What’s to Come

There's a place for you.

Among the greatest rewards of a Williams College education is lifelong citizenship in a peerless community. The Williams College Society of Alumni—the Williams beyond Williams—is a diverse, vibrant, dynamic collection of people. We are united by formative experiences at Williams during critical times in our lives that in ways great and small shaped who we are, how we think, and how we engage with Williams and with the communities around us.

These communities and connections—some forged in the crucibles of undergraduate or graduate lives; others discovered through our neighborhoods, professions, travels, and networks—form the kinetic energy of the SoA.

It is this energy we celebrate, this flame we seek to stoke for generations to come, even as the lived experience of a Williams education evolves.

In doing so, we must acknowledge shortcomings in the histories of the college and of the Society of Alumni. At times, the experience of being part of the Williams community has stood in opposition to the very ideals of the SoA and the college, and of society at large. Recognition of this reality and a commitment to true reconciliation will illuminate the path toward a brighter collective future.

What sets Williams alumni apart is our relentless pursuit of better. For generations, Ephs have worked to improve the SoA, the college, and society itself; this is a hallmark of our culture and shared history. Through the ages, we have made progress through the thoughtful, intentional effort of our community. This justifies pride in our past, while requiring humility concerning our faults—past and present. It is messy and it is marvelous. This good work is never finished.

The Bicentennial of the Society of Alumni is an opportunity to stand at a crossroads and to tell our whole story as a community. It is a time to celebrate, to grapple, to give thanks, to reflect, and to create. It is a time to build together a more perfect society that honors each Eph’s experience and strives to hold Williams and the SoA to their ideals.

We are citizens of a shared society. We are bound together by that membership. We belong to something composed of--and yet much bigger than--our individual experiences and connections. And, like those who came before us, and those who will follow, we each have a place in the history--and the future--of our shared society and our college. This community, in all its glory and flaws and brilliance and quirkiness, belongs to all of us.

In the Williams College Society of Alumni, there's a place for you.