Team Effort

A steady stream of students files through Goodrich Hall, armed with green, yellow and red stickers. Their assignment: to pore over photographs of indoor and outdoor spaces on campus dedicated to athletics, recreation, physical education and wellbeing—and note what they would like to see reimagined.

The exercise, conducted last spring, was replicated all over campus many times throughout the summer and fall, in groups large and small, as part of Williams’ first-ever comprehensive study of athletics and wellbeing spaces. 

The college has replaced or improved some existing resources in recent years, including the new Weston Athletic Complex and Williams Boathouse on Lake Onota and an upgrade to Upper Lasell Fitness Center. Most recently, the college broke ground on a Multipurpose Recreation Center in the fall to replace Towne Field House, which closed unexpectedly in November 2023.

The goal of the program study is to develop a cohesive, intentional and comprehensive plan for athletics and well-being at Williams for the 21st century.

“We are in the early stages of planning what will be a transformative initiative,” says Director of Athletics Lisa Melendy. “This is an exciting moment to build upon our strengths in athletics and wellness at Williams.” 

The study, undertaken with the consultants Perkins & Will, concludes in June 2025 and will include feedback from students, faculty, staff and alumni. The results will inform recommendations for potential new facilities and the renewal of existing ones. 

Melendy says the recommendations will focus on “an integrated approach that sustains competitive excellence for our high-caliber athletics program and more intentionally connect it to well-being services to benefit all students and the greater community.”

In a letter to the campus community at the start of the fall semester, Williams President Maud S. Mandel encouraged participation in the study. She noted that projects such as this one, the construction of a new Williams College Museum of Art and the recently renovated and reimagined Davis Center are “all part of a broad effort to enhance Williams’ curriculum, co-curriculum, student life and experience.”