 30, 2009{{efn|Resigned to head Northwestern University}}
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://archives.williams.edu/presidents/schapiro.php|title=Schapiro, Morton Owen 2000–2009|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=19 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170608155611/http://archives.williams.edu/presidents/schapiro.php|archive-date=June 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
| ''Interim''
|
| [[William G. Wagner]]
| July 1, 2009
| March 31, 2010
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://specialcollections.williams.edu/williams-history/presidents/wagner-william/|title=Wagner, William G. (interim) 2009–2010|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=29 August 2017|archive-date=July 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702202938/https://specialcollections.williams.edu/williams-history/presidents/wagner-william/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 17
| [[File:Adam-Falk-Headshot-August-2018.jpg|70px]]
| [[Adam Falk]]
| April 1, 2010
| December 31, 2017{{efn|Resigned to head Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.}}
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://specialcollections.williams.edu/williams-history/presidents/falk-adam/|title=Falk, Adam 2010–|work=Williams College Archives and Special Collections|access-date=29 August 2017|archive-date=July 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703145114/https://specialcollections.williams.edu/williams-history/presidents/falk-adam/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://communications.williams.edu/news-releases/6_29_2017_falk/|title=Williams College President Adam Falk to Step Down Dec. 31|work=Williams College News Releases|access-date=29 June 2017|archive-date=July 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702001642/https://communications.williams.edu/news-releases/6_29_2017_falk/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|- bgcolor="#e6e6aa"
| ''Interim''
|
| [[Protik Majumder]]
| January 1, 2017
| June 30, 2018
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://president.williams.edu/presidential-search/|title=Presidential Search|publisher=Williams College|access-date=29 August 2017|archive-date=July 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703145114/https://president.williams.edu/presidential-search/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| 18
|
| [[Maud Mandel]]
| July 1, 2018
| present
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://communications.williams.edu/news-releases/3_13_2018_newpresident//|title=Maud S. Mandel Named 18th President of Williams College|work=Office of Communications |publisher=Williams College|access-date=13 March 2018|archive-date=July 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703133438/https://communications.williams.edu/news-releases/3_13_2018_newpresident/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

Table notes:
{{notelist}}

==Academics==
<!-- So many of these programs and academic figures are outdated. Please reflect current standings, etc. -->

Williams is a small, four-year liberal arts college<ref name=Carnegie>{{cite web |url=http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=168342 |title=Carnegie Classification |author=Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching |access-date=June 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914132009/http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=168342 |archive-date=September 14, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Higher education accreditation in the United States|accredited]] by the [[New England Commission of Higher Education]].<ref>{{Citation|title=Massachusetts Institutions – NECHE|publisher=[[New England Commission of Higher Education]]|url=https://www.neche.org/institutions/ma/|access-date=May 26, 2021|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817130729/https://www.neche.org/institutions/ma/|url-status=live}}</ref> There are three academic curricular divisions ([[humanities]], [[natural sciences|sciences]], and [[social sciences]]), 26 departments, 37 [[academic majors|majors]], and two small master's degree programs in [[art history]] and [[development economics]]. Students may also concentrate in 12 additional academic areas that are not offered as majors (e.g., [[cognitive science]]). The [[academic year]] follows a 4–1–4 schedule of two four-course [[semester]]s plus a one-course "winter study" term in January. During the winter study term, students study one of various courses outside of typical curriculum for 3 weeks. Students typically take this course on a pass/fail basis. Past course offerings have included: Ski Patrol, Learn to Play Chess, Accounting, Inside Jury Deliberations, and Creating a Life: Shaping Your Life After Williams, among many others. Williams students often take the winter study term to study abroad or work on intensive research projects.

Williams' most popular undergraduate majors, based on the average of 2022-2025 graduates, were:<ref>{{cite web |title=Graduating Major Counts |url=https://www.williams.edu/institutional-research/data-analysis-reports/graduating-major-counts/ |access-date=May 22, 2025 |website=williams.edu |publisher=Williams College}}</ref>
#Economics (114)
#Mathematics (62)
#Psychology (62)
#Computer Science (59)
#Biology (52)
#English (51)
#History (50)
#Political Science (47)
#Art (38)
#Chemistry (30)

The college's 2025–26 Comprehensive Fee was $90,750, including tuition ($72,170) and board, room, and fees ($18,580).<ref name=fastfacts/> 48% of students were given [[Student financial aid (United States)|need-based financial aid]], which averaged $63,516.<ref name=CDS2021 />

Williams sponsors the [[Williams–Mystic]] program at [[Mystic Seaport]]; the Williams–Exeter Programme at [[Exeter College, Oxford|Exeter College]] of [[Oxford University]].<ref name="WEprogram">{{cite web|url=http://www.williams.edu/dean/oxford/|title=The Williams-Exeter Programme|year=2009|publisher=Williams College|access-date=December 20, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213015634/http://www.williams.edu/dean/oxford/|archive-date=December 13, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Williams has a close relationship with [[Exeter College, Oxford|Exeter College]], a constituent [[Colleges of the University of Oxford|college]] of [[Oxford University]]. In the early 1980s, Williams purchased a group of houses, today known as the Ephraim Williams House, on [[Banbury Road]] and [[Lathbury Road]], in [[North Oxford]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Williams at Exeter Programme in Oxford |url=http://www.exeter.ox.ac.uk/college/williams |publisher=Exeter College, Oxford |access-date=September 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090927103330/http://www.exeter.ox.ac.uk/college/williams |archive-date=September 27, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford (WEPO) was founded in 1985. Every year (except 2010–2011 and 2022–2023), 26 undergraduate students from Williams spend their junior year at Exeter as full members of the college.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.exeter.ox.ac.uk/williams-at-exeter-alumnus-becomes-youngest-current-us-senator/|title=Williams at Exeter alumnus becomes youngest current US Senator|date=17 February 2013|website=Exeter College|access-date=March 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106200222/https://www.exeter.ox.ac.uk/williams-at-exeter-alumnus-becomes-youngest-current-us-senator/|archive-date=November 6, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Admissions===
{{Infobox U.S. college admissions
|year               = 2024 <!-- Comparison year is automatically set to five years prior -->
|ref                = <ref name=CDS2021>{{Cite web|url=https://www.williams.edu/institutional-research/files/2025/06/CDS_2024_2025_Williams_V5.pdf|title=Williams College 2024-2025 Common Data Set|url-status=live|access-date=October 6, 2025|archive-date=August 3, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250803024217/https://www.williams.edu/institutional-research/files/2025/06/CDS_2024_2025_Williams_V5.pdf}}</ref>
|change ref         = <ref>{{cite web |title=Common Data Set 2019-2020, Part C |url=https://www.williams.edu/institutional-research/files/2022/06/2019-2020_williams_common_data_set.pdf |publisher=Williams College |access-date=October 6, 2025 |archive-date=January 21, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250121201905/https://www.williams.edu/institutional-research/files/2022/06/2019-2020_williams_common_data_set.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
|admit rate         = 8.3%
|admit rate change  = -4.3
|yield rate         = 43%
|yield rate change  = -1

