Williams events on and off campus are cancelled until further notice. The date when Williams gatherings will resume has not been determined.
You will find answers to most questions about the campus closure in the FAQ section of Williams coronavirus page. If you have additional questions you can submit them here.
April 3, 2020
To the Williams alumni family,
Earlier today I sent a community-wide message, a copy of which you will find here, announcing the decision to cancel this spring’s in-person commencement and alumni reunion. However disappointing, the news is unlikely to come as a surprise, and we can now begin looking at alternate ways to honor your milestones. I will enjoy celebrating them with you in any format.
While I have been communicating steadily with students, faculty, staff and families about the college’s effort to address and respond to the huge challenges posed by COVID-19 (you can read those messages here), this message, even with the sad news about reunion, gives me a welcome opportunity to speak with you directly for the first time during the pandemic.
First and foremost, I want you to know I have been thinking about you and your fellow alumni even more than usual these last few months. Each of you is in some way joined in the fight against this pandemic: some as frontline healthcare providers or public health experts, others as policymakers and advocates for the sick and vulnerable, and all of you as family members and friends caring for people around you. My heart and gratitude go out to you all.
I hesitate to single out any one person’s work amidst so much dedication. But there is inspiration and wisdom to be found in the blog of Dr. Craig Smith ’70, chair of surgery and surgeon-in-chief at New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Hospital. Dr. Smith’s writings, published from a tragic center of the COVID-19 crisis, evince a spirit of compassion, wisdom and leadership that can make us all proud to count him as a member of our Williams family.
Second, I want you to know that, no matter where you are in the world or what your circumstances, your college is a community to which you can turn for support. For many of you, your Williams friends and connections are already helping you weather these exceptional times. Our duty is to help facilitate those connections when we can. To that end, I invite you to explore the list of COVID-19 resources collected for you by our Alumni Relations team. It includes links to social media channels, a growing list of resources offered by fellow alumni, and a form that you can use to share additional resources that you think would be helpful. I also encourage you to look at EphLink, the college’s online career mentoring platform, which offers a great way to support undergrads and your fellow alumni. However you prefer to engage, thank you for doing what you can to support each other and your college.
Sadly, we have begun to hear about members of our Williams alumni family who have lost their lives because of COVID-19. The situation is heartbreaking, and my condolences go out to the loved ones of those who have passed away or are ill. More than at almost any other time in our recent history, this feels like a moment when we need reaffirm our bonds and support each other as a community.
Reunions help strengthen those bonds. And while we unfortunately cannot reunite on campus in June, college staff are already thinking about other ways to bring us together. We will aim to confirm any new plans once we regain a stable sense of the future—a level of normalcy that is hard to imagine right now, but which will come in due course. When it does, it will give us yet another reason to honor and celebrate this great Williams family of ours.
Until then, I wish you good health and strength from Williamstown,
Maud
March 11, 2020
Dear Williams Alumni,
I write to share President Mandel’s campus message from this morning about the steps we are taking to care for our communities in light of COVID-19. I am also sharing information regarding alumni events on and off campus.
In uncertain times, we all lean on many communities. We hope your Williams network can be a place to find support and continuity. These crucial life-long connections make it all the more difficult for us to decide to cancel all on and off campus alumni gatherings until further notice. At this point, we cannot share an exact date when alumni gatherings will resume. Reunion Weekend is currently scheduled for June 11-14 and we have not yet made a decision about whether it will be held.
Many volunteers and staff have put in substantial time organizing experiences for alumni to connect in person. Canceling events in no way diminishes the importance of that work–rather it highlights the abiding value of the Williams alumni community.
The alumni directory is an important resource for staying connected digitally even if you can’t be physically together at this time.
As President Mandel says in the conclusion of her message: “A community can take many forms. We are about to confirm—if reluctantly and for unwelcome reasons—that Williams is more than a campus. Williams is all of us. And we will find ways to connect and thrive and celebrate our connections despite even these most unprecedented challenges.” Many have already asked how they can best support students through this change to their semester. In addition to the connection Ephs have with one another, the college is relying on unrestricted financial support from alumni and families through the Alumni and Parents Funds in order to provide a pathway forward for students, covering the costs of travel, storage and/or shipping, for example.
You are part of Williams, and Williams is part of you — and for a lifetime, not just the years you spent as a student. I hope that whatever situations you may face in your own community, whether related to COVID-19 or not, you know that you will always be part of Williams and we will always be there for you.
Sincerely,
Megan Morey
Vice President of College Relations