Alumni Fund and Parents Fund gifts during the campaign allowed the college to pursue new initiatives while still focusing on all the things that make Williams Williams—the incredibly low student-faculty ratio, tutorials and summer research opportunities, world-class arts and performances, and phenomenal athletics. A record 92.6 percent of donors made at least one gift to the campaign through these two funds, helping to shape the Williams of the 21st century.

Thanks to your generosity, the college has been able to award more than $50 million in financial aid each year. We expanded the number of students receiving aid for tuition, living expenses, textbooks, lab and art supplies, athletic equipment, travel to job and graduate school interviews, study away and visits home—ensuring that all aided students have equal access to the benefits of an outstanding Williams education without the worry over how to afford it. 

Your gifts to the campaign were crucial to students’ development as citizens of the world. That includes programs such as the Class of ’68 Center for Career Exploration, which helps students discover their career and life paths; the Center for Learning in Action, which empowers students to connect curriculum, campus and community; Integrative Wellbeing Services, an investment in students’ minds, bodies and spirits; and so much more.

A record 44 faculty retired during the span of the campaign, due to a demographic shift. But, with your support, Williams has entered a hiring boom. The college has brought new faces and ideas into our labs, classrooms and studios; increased the number of tutorials; supported programs that broaden and deepen the pool of candidates for professorships; and encouraged scholars who are pushing the boundaries of their syllabi and modes of thought. 

When it comes to science education, many small colleges focus on teaching. Large universities generally focus on research. At Williams, we do both—and we do it even better now, thanks to transformational gifts from Andreas ’86 and Diane ’84 Halvorsen, Sue and Ed ’59 Wachenheim and other leadership donors. With one new, state-of-the-art building complete and another opening next fall, our faculty have the space, tools and support they need to teach and engage students in their research.

In a campaign focused on connecting and reconnecting Ephs with Williams and each other, nearly 90 percent of you engaged in some way.You attended events in record numbers, celebrated fellow alumni, shared wisdom with each other and current students, volunteered on behalf of Williams, followed social media and more. Today your ties are stronger than ever, and you’ve shown again and again how Williams has made a difference in your life.