Selecting Holders of Williams College Alumni Governance Positions

Williams alumni each year select graduates to serve as Alumni Trustee on the College's Board of Trustees, Administrator of the Tyng Scholarship Bequest, officers of the Society of Alumni and members of the Society's Executive Committee. The process is administered by the Executive Committee of the Society of Alumni.

The College is best served when the alumni selected for these positions are those most able to fulfill the responsibilities. The selection process is designed to identify the most promising candidates based on their dedication to Williams (as shown in previous service to and other interactions with the College), character, experience, and skills.

Alumni Trustee

Since 1868 Williams has been one of a small number of colleges and universities whose charters or by-laws grant alumni a role in selecting a portion of the governing board. All trustees must act with due care, diligence and honesty, and must not engage in self-dealing, in fulfilling their duties and responsibilities as trustees.

Each year, Williams alumni vote to elect a candidate to the Board of Trustees to serve as an Alumni Trustee. Under the College Laws of Williams College, the Board of Trustees holds the authority to appoint its members, so the alumni body's election of an Alumni Trustee is actually the nomination of a candidate for the Board to appoint. The term of Alumni Trustee is five years.

All alumni are eligible to vote each year for one of three alumni nominees. Voting begins online early each year, with a follow up paper ballot sent to those who have not voted electronically. The results of voting are announced at the Society’s annual meeting held during Reunion Weekend

Alumni Tyng Administrator

The Stephen H. Tyng Scholarships were established in 1940 through the bequest of Mrs. Juliet Tyng in memory of her husband and son. The most distinctive financial aid awards the College offers, Tyng Scholarships are granted to a small number of especially talented and deserving candidates chosen from the incoming class by the College's Admission Committee. Like all Williams aid, Tyng awards are need-based but they include a lower loan expectation; support for one summer of study, research, or internship; and assistance for up to three years of graduate or professional study.

The awards for graduate and professional study are administered by a committee of trustees, alumni, and students. The term for Tyng Administrator is three years. All alumni are eligible to vote each year for one of three alumni nominees. Voting begins online early each year, with a follow up paper ballot sent to those who have not voted electronically. The results of voting are announced at the Society’s Annual Meeting held during Reunion Weekend.

Officers of the Society of Alumni and Members of its Executive Committee

The officers of the Society are President, one or more Vice Presidents, Secretary, one or more Assistant Secretaries, and Treasurer. The President and at least one Vice President are selected from the Society's membership. The College's Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development traditionally is selected as a Society Vice President. The College's Director of Alumni Relations traditionally is selected as the Society's Secretary. Members of the College alumni relations staff are traditionally selected as Assistant Secretaries of the Society. Officer terms are for one year. Although the Society's Constitution does not state term limits, by custom the President and the Vice President selected from the membership serve no more than two consecutive terms, with the latter succeeding the former.

The Executive Committee consists of the officers and 18 voting members drawn from the Society's membership. Six are selected at each Society Annual Meeting for three-year terms. Serving as ex officio non-voting members are the five Alumni Trustees, the Chair or Co-Chairs of the Alumni Fund, and the Assistant Secretaries.

Officers and Executive Committee members are selected by voice vote at the Society's Annual Meeting held during Reunion Weekend.

Nominating Committees

The Constitution of the Society of Alumni provides for the appointment each year by the Executive Committee of two nominating committees: one to nominate candidates for Alumni Trustee and the other to nominate candidates for officers of the Society and members of the Executive Committee. The Constitution permits the members of both committees to be the same. Typically they are, and that committee also nominates candidates for Alumni Tyng Administrator.

The Nominating Committee is appointed by the Executive Committee each September. Under the Society's Constitution the nominators consist of a current or former Trustee, the Society's President and the Vice President selected from the membership, and no fewer than three voting members of the Society who are neither officers of the Society nor members of the Executive Committee. The Nominating Committee is traditionally chaired by the current or former Trustee. Members who are not Society officers generally reside close enough to the Chair to facilitate the setting of meetings.

The Nominating Committee generally meets in the fall to review potential nominees for Alumni Trustee and Alumni Tyng Administrator, choose a slate of three for each position, and identify alternates in case someone declines or is unable to accept a nomination.

The Nominating Committee generally meets in the winter to choose nominees for Society officers and members of the Executive Committee and identify alternates in case someone declines or is unable to accept a nomination.

Additional names for Society officers and/or Executive Committee members may be placed in nomination at the Annual Meeting upon the written petition of at least 50 voting members of the Society presented to the Society President at least 30 days prior to the meeting.

The nominating committees consider each prospective nominee's character, ability, class affiliation, experience, geographic location, gender, race, national origin, occupation, and skills along with any other factors deemed relevant. The nominating committees pay particular attention to each person’s dedication and loyalty to Williams, standing in the community in which he or she lives and/or works, and standing among fellow alumni. With respect to the office of Alumni Trustee, nominating committees also consider the ability of candidates to contribute to the College's governance and direction and to fulfill the Board's fiduciary duties. The Society's Nominating Committee may also consider particular skills, occupational experience, and other factors identified as needs by the Board of Trustee's own Nominating Committee.

Potential nominees for all offices are identified for nominating committees by a variety of Williams sources, including trustees, administrators, faculty, staff, national and regional alumni leaders, class leaders, affinity groups and networks, and general membership of the Society. Self-nominations are permitted. Names may be submitted to the Secretary of the Society, at the Alumni Relations Office in Mears House, and through the College’s alumni relations Web site ( http://www.williams.edu/alumni/communities/soa/nom_forms.php). Announcements published in the Williams Alumni Review and EphNotes encourage alumni to suggest possible nominees.

The Society and its nominating committee especially appreciate any supporting information that helps explain the strengths of potential nominees.

The Members of the 2006-07 Society of Alumni Nominating Committee were:

• Mary McTernan ‘76, Chair, Former Trustee of Williams College
• Amachie Ackah ‘95
• Richard Levy, Jr. ’74, President, Society of Alumni
• Carol N. Neilson ’84
• Theodore W. Ruger ‘90
• Sarah M. Underhill ’80, Vice President, Society of Alumni
• Wendy W. Hopkins ’72, Secretary of the Society of Alumni and Director of Alumni Relations of Williams College, served as secretary to both nominating committees.

Practices and Policies

The Society and its nominating committees seek to select the people most able to fulfill these important volunteer roles. Williams enjoys an extraordinary breadth of talented and diverse alumni. Many who might be superb nominees are unable, or do not desire, to engage in campaigning for office for financial, personal or other reasons. The Executive Committee therefore discourages campaigning by or on behalf of any candidate for any office. All nominees should refrain from campaigning, and should take reasonable steps to discourage their supporters from campaigning on their behalf.

If the authors, publishers, or managers of any College, class, regional, affinity group, network or club newsletters, bulletins, or other Williams alumni-related publications, Web sites, email networks, or list-servers wish to print or disseminate candidate-related information, they should provide at the same time and place comparable information on all nominees for the position in question.

The Williams Alumni Review (including class notes published in Williams People) and EphNotes may announce pending votes, publish biographical information and related materials about all nominees, solicit the submission of names to be considered by nominating committees, and report voting results.