|test optional      = yes
|SAT Total=1500–1560|SAT Total change=+35|SAT EBRW           = 740–780<!-- use an em-dash (–) -->
|SAT EBRW change    =+20 
|SAT Math           = 750–790<!-- use an em-dash (–) -->
|SAT Math change    = +15
|ACT                = 34–35<!-- use an em-dash (–) -->
|ACT change         = 0

|top decile         = 88.4%
|top decile change  = +3.4
|top quarter        = 98.2%
|top quarter change = +0.2
|top half           = 99.1%
|top half change    = +0.1
|GPA                = 
|GPA change         = 
}}

Williams is classified as "most selective" by ''U.S. News & World Report''<ref name="usnews">{{cite magazine |url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/williams-college-2229 |title=Best Colleges 2017 - Williams College |magazine=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=November 11, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905054216/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/williams-college-2229 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> and "more selective" by the [[Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=168342 |title=Carnegie Classification |access-date=2011-03-15 |author=Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914132009/http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=168342 |archive-date=September 14, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

For freshmen students admitted in Fall 2024 (Class of 2028), the average redesigned [[SAT]] was 1500–1560. The average super-scored [[ACT (test)|ACT]] Composite score was 34–35.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 2025 |title=Williams College 2024-2025 Common Data Set |url=https://www.williams.edu/institutional-research/files/2025/06/CDS_2024_2025_Williams_V5.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250803024217/https://www.williams.edu/institutional-research/files/2025/06/CDS_2024_2025_Williams_V5.pdf |archive-date=August 3, 2025 |access-date=2025-10-06 |website=Williams College}}</ref>

The college is [[need-blind]] for domestic applicants.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Marx |first1=Ella |title=ISA advocates for need-blind admission policy for international applicants |url=https://williamsrecord.com/462212/news/isa-advocates-for-need-blind-admission-policy-for-international-applicants/ |access-date=4 May 2023 |work=[[The Williams Record]] |date=November 9, 2022}}</ref>

===Reputation and rankings===
{{Infobox US university ranking
| Forbes = 7
| USNWR_LA = 1
| Wamo_LA = 2
| THE_WSJ = 108
}}

In the 2010, 2011, and 2014 ''[[Forbes]]'' college rankings, Williams was ranked the No. 1 undergraduate institution in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ewalt |first1=David M. |title=America's Best Colleges 2010 |url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/08/11/best-colleges-universities-rating-ranking-opinions-best-colleges-10_land.html |website=Forbes |access-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020154043/https://www.forbes.com/2010/08/11/best-colleges-universities-rating-ranking-opinions-best-colleges-10_land.html |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Noer |first1=Michael |title=America's Top Colleges 2011 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelnoer/2011/08/03/americas-top-colleges |website=Forbes |access-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020154057/https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelnoer/2011/08/03/americas-top-colleges |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Williams was the first school to achieve three first place ''Forbes'' rankings, while placing second in 2012, 2015, and 2016.<ref>{{cite web |title=America's Best Colleges 2008 |url=https://www.forbes.com/2008/08/13/college-university-rankings-oped-college08-cx_rv_mn_0813intro.html |website=Forbes |access-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020154045/https://www.forbes.com/2008/08/13/college-university-rankings-oped-college08-cx_rv_mn_0813intro.html |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=America's Best Colleges 2009 |url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/08/02/colleges-university-ratings-opinions-colleges-09-intro.html |website=Forbes |access-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020154058/https://www.forbes.com/2009/08/02/colleges-university-ratings-opinions-colleges-09-intro.html |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Howard |first1=Caroline |title=America's Best Colleges 2013 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2013/07/24/americas-top-colleges-2013 |website=Forbes |access-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020154047/https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2013/07/24/americas-top-colleges-2013 |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Noer |first1=Michael |title=America's Top Colleges 2012 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelnoer/2012/08/01/americas-top-colleges-2/ |website=Forbes |access-date=3 June 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Howard |first1=Caroline |title=America's Top Colleges Ranking 2015 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2015/07/29/americas-top-colleges-2015 |website=Forbes |access-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020154045/https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2015/07/29/americas-top-colleges-2015 |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Howard |first1=Caroline |title=America's Top Colleges 2016 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2016/07/05/americas-top-colleges-2016 |website=Forbes |access-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020154116/https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2016/07/05/americas-top-colleges-2016 |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> Annual rankings following 2017 would see Williams fall out of the top ten to as low as 19th in 2019. Williams ranked 18th after ''Forbes'' changed their ranking methodology to emphasize alumni salaries and graduation debt in 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=America's Top Colleges 2017 |url=https://www.forbes.com/pictures/5970c8634bbe6f2244523a09/no-13-williams-college |website=Forbes |access-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020154107/https://www.forbes.com/pictures/5970c8634bbe6f2244523a09/no-13-williams-college/ |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Susan |title=America's Top Colleges For 2018 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2018/08/21/here-are-americas-top-colleges-for-2018 |website=Forbes |access-date=20 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020154046/https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2018/08/21/here-are-americas-top-colleges-for-2018 |archive-date=October 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=America's Top Colleges 2019 |url=https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/ |website=Forbes |access-date=24 October 2021 |archive-date=January 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115001503/https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/list/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In the Forbes 2022 College Rankings, Williams College rose to 7th. In their 2024 ranking, the college fell again, to 17th.<ref>{{cite web |title=America's Top Colleges |url=https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/ |website=Forbes |access-date=19 November 2024 |url-status=live |archive-date=18 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241118195356/https://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/}}</ref>

