Senior Officers

The leadership structure of the college includes four faculty members as senior officers, complemented by a number of permanent administrators.

The President of the College is a member of the faculty.

In addition, three faculty members are appointed to specified terms (usually three years, sometimes renewed) as Dean of the College, Dean of the Faculty, and Provost.

The Dean of the College is responsible for oversight of all aspects of academic opportunity and academic support outside the classroom (advising, Academic Resources,  Writing Programs, Fellowships, Study Away, the Deans’ Office and the Registrar).  The Dean’s office is also the central hub in supporting students who are experiencing personal, academic, or health struggles, and is responsible for investigation and adjudication violations of the college’s code of conduct.  The dean works very closely with faculty as well as with colleagues in Campus Safety and Security, Health Services, the Chaplains’ Office, and the Davis Center.

The Dean of the Faculty is responsible for the recruitment, appointment, and promotion of faculty and for the policies, procedures, and budgets affecting all academic departments and programs, including the Department of Physical Education, Athletics, and Recreation and the graduate programs in art history and development economics.

The Dean assists with curricular and faculty development; works closely with the Office of the Provost on funding and compensation matters; serves as ex officio member and executive secretary of the Committee on Appointments and Promotions, and as an ex officio member of the Committee on Educational Affairs and the Curricular Planning Committee; and, in consultation with the Faculty Steering Committee, makes recommendations on the membership of committees to the President.

The Provost is responsible for allocating College resources, strategic planning, and overseeing Admission, Financial Aid, Information Technology, the Chapin, Sawyer, and Schow Libraries, the Science Center, the Williams College Museum of Art, and the Zilkha Center for Environmental Initiatives. The Provost is also an ex officio member of the Committees on Admission and Financial Aid, Appointments and Promotions, and Priorities and Resources.

Other Administrative Faculty Positions

In addition to the Dean of the College, Dean of Faculty, and Provost, two other administrative positions are filled by faculty appointments for a specified term:

Associate Dean of Faculty focuses on faculty development, relationships between programs and departments, works with programs and departments to support mentoring of untenured faculty and long-term curricular planning, assists the Dean of Faculty with a range of matters including hiring, and works closely with the Associate Dean of Institutional Diversity and Equity and the permanent Associate Dean of Faculty.

The Associate Dean of Institutional Diversity and Equity addresses issues of diversity and inclusion, primarily as they affect faculty members by monitoring and reporting to the faculty data on faculty thriving; serving as a resource to senior staff and College committees on issues affecting faculty in terms of diversity and inclusion; assisting in the recruitment, retention, and development of a diverse faculty; working to ensure the fairness of the mentoring and tenure processes for all  faculty members; serving as a resource and advocate for faculty from underrepresented groups; assisting in the administration of “pipeline” programs including the Bolin and C3 Fellowships; addressing potential structural impediments to the full inclusion of faculty from underrepresented groups.