Back in the 70s, we had a fair number of male exchange students as well as the female exchange students who were associated with the move to coeducation. They came for a variety of reasons. Many seem to have come for the opportunity to supplement departmental offerings at their own colleges, usually either in their majors or in something related to their majors. Some came for the chance to be outdoors in the Purple Valley. Some had initially applied to Williams and hadn’t gotten in but had done well at their home colleges and were happily pursuing something that had interested them about Williams in the first place. A few came for “personal reasons” such as having a sweetheart at Williams. I remember a few of them who added a great deal to discussions in several of my seminars and I think there was also some cross-pollination in terms of ideas for clubs, concerts, and other extracurricular activities. Williams could benefit from reviving the exchange program, and perhaps it could be expanded to include a few students from overseas as well.

This is a link to submit “cost-saving ideas.”