Williams has been ranked first in [[U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Ranking|''U.S. News & World Report'''s rankings]] of Best National Liberal Arts Colleges every year since 2004, and has been in the top three every year since the rankings were created in 1984.<ref name="US News history"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Princeton and Williams still top U.S. News college rankings |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/princeton-and-williams-still-top-us-news-college-rankings--but-new-formula-scrambles-the-annual-lists/2018/09/08/a7f798b0-b2b1-11e8-a20b-5f4f84429666_story.html |access-date=26 June 2019 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=2018-10-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626192257/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/princeton-and-williams-still-top-us-news-college-rankings--but-new-formula-scrambles-the-annual-lists/2018/09/08/a7f798b0-b2b1-11e8-a20b-5f4f84429666_story.html |archive-date=June 26, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> (This list does not include research universities: unlike ''Forbes'', ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranks universities and liberal arts colleges on separate lists.)
[[File:Williams_College_-_Chapin_Hall.JPG|thumb|Chapin Hall]]

===Winter study===
Williams follows a 4-1-4 schedule, with the month of January dedicated to "Winter Study", a time when students take one course (or more) on campus or engage in an international program, an internship, or independent research project. A significant number of Winter Study courses are taught by [[List of Williams College people|Williams College alumni]], and feature topics otherwise not covered in a traditional liberal arts curriculum—such as financial accounting, entrepreneurship, journalism, and yoga. Winter Study courses change yearly—the catalog features international programs in public health (where students travel to Nicaragua or Liberia), cultural immersion (for example, programs in Morocco and France), and political work (for example, a three-week internship program in the government of the Republic of Georgia).

===Oxbridge tutorials===
Certain portions of the Williams education are modeled after the [[tutorial system]]s at the universities of [[University of Oxford|Oxford]] and [[University of Cambridge|Cambridge]]. Although tutorials at Williams were originally aimed at upperclassmen, the faculty voted in 2001 to expand the tutorial program.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.williams.edu/admin/news/strategicplanning/curricularinnovation/facultyvote.html |title=Williams Curricular Innovation Faculty Vote May 16 2001 |access-date=2018-12-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022075730/http://williams.edu/admin/news/strategicplanning/curricularinnovation/facultyvote.html |archive-date=2007-10-22 |url-status=dead }}</ref> There is now a diverse offering of tutorial courses that span many disciplines, including math and sciences, and cater to students of all class years. In 2009–2010 alone, 62 tutorials were offered in 21 departments.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.williams.edu/registrar/catalog/ |title=Course Catalog 2009–2010 (PDF) |access-date=2009-10-05 |publisher=Williams College |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090926064216/http://www.williams.edu/registrar/catalog/ |archive-date=2009-09-26 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Enrollment for tutorials is capped at 10 students, who are then divided into five pairs that each meet separately with the professor once a week. Each week, one student in each tutorial pair writes and presents a 5–7-page paper while the other student writes a critique response. The same pair reverses roles for the next week. The professor takes a more limited role than in a traditional lecture class and usually allows the students to steer and guide the direction of the conversation. Professor (and former Dean and English Department Chair) Stephen E. Fix was one of the early advocates for expanding the tutorial system at Williams and worked to increase support for the concept and the number of tutorial classes offered to students.

Student course evaluations for tutorials are typically very high. In a survey of alumni who had taken tutorials, more than 80% rated their tutorials as "the most valuable of my courses" at Williams.<ref>{{cite web| title =The Williams College Difference| publisher =Williams College| url =https://www.williams.edu/admission/academics_difference.php| access-date =2007-07-15| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071011052924/http://williams.edu/admission/academics_difference.php| archive-date =2007-10-11| url-status =dead}}</ref>

==Student activities and traditions==

===Student media===
The longest-running student newspaper at Williams is the ''Williams Record'', a weekly [[broadsheet]] paper published on Wednesdays. The newspaper was founded in 1887, and now has a weekly [[Newspaper circulation|circulation]] of 3,000 copies distributed in Williamstown, in addition to more than 600 subscribers across the country. The newspaper formerly received no financial support from the college or from the student government and relied on revenue generated by local and national ad sales, subscriptions, and voluntary contributions for use of its website, but the paper went into debt in 2004 and is now subsidized by the Student Activities Tax. Both Sawyer Library and the College Archives maintain more than a century's worth of publicly accessible, bound volumes of the ''Record''. The newspaper provides access free of charge to a searchable database of articles stretching back to 1998 on its website.

The student yearbook is called ''The Gulielmensian'', which means "Williamsian" in Latin. It was published irregularly in the 1990s, but has been annual for the past several years and dates back to the mid-19th century.<ref name="Gulielmensian">{{cite web| title =35th Semi-Annual Williams College Trivia Contest| publisher =Williams Students Online| date =December 5, 1983| url =http://wso.williams.edu/orgs/trivia/phaser83/questions.html| access-date =2007-09-19| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071016104106/http://wso.williams.edu/orgs/trivia/phaser83/questions.html| archive-date =October 16, 2007| url-status =live}}</ref>

Numerous smaller campus publications are also produced each year, including ''The Telos'', a journal of Christian thought; ''The Haybale'', a humor magazine; the ''Williams College Law Journal'', a collection of undergraduate articles; the ''Literary Review'', a literary magazine; and ''Monkeys With Typewriters'', a magazine of non-fiction essays.

