Conferences & Special Events

The Center's substantial endowment makes it possible for individuals or small groups of faculty, working with the Director, to organize and host conferences or other major academic events without the need for other funding sources. There is no specified format for conferences, but the event should have a significant interdisciplinary dimension or appeal. Typically, the participants have included both Williams faculty and scholars and intellectuals from other institutions. Recent conferences have brought to campus both eminent senior scholars and those at the beginnings of their careers; some conferences have centered on presentations open to the campus and the wider public; others have included workshop sessions exclusively for invited participants. Faculty with ideas for conferences should consult with the Director as early as possible in the academic year before the conference would be held.