Funding Priorities

Coming out of The Williams Campaign, and addition to core educational commitments supported by the Alumni Fund and Parents Fund, Williams has also identified several key projects and programs that require major funding commitments as they move forward, including:

Financial Aid
Financial aid funds are essential to Williams College's mission of providing an outstanding education to the best students regardless of their economic situation. Currently, the College provides 49% of all Williams students with need-based financial aid. Beginning in the 2008-2009 academic year, the College eliminated loans from all financial aid packages and replaced them with grants. This action has made the need for an expanded financial aid endowment even more critical.

For a Alumni Review article read on.

Sustainability
In January of 2007, Williams College committed to a goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990-1991 levels by 2020.  The goal was recommended by the Climate Action Committee and unanimously adopted by the board of trustees, with the full support of President Schapiro and the senior staff.  In September 2007, alumnus Selim Zilkha '46 generously pledged $5 million to create the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives.  This new environmental center, in conjunction with Williams' Center for Environmental Studies, will take the lead in incorporating "principles of sustainability into the fabric of campus life."  Funding is sought to invest in on-campus sustainability improvements, including infrastructure and academic changes. More on Williams sustainability efforts here.

Stetson-Sawyer Building Project
A complete redesign of the heart of the Williams campus is underway with a $128 million building project that will give the College a new library and information technology center, classrooms and faculty offices. The new classroom/office buildings, including the newly-named Schapiro Hall, opened for occupancy in the fall of 2008. In response to the global economic crisis that began to unfold in September 2008, construction of the new library was postponed for at least a year. Eventually, Stetson Hall (for many years the main library until Sawyer Library was built) will be renovated, and a new Sawyer Library will be constructed. Once construction is complete, the old Sawyer Library will be razed to create a new campus green. Funding is needed for many aspects of this project. For updates, go here.

Center for Development Economics
The College’s Center for Development Economics (CDE) is a resource that is unique to Williams.  Since 1960, the CDE has delivered an intensive master's degree program in applied and theoretical economics for young economists from developing countries. Ninety percent of the CDE’s 1000+ graduates have returned to their home countries to help shape their economic growth and policy development.  On the eve of the CDE's 50th anniversary, Williams is seeking funding to endow the CDE’s operation, which will enable the College to implement a need-blind admission policy for the CDE, similar to its undergraduate admission policy.  See the CDE Web site.

Diversity
Williams College is committed to creating and maintaining a diverse community of students and faculty. The makeup of Williams' faculty and student body has changed dramatically in recent decades. Women were first admitted as students in 1970 and now represent 49% of the student body (2008 enrollment). Thirty-three percent of U.S. students at Williams are from underrepresented ethnic, social, and socioeconomic groups, and 7% are international students. Women now account for 41% of Williams faculty, 18% of the faculty are individuals of color, and 4% are from countries other than the U.S. Increased support for financial aid and student services is critical to the College’s efforts to sustain a diverse student body.

Challenge Grants

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Challenge Grant to Establish a Mellon Curatorial Fellowship
In December 2008, the Mellon Foundation awarded Williams College a challenge grant of $1 million to establish a Mellon curatorial fellowship targeted at population groups under-represented in the museum field. The grant requires that an additional $1 million be raised by December 2011.

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Challenge Grant to Support the Environmental Studies Program
In June 2008, the Mellon Foundation awarded Williams College a challenge grant of $1 million to fund an endowed professorship in environmental studies. The grant requires an additional $2 million to be raised by June 2011.

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Challenge Grant to Endow Postdoctoral Teaching Fellowships
For the past 10 years, Williams has appointed postdoctoral teaching fellows to the faculty in a program supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.  In January 2007, the Mellon Foundation awarded Williams College a challenge grant of $1.5 million to help endow this postdoctoral fellows program.  The grant requires that an additional $1.5 million be raised by December 2010.