====91.9 WCFM====
[[WCFM]] is a college-owned, student-run, non-commercial radio station broadcasting from the basement of Prospect House at 91.9&nbsp;MHz.<ref>{{cite web
| title =91.9 WCFM Williamstown
| url =http://wcfm.williams.edu/
| access-date =2007-09-19
| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20050323231808/http://wcfm.williams.edu/
| archive-date =March 23, 2005
| url-status =live
}}</ref> Featuring 85 hours per week of original programming, the station features a wide variety of musical genres, in addition to sports and talk radio.<ref>{{cite web | title = WCFM Schedule | publisher = 91.9 WCFM Williamstown | url = http://wso.williams.edu/orgs/wcfm/public/schedule.php | access-date = 2007-09-19 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20051125073458/http://wso.williams.edu/orgs/wcfm/public/schedule.php | archive-date = November 25, 2005 | url-status = dead }}</ref> The station may also be heard on the Internet via [[SHOUTcast.com]]. Members of the surrounding communities above the age of 18 are allowed to DJ on the station, which, as part of its mission, seeks to serve the surrounding community with news and announcements of public interest.<ref>{{cite web| title = Become a DJ| publisher = 91.9 WCFM Williamstown| url = http://wcfm.williams.edu/becomedj.php| access-date = 2007-09-19| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070627045158/http://wcfm.williams.edu/becomedj.php| archive-date = 2007-06-27| url-status = dead}}</ref> The board of the radio station has held a handful of concerts.<ref>{{cite web| title =WCFM Presents...| publisher =91.9 WCFM Williamstown| url =http://wcfm.williams.edu/wcfmpresents.php| access-date =2007-09-19| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070627045113/http://wcfm.williams.edu/wcfmpresents.php| archive-date =2007-06-27| url-status =dead}}</ref>

===Trivia contest===
At the end of every semester but one since 1966, WCFM has hosted an all-night, eight-hour [[trivia]] contest. Teams of students, alumni, professors, friends, and others compete to answer questions on a variety of subjects, while simultaneously identifying songs and performing designated tasks. The winning team's only prize is the obligation to create and host the following semester's contest.<ref name="trivia rules">{{cite web| title =Contest Rules (and Rules of Thumb) for the semi-annual Williams College Trivia Contest| url =https://wso.williams.edu/orgs/trivia/rules.html| access-date =2020-01-30| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20160529032442/http://wso.williams.edu/orgs/trivia/rules.html| archive-date =May 29, 2016| url-status =live}}</ref>

The precise date of the debut contest is uncertain.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Williams Trivia Contest |url=https://wso.williams.edu/orgs/trivia/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022171441/http://wso.williams.edu/orgs/trivia/ |archive-date=October 22, 2016 |access-date=2020-01-30}}</ref> Most spring contests occur in early May, but during its first decade, Williams Trivia was sometimes held in March or February. Assuming a May date, [[Lawrence University]]'s 50-hour-long [[Great Midwest Trivia Contest]], first held on April 29, 1966, would be the oldest continuous competition of its sort in the United States, but if the first Williams contest was held earlier, it would be the oldest. 

While other college-based trivia contests in the United States emphasize marathon endurance and revel in the obscurity of their arcana, the aim of the Williams contest is to cram as much evocative and entertaining material into as concentrated a space as possible. Lasting just eight hours, a typical Williams Trivia contest will demand between 900 and 1,200 separate "bits" of trivial information,<ref name="trivia rules" /> delivering twice as much content as its "competitors" in a fraction of the time. No discernible rivalry exists between any of the various contests. The contest has occasionally received outside media coverage, including in the [[New York Times]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/06/weekinreview/word-for-word-trivia-marathon-pulling-all-nighter-this-college-means-acting.html?scp=1&sq=WCFM%20%20Trivia&st=cse |title=Word for Word/Trivia Marathon; Pulling an All-Nighter at This College Means Acting Out 'Nietzsche in Love' |author=Thomas Vinciguerra |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 6, 1999 |access-date=January 10, 2012 |author-link=Thomas Vinciguerra |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510010657/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/06/weekinreview/word-for-word-trivia-marathon-pulling-all-nighter-this-college-means-acting.html?scp=1&sq=WCFM%20%20Trivia&st=cse |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===School colors and mascot===
Williams's [[school colors]] are purple and gold, with purple as the primary school color.<ref>{{cite web| title =Williams College Campus Life| publisher =CollegeData| url =https://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg05_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=229| access-date =2007-09-15| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110724204252/https://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg05_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=229| archive-date =July 24, 2011| url-status =live}}</ref> A story explaining the origin of purple as a school color says that at the Williams-Harvard baseball game in 1869, spectators watching from carriages had trouble telling the teams apart because there were no uniforms. One of the onlookers bought ribbons from a nearby millinery store to pin on Williams's players, and the only color available was purple. The buyer was [[Jennie Jerome]] (later [[Winston Churchill]]'s mother) whose family summered in Williamstown.<ref name="joProctor">{{cite web| last =Proctor| first =Jo| title =Frequently Asked Questions| publisher =Williams College| url =http://www.williams.edu/home/parents/faq.php| access-date =2007-09-15| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071022075807/http://williams.edu/home/parents/faq.php| archive-date =2007-10-22| url-status =dead}}</ref>

The Williams [[college mascot]] is a [[purple cow]].<ref name="joProctor" /> The mascot's name, Ephelia, was submitted in a radio contest in October 1952 by [[Theodore Friend|Theodore W. Friend]], a senior at Williams.<ref name="purple cow">{{cite web |title=Purple Cow, Mascot |url=https://archivesspace.williams.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/76821 |website=ArchivesSpace |publisher=Williams College Archives and Special Collections |access-date=28 January 2021 |archive-date=February 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202092557/https://archivesspace.williams.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/76821 |url-status=live }}</ref> The origins of the cow mascot are unknown, but one possibility is that it was inspired by the ''Purple Cow'' humor magazine, a student publication begun in 1907, which used the college color along with a cow.<ref name="purple cow" />

