Community Support Initiative (April 17 - May 15)

 “[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.” —President Maud S. Mandel


Our Williams community of alumni, families, and friends have both asked how they can help, and appealed to our network for assistance during this crisis. This initiative running through May 15 offers a way for members of the college community to show their support for each other through a message sent to any of the following groups or through a gift of any size that will unlock additional support. You can both read messages of support that have been submitted as well as add your own message.

Send a message of support:

To Current Students
Some current students are faced with challenging environments and even those who needed to remain on campus are isolated from their Williams network, taking remote classes and bringing meals back to their rooms.
to Seniors
Seniors and their families and supporters won't have the opportunity they anticipated to celebrate their Eph's tremendous accomplishment--for some a first-in-their-family moment that they have sacrificed for years to achieve.
to Faculty
It’s hard to imagine Mark Hopkins on one end of a Zoom call and a student in their pajamas on the other. As faculty make sweeping changes to their instructional model they build on their established relationships with students. You can let them know you appreciate their work to stay connected over long distances.
To Staff
College staff are working in staggered shifts and practicing social distancing or working remotely to ensure essential functions continue. They miss the energy of the students as well as the camaraderie of their colleagues
To Alumni and Families
There are many Ephs who have already experienced first-hand the consequences of this virus, but every member of the community has been effected. All are overextended and facing an uncertain future and can be buoyed by messages of support from fellow members of the community.
To Prospective 2024 Ephs
Those who have been admitted to the Class of 2024 have heard about our close-knit and supportive community. As these students struggle to make up their minds about what comes next, words of support and reassurance from fellow Ephs may make their decision easier.


Your gift of any amount will unlock an additional $100

Some have asked about how to support the college through this crisis. Support from alumni and families gives Williams the flexibility to rise to the occasion and do what’s right in times like these. All gifts received are used to directly support those students who need it most, ensuring they are able to stay safe and continue their studies via remote learning.

A group of generous donors has offered to amplify all gifts of any amount received during this Community Support Initiative (April 17 – May 15) with an additional $100 gift.   In response to the pandemic, these donors want to support Williams as well as their local communities. In these unsettled times, they invite you to do what you are able to for both your local community and the college.

    • Arun ’90 and Koshi Dhingra P’24
    • Sanae Ishikawa & Richard Georgi ’87
    • Jessica ’97 & Gavin ’97 McLear
    • Anne Melvin ’85
    • Elizabeth ’83 and Steve ‘85 Nielsen
    • Lee Shackelford ’80
    • David Sorkin ’81
    • Peter ’71 & Kathy Wege

Since 2017, we have celebrated Ephs’ commitment to community service through the annual Impact Challenge. This year—in alignment with April’s National Volunteer Week—we have reimagined this event to encourage and recognize, the many different ways Ephs can and do support each other. We are doing this virtually until we are able to be together again, ’neath the shadow of the hills.

Thank you for all you do for Williams, for our community, for your local community, and for the world. Your support of each other, and of the college, is deeply appreciated. Quite simply, Williams wouldn’t be Williams without this community support.