Williams College
PAE-8: Support Programs for Under-Represented Groups

The Multicultural Center (MCC) secures the educational mission of Williams College in a rapidly changing environment marked by broad diversity across the campus. Regular activities include forums, panels, lectures and receptions, developed in cooperation with students, faculty and staff to provide for systematic, critical engagement with the claim and promise of diversity. Affinity groups include the Chinese-American Student Organization, Koreans of Williams, South Asian Students Association, Black Student Union, International Club, Muslim Student Union, Queer Student Union,Vista (Latinos at Williams), Williams College Jewish Association, and the Women's Center. The Office of Special Academic Programs helps all students, regardless of background, thrive academically at Williams. While OSAP’s work concerns itself generally with eradicating racial and socio-economic disparities in higher education, it focuses on several specific programs. The Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF) and the Williams College Undergraduate Research Fellowship (WCURF) work to increase racial and socio-economic diversity in higher education by preparing students from underrepresented groups for academic careers. Both fellowships provide opportunities for faculty-mentored research, preparation for graduate school, and individualized support from the Office of Special Academic Programs. The Summer Humanities and Social Sciences program (SHSS) is a 5-week program for talented incoming first year students with a passion for the humanities or social sciences who are from underrepresented minority groups and/or who are first-generation college students. The program has two main goals: First, it provides its students with a preview of the Williams experience and familiarizes them with some of the extraordinary academic opportunities the college offers. Second, we hope that the glimpse of research and teaching afforded by our faculty and Teaching Assistants will inspire some of our students to consider a career in one of the academic fields of the humanities and social sciences.

Part of the job description of the Associate Dean for Institutional Diversity is to provide support for under-represented groups within the faculty.

The Vice President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Diversity works with human resources and search committees during searches and hiring to ensure that job postings are submitted to diverse publications, and to ensure a diverse and robust pool of candidates.