===Alma mater===
Williams claims the first ''alma mater'' song written by an undergraduate, "The Mountains", was by [[Washington Gladden]] of the class of 1859.<ref>{{cite web| title =Washington Gladden (1836–1918)| publisher =Williams College Archives and Special Collections| url =http://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/greylock/wgladden.php| access-date =2007-09-20| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070825195804/http://archives.williams.edu/williamshistory/greylock/wgladden.php| archive-date =August 25, 2007| url-status =live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
| author =Gladden, Washington| title =Recollections.| url =https://archive.org/details/recollections00glad_0| publisher =Houghton Mifflin| year =1909}}</ref>
{{Wikisource|The Mountains}}
In 2016, a college-wide contest was held for a new official Williams song. The winner was "Echo of Williams", music by Kevin Weist, class of 1981, and lyrics by [[Bruce Leddy]], class of 1983.<ref>{{cite web| title = Williams Magazine| url = https://magazine.williams.edu/2016/summer/notice/echo-of-williams/| access-date = January 15, 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191013070130/https://magazine.williams.edu/2016/summer/notice/echo-of-williams/| archive-date = October 13, 2019| url-status = live}}</ref>

===Mountain Day===
On one of the first three Fridays in October, the president of the college cancels classes and declares it [[Mountain Day]]. The bells ring, announcing the event, members of the Outing Club unfurl a banner from the roof of Chapin Hall and students hike up [[Stony Ledge]]. At Stony Ledge, they celebrate with donuts, cider and ''a cappella'' performances.

The first known mention of Mountain Day was made in 1827 by Williams president [[Edward Dorr Griffin]] in his notebook on college business. He wrote, under 'Holidays': "About the 24th of June a day to go to the mountain. If not then about the 14th of July. Prayers at night."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.williams.edu/home/traditions/|title=About Williams – Williams Traditions|publisher=Williams College|access-date=2009-01-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125084139/http://williams.edu/home/traditions|archive-date=2009-01-25|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2009, with the threat of bad weather for each of the first three Fridays of the month, Interim-president Wagner declared "Siberian Mountain Day". Festivities were relocated from Stony Ledge to the much more accessible Stone Hill.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://record.williams.edu/wp/?p=552/|title=Wagner declares 'Siberian' Mountain Day|publisher=Williams Record|access-date=2009-11-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003181001/http://record.williams.edu/wp/?p=552%2F|archive-date=October 3, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Alpine Club of Williamstown===
In 1863 Professor Albert Hopkins founded the Alpine Club of Williamstown, one of the first mountain clubs in America. Most significantly, it was likely the first hiking club of any type in the world to include women. In addition to Professor Albert Hopkins, Professor Paul Chadbourne and Reverend Harry Hopkins, there were nine unmarried ladies from Williamstown who formed the nucleus of the original club. Over the course of its first year four more women and nine men were added to the membership rolls. Most of the new male members were students from Williams College, among them [[Samuel H. Scudder]], who would become one of the co-founders of the [[Appalachian Mountain Club]] in 1876.<ref name="Ramble On: How Hiking Became One of the Most Popular Outdoor Activities in the World">Doran, Jeffrey J. (2023), ''Ramble On: How Hiking Became One of the Most Popular Outdoor Activities in the World'', {{ISBN|979-8373963923}}</ref>

==Athletics==
{{main|Williams Ephs}}
[[File:Williams College - Towne Field House.JPG|thumb|Towne Field House]]

The school's athletic teams (except for the men's rugby team, [[Williams College Rugby Football|the White Dawgs]]) are called the Ephs (rhymes with "chiefs"), a shortening of the first name of founder [[Ephraim Williams]]. The mascot is a [[Purple Cow]]. They participate in the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]'s [[NCAA Division III|Division III]] and the [[New England Small College Athletic Conference]]. Williams also competes in [[skiing]] and [[squash (sport)|squash]] at the [[NCAA Division I|Division I]] level. Williams is ranked first among Division III schools for athletic spending per student.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/main.asp |title=Equity in Athletics |access-date=2007-02-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216050342/http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/main.asp |archive-date=2007-02-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Williams has a traditional rivalry with Amherst College and Wesleyan University. The "Little Three", a subset of [[NESCAC]], comprises the three schools<ref>{{cite web | author =Reynolds, Lauren | title =Sibling rivalry: Williams-Amherst remains heated | publisher =ESPN | url =https://www.espn.com/espn/print?id=2945751&type=story | access-date =2007-09-20 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071113060734/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2945751&type=story | archive-date =November 13, 2007 | url-status =live }}</ref> Although Williams College typically sports purple and gold as their school colors, purple is in fact the only school color. The gold was added in order to differentiate its colors from that of rival school Amherst's purple and white uniforms. On May 3, 2009, Williams and Amherst alumni played a game of [[vintage baseball]] at [[Wahconah Park]] according to 1859-rules to commemorate the 150th-anniversary of the first [[college baseball]] game, which was played on July 2, 1859, between the two schools.

Until 1994, Williams was not permitted, by NESCAC rules, to compete in team NCAA competition. The Williams women's swimming and [[Diving (sport)|diving]] team won the school's first national title in 1981, and claimed the title in 1982 as well. Williams played in the 2003, 2004, 2010, and 2014 men's basketball Division III national championship games, winning the title in March 2003. Men's basketball also played in the 1997, 1998, 2011, and 2017 Final Fours. Williams was the first New England basketball team to win a Division III championship, and since they have been eligible to compete in the NCAA tournament, no team in the country has played in more Final Fours.

Williams teams to win national titles since Williams began participating in NCAA tournaments in 1994 include women's crew (nine titles, including eight straight from 2006 to 2013), men's tennis (four), women's tennis (nine, including six straight from 2008 to 2013), women's soccer (three, 2015, 2017–18), men's [[Cross country running|cross country]] (two), women's cross country (three), [[men's basketball]], women's indoor track and field (two), women's golf (2015), and men's soccer (1995).  The Men's Crew team won the inaugural DIII IRA championship in 2022.

Williams has won the NACDA Director's Cup 22 of the 24 years since its inception, including 13 years in a row from 1999 through 2011.

Williams also has an active club and intramural sports program, offering 14 club sports including [[Ultimate (sport)|ultimate]], [[Williams College Rugby Football|rugby]], [[horseback riding]], cycling, fencing, volleyball, gymnastics, sailing, and [[water polo]]. Approximately 50% of Williams's students compete on at least one varsity, junior varsity, or formal club team.

===Athletic facilities===
[[File:Weston Field in January.JPG|thumb|Renovation of [[Weston Field (Williamstown)|Weston Field]] Athletic Complex{{snd}}January 2014. The wooden grandstand behind the excavator was built in 1902. It was moved in 1987 to the new Plansky Track and football field and was moved again during the renovations that were completed in September 2014.]]

Williams College has had major updates or renovations of its athletic facilities during the past several decades.

The Lansing Chapman hockey rink, built in 1953 and originally uncovered, was canopied in 1963, enclosed in 1969 and has been periodically upgraded to the present (2014) with rink, roof, locker room and lighting improvements.

The Towne Field House, constructed in 1970, is a multipurpose facility, which includes an indoor track, tennis courts and a climbing wall. The last was initially constructed in 1974 and updated to a state-of-the-art climbing wall in 1995.  Towne Field House's track was resurfaced in 2019. The field house also accommodates pre-season baseball, softball and lacrosse.

The Lasell Gym, built in 1886, was renovated and expanded with the addition of the Chandler Athletic Center in 1987. It provides a state-of-the-art 50-meter swimming pool, a gymnasium primarily for basketball, squash facilities, wrestling rooms, various fitness centers and administrative offices.

In 1987, the [[Weston Field (Williamstown)|Weston Field]] cinder running track and baseball field were replaced: the [[Tony Plansky|Anthony Plansky]] 400-meter track was built around the refurbished football field, and the Bobby Coombs baseball field was relocated to Cole Field. The Renzi Lamb Field for lacrosse and field hockey, built with artificial turf, was added to Weston Field in 2004.

In November 2013 Williams College began its $22 million renovation of the Weston Field complex. This upgrade includes an artificial turf football field, relocation of the Plansky Track and Lamb Field, new bleachers, improved lighting and the addition of support buildings for the athletes. The completed facility, which reopened in September 2014, allows year-round athletic events and practice.<ref>[http://facilities.williams.edu/properties Properties | Williams College Facilities] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203160020/http://facilities.williams.edu/properties/ |date=February 3, 2014 }}. Facilities.williams.edu. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.</ref>

==People==

===Student body===
{|  class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; float:right; margin-left:2em"
|+ ''Student body composition of Williams College''<ref name=CDS2021 />
! !! Undergraduate !! U.S. Census<ref>See [[Demographics of the United States]] for references.</ref>
|-
! [[Non-Hispanic White American]]
| 49.6% || 61.8%
|-
! [[African American]]
| 4.6% || 13.2%
|-
! [[Asian American]]
| 13.5% || 5.3%
|-
! [[Hispanics in the United States|Hispanic American]]
| 12.2% || 17.8%
|-
! [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]]
| 0.1% || 0.9%
|-
! [[Multiracial American]]
| 6.7% || 2.6%
|-
! [[International student]]
| 8.2% || (N/A)
|-
! Unknown Race
| 5.0% || (N/A)
|-
|}

Williams enrolled 2,121 undergraduate students and 50 graduate students in 2021.<ref name=CDS2021 /> Women constituted 51.6% of undergraduate students and 56.0% percent of graduate students.<ref name=CDS2021 /> 48% of students received need-based financial aid averaging $63,516 in 2021, and 20% qualified to receive [[Pell Grant]]s.<ref name=fastfacts/><ref name=CDS2021 /> The median family income of Williams students is $185,800, the third-highest in Massachusetts, with 55% of students coming from the top 10% highest-earning families and 20% from the bottom 60%.<ref name="NYT mobility index">{{cite news |last1=Aisch |first1=Gregor |last2=Buchanan |first2=Larry |last3=Cox |first3=Amanda |last4=Quealy |first4=Kevin |title=Economic diversity and student outcomes at Williams |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/college-mobility/williams-college |access-date=9 August 2020 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=18 January 2017 |archive-date=August 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814144229/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/college-mobility/williams-college |url-status=live }}</ref> Williams has a 97% freshman retention rate and an 86% four-year graduation rate.<ref name=CDS2021 /> 90% of first-years enrolled in the Class of 2021 graduated in the top tenth of their high school graduating class, and their [[inter-quartile range]] on the new [[SAT]] was 720–770 on Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, and 740–790 on Math. The inter-quartile range on the ACT was 33–35.<ref name=CDS2021 />

===Faculty===
{{Excessive examples|section|date=March 2025}}

Notable former and present faculty include:
*[[Colin Adams (mathematician)|Colin Adams]], mathematics professor and knot theorist, 2003 recipient of the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teachers
*[[Andrea Barrett]], [[National Book Award]] winning author and [[MacArthur Fellow]]
*[[Gene H. Bell-Villada]], fiction writer, critic of Latin American literature, and historian of [[aesthetics]]
*[[Olga Beaver]], professor of mathematics
*[[Robert Huntley Bell]], professor of English
*[[Edward Burger]], mathematics professor, 2010 recipient of the prestigious Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching
*[[James MacGregor Burns]], professor of political science, founder of the modern field of [[leadership studies]]
*[[Franklin Carter]],  professor of Germanic and Romance languages
*[[Raymond Chang (professor)|Raymond Chang]], who has written high school and college textbooks in [[chemistry]]<ref>{{cite book|author=Chang, Raymond |title=Chemistry |url=https://archive.org/details/chemistry00chan_0 |url-access=registration |edition=6th |location=New York |publisher=McGraw Hill |year=1998 |isbn=0-07-115221-0}}</ref>
*[[Rónadh Cox]], the Brust Professor of Geology and Mineralogy
*[[Andrea Danyluk]], professor of computer science
*[[Emile Despres]], professor of economics, a former advisor on German economic affairs at the U.S. Department of State
* [[Satyan Devadoss]], award-winning mathematician and current Fletcher Jones Chair of Applied Mathematics and professor of computer science at the [[University of San Diego]]
*[[Charles B. Dew]], author and [[Ephraim Williams]] Professor of American History
*[[S. Lane Faison]], professor of art history, one of the most famous American art historians with many of his former students forming the "Williams Art Mafia"
*[[Steven Fein]], professor of psychology, notable social psychologist
*[[Stephen Fix]], professor of English
*[[Keith Fowler]], who founded and directed professional repertory theaters in Virginia, and was later chief of directing at the [[Yale School of Drama]] and head of directing at the [[University of California, Irvine]]
*[[Robert Gaudino]], former professor of political science
*[[Chris Gibson (New York politician)|Chris Gibson]], former United States Congressman (New York) and current president of [[Siena College]]
*[[Louise Glück]], winner of the 1993 [[Pulitzer Prize]] in poetry and 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature
*[[Darra Goldstein]], Russian professor, founding editor of ''[[Gastronomica]]'' (2012 [[James Beard Foundation Award|James Beard]] Best Publication) and author of award-winning cookbooks including ''The Georgian Feast'' (1994 [[International Association of Culinary Professionals|IACP]] Julia Child Award) and ''Fire and Ice'' (2016 IACP Best International Cookbook nominee)
*[[Kermit Gordon]] of the economics department, who became Director of the United States Bureau of the Budget (now the [[Office of Management and Budget]]) during the administrations of [[President of the United States|Presidents]] [[John F. Kennedy]] and [[Lyndon B. Johnson]].<ref>{{cite web| title =Kermit Gordon (#86)| publisher =John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum| url =http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Archives+and+Manuscripts/fa_gordon.htm| access-date =2007-07-20| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071031020755/http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Archives+and+Manuscripts/fa_gordon.htm| archive-date =October 31, 2007| url-status =live}}</ref>
*[[Neil R. Grabois]], professor of mathematics, former president of [[Colgate University]]
*[[Harlan Hanson]], former professor and director of the [[Advanced Placement]] program from 1965 to 1989:<ref>{{cite web |last=DiYanni |first=Robert |title=The History of AP Program |url=http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/21502.html |year=2008 |publisher=CollegeBoard.com |access-date=July 23, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705050030/http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/21502.html |archive-date=July 5, 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Pamela E. Harris]], professor of mathematics, specializing in combinatorial algebra
*[[John Haskell Hewitt]], professor of classical languages 
*[[Alan Hirsch (professor)]], professor of political science
*[[Mark Hopkins (educator)]], famous educator and theologian
*[[Markes E. Johnson]], emeritus professor of geosciences department
*[[Jason Josephson Storm]], professor and chair of religion<ref>{{cite web | title= Jason Josephson Storm | publisher = Williams College | url=https://religion.williams.edu/faculty/jason-josephson | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711170615/https://religion.williams.edu/faculty/jason-josephson/ | archive-date=2022-07-11| date=November 28, 2022}}</ref>
*[[Saul Kassin]], professor of psychology
*[[Elizabeth Kolbert]], staff writer at ''[[The New Yorker]]'' and winner of the 2015 [[Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction]] for her book ''[[The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History]]''
*[[Susan Loepp]], award-winning mathematician
*[[John William Miller]], professor of philosophy
*[[Steven J. Miller]], mathematician and textbook author
*[[Frank Morgan (mathematician)|Frank Morgan]], the Webster Atwell '21 Professor of Mathematics and former vice president of the [[American Mathematical Society]]
*[[Clara Claiborne Park]] (1923–2010), author who raised awareness of autism, and was, among her colleagues, perhaps the best essayist—literary critic—during her time.<ref>Hevesi, Dennis. [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/health/13park.html "Clara Claiborne Park, 86, Dies; Wrote About Autistic Child"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321131938/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/health/13park.html |date=March 21, 2018 }}, ''[[The New York Times]]'', July 12, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2010.</ref>
*[[Paul Park]], science-fiction author
*[[Jay Pasachoff]] in the [[astrophysics]] department, who used solar eclipse observations to study the sun<ref>{{cite web | title = Jay Pasachoff | publisher = Williams College | url = http://www.williams.edu/Astronomy/people/jpasachoff/ | access-date = 2007-07-20 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071011222407/http://www.williams.edu/Astronomy/people/jpasachoff/ | archive-date = October 11, 2007 | url-status = live }}</ref>
*[[Peter Pedroni]], professor of economics
*[[William Pierson Jr.]], painter and art historian
*[[Morton Schapiro]], professor of economics and current president of [[Northwestern University]]
*[[Frederick L. Schuman]], professor of history
*[[Jim Shepard]], novelist and writer
*[[Glenn Shuck]], assistant professor of religion
*[[Theodore Clarke Smith]], professor of American history and educational reformer
*[[John E. Stambaugh]], professor of classics
*[[Joanne Stubbe]], professor of chemistry and winner of the 2020 [[Priestley Medal]]
*[[Barbara Takenaga]], award-winning artist
*[[Mark C. Taylor (philosopher)|Mark Taylor]], who studied with [[Jacques Derrida]] and taught religion classes at Williams before moving to [[Columbia University]].<ref>{{cite web | title =Seulemonde Conversation with Professor Mark C. Taylor | publisher =University of South Florida:College of Arts and Sciences | url =http://www.cas.usf.edu/journal/taylor/taylor.html | access-date =2007-07-20 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070607131058/http://www.cas.usf.edu/journal/taylor/taylor.html | archive-date =2007-06-07 | url-status =dead }}</ref>
*[[Alan White (American philosopher)]], professor of philosophy
*[[William Wootters]], theoretical physicist known for proving the [[no cloning theorem]]
*[[Safa Zaki]], McCoy professor of psychology and current president of [[Bowdoin College]]

===Alumni===
{{Cleanup gallery|date=March 2025}}

{{main|List of Williams College people}}
The Society of Alumni of Williams College is the oldest existing alumni society of any academic institution in the United States.<ref>{{cite web| title =History of The Williams Club| publisher =The Williams Club of New York| url =http://www.williamsclub.org/about/index.html| access-date =2007-09-20| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071013051619/http://www.williamsclub.org/about/index.html| archive-date =2007-10-13| url-status =dead}}</ref> The Society of Alumni was founded during the "Amherst crisis" in 1821, when Williams College President [[Zephaniah Swift Moore]] left Williams. Graduates of Williams formed the Society to ensure that Williams would not have to close, and raised enough money to ensure the future survival of the school. This fund formed by alumni served as the first college endowment in the United States, and as a result, Williams has maintained a legacy of high alumni involvement.

There are 30,699 living alumni of record, and 69 regional alumni associations nationwide and overseas. Alumni participation in the 2018–19 Alumni Fund was 54.1%. More than 61% of the alumni from the classes of 1980 to 2000 have earned at least one graduate or professional degree. The most popular graduate disciplines for alumni are management, education, law, and health care.<ref name=fastfacts/>

Prominent alumni include 9 [[Pulitzer Prize]] winners, a Nobel Prize laureate, a [[Curtis McMullen|Fields medalist]], a [[Lasker award]] recipient, 16 billionaires, 71 members of the [[United States Congress]], 22 [[Governor (United States)|U.S. Governors]], 4 [[Cabinet of the United States|U.S. Cabinet]] secretaries, an [[Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States|Associate Justice of the Supreme Court]], a [[James A. Garfield|President of the United States]], 3 prime ministers, CEOs and founders of [[Fortune 500]] companies, multiple [[Emmy Award|Emmy]], [[Academy Awards|Oscar]], [[Tony Award|Tony]], and [[Grammy Award|Grammy]] award winners, and professional athletes.<!-- how many? <- i second that --> Other notable alumni include 40 [[Rhodes Scholarship|Rhodes Scholars]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} The Rhodes Scholarships |url=http://www.rhodesscholar.org/assets/uploads/Rhodes%2520Scholarships_Number%2520of%2520Winners%2520by%2520Institution_10_15_14.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917115722/http://www.rhodesscholar.org/assets/uploads/Rhodes%2520Scholarships_Number%2520of%2520Winners%2520by%2520Institution_10_15_14.pdf |archive-date=September 17, 2016 |access-date=2016-08-13 |website=www.rhodesscholar.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Williams College Senior Linda Worden '19 Named Rhodes Scholar |url=https://communications.williams.edu/news-releases/11_28_2018_rhodes/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210064802/https://communications.williams.edu/news-releases/11_28_2018_rhodes/ |archive-date=December 10, 2018 |access-date=December 9, 2018 |website=Office of Communications}}</ref> and 17 [[Marshall Scholarship]] recipients.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statistics |url=http://www.marshallscholarship.org/about/statistics |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126211334/http://www.marshallscholarship.org/about/statistics |archive-date=January 26, 2017 |access-date=January 8, 2018 |website=www.marshallscholarship.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Fellowship Winners {{!}} Williams College |url=http://www.williams.edu/fellowships/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812235103/http://www.williams.edu/fellowships/ |archive-date=August 12, 2016 |access-date=2016-08-13 |website=www.williams.edu}}</ref>
<gallery class="center" widths="150" heights="150" caption="Notable Williams College alumni include:">
File:James Abram Garfield, photo portrait seated.jpg|[[James A. Garfield]], 20th [[president of the United States]]
File:Stephen Johnson Field, photo half length seated, 1875.jpg|[[Stephen Johnson Field]], former [[Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States|Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court]]
File:Richard M Helms.jpg|[[Richard Helms]], 8th [[Director of Central Intelligence]]
File:Chris Murphy, official portrait, 113th Congress.jpg|[[Chris Murphy]], [[United States Senate|U.S. senator]] from [[Connecticut]]
File:GohChokTong-WashingtonDC-20010614.jpg|[[Goh Chok Tong]], 2nd [[Prime Minister of Singapore|prime minister of Singapore]]
File:Reza Pahlavi by Gage Skidmore.jpg|[[Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran]], last heir apparent to the throne of the [[Imperial State of Iran]]
File:Robert Engle SantiagoWEAI2017.png|[[Robert F. Engle]], [[Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences|Nobel Prize]]-winning economist
File:Curtis T. McMullen.jpg|[[Curtis McMullen]], American mathematician, [[Fields Medalist]]
File:Glenn Lowry 2002.JPG|[[Glenn D. Lowry]], Director of the [[Museum of Modern Art]] in [[New York City]]
File:Steve Case (6244482532).jpg|[[Steve Case]], former CEO and chairman of [[AOL]]
File:HalSteinbrenner2019.png|[[Hal Steinbrenner]], owner, managing general partner, and chairman of the [[New York Yankees]]
File:Wang Leehom - 2018 Golden Lotus Awards for Best Actor .jpg|[[Wang Leehom]], Chinese-American singer-songwriter, one of the most followed celebrities in China
File:Stephen Sondheim - smoking.JPG|[[Stephen Sondheim]], [[Pulitzer Prize]] and [[Tony Awards|Tony Award]]-winning composer and lyricist
File:Elia Kazan.JPG|[[Elia Kazan]], [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]]-winning film director
File:John Frankenheimer on the set of "Andersonville" (cropped).JPG|[[John Frankenheimer]], [[Emmy Award]]-winning film and television director
File:David Strathairn (5974348391).jpg|[[David Strathairn]], [[Emmy Award]]-winning actor
File:Mika Brzezinski.jpg|[[Mika Brzezinski]], broadcast journalist
File:Erin Burnett - small.jpg|[[Erin Burnett]], American [[news anchor]]
File:Lina Khan, FTC Chair (cropped).jpg|[[Lina Khan]], former chair of the Federal Trade Commission
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[List of Williams College Bicentennial Medal winners]]
*[[List of Williams College people]]
*[[Taconic Golf Club]]
*[[The Biggest Little Game in America]]
*[[Williams-Mystic]]
*[[Williamstown Theatre Festival]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==

* Rudolph, Frederick. ''Mark Hopkins and the Log: Williams College, 1836–1872'' (1956), a major scholarly history.

* Salisbury, Elon Galusha. ''In the Days of Mark Hopkins: Story of Williams College'' (Salisbury Press, 1927) [https://books.google.com/books?id=U1tMAAAAIAAJ&dq=Mark+Hopkins+College&pg=PA17 online].

* Wurgaft, Benjamin Aldes. '' Jews at Williams: Inclusion, Exclusion, and Class at a New England Liberal Arts College'' (Williams College Press, 2013)

==External links==
{{ccat}}
* {{oweb}}
* [https://ephsports.williams.edu/ Athletics website]
* {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Williams College |short=x}}

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[[Category:Williams College| ]]
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