Dick Nesbitt ’74

I’ve been asked to write down some thoughts reflecting on my charitable gift annuity in support of the Williams Class of 1974 Student Opportunity Fund, which supports internships, fellowships and scholarships. I have a sneaking suspicion that I was chosen   to be featured for my perspective, having worked in the admission office for 34 years, the last 19 of those years as Director of Admission. I retired in 2019, so I have no obligation to say nice things about Williams. Then again, if you don’t want to hear nice things about Williams, stop reading now.

Great teaching and mentorship is not the only reason why I’m inspired to give back to Williams. My four years at the college were only possible thanks to generous financial aid; neither of my parents had graduated from college and couldn’t possibly pay the full cost. Thus the terms “access and affordability” have had personal meaning for me and have informed and guided my career as an admission professional at Williams.

I began my tenure as Director of Admission in 2000 under the leadership of President Morty Schapiro and Provost Cappy Hill, both ardent proponents of increasing our share of low-income students at Williams. Through various initiatives such as our partnership with QuestBridge, a non-profit which identifies high-achieving, low-income students, we roughly doubled Williams’ share of first generation students to nearly 20 percent of the student body. Concurrently, the college made efforts to ease the financial burden on low-income families by adjusting an antiquated need analysis formula and by eliminating loans for the lowest income families. 

Over the last 25 years, the college also made efforts to eliminate many of the hidden costs that less well-resourced students face. The Williams Book Grant, for example, provides free textbooks to all financial aid recipients. This particularly resonates with me, as I still remember the embarrassment of not being able to afford the Janson History of Art textbook for Art History 101-102. I had to borrow it sporadically from classmates to complete the readings.

Other experiences as a financial aid student at Williams have also impacted my perspective. I had the usual campus job, summer employment and loan expectations as part of my aid package. Among other humbling tasks, I washed dishes in Baxter Hall, sold hot dogs at hockey games and collected empty glasses and pitchers at the Log (and broke up the occasional fist fight). My summer earnings came from a night shift at a nearby factory and a stint behind the counter at a Pennsylvania State liquor store.

These semester and summer jobs may have been character-building, but they left little free time and limited opportunities for unpaid internships or other academic pursuits during breaks. In my junior year, I was initially discouraged when Professor Stoddard offered me a spot on his archaeological dig in Psalmodi, France. Ultimately, however, I was able to participate thanks to a $300 stipend that Whitney said came from some mysterious Art Department slush fund, but it wouldn’t surprise me if some or all of it came out of his own pocket.

As for student loans, I’m certainly grateful that they helped me and my family meet college costs, and I was able to pay them off over the next ten years after graduation. I admit, however, that having loan debt — however modest—was a deterrent for me to apply directly to any high-cost graduate schools, and I’m sure college students over the years have faced the same predicament.

For all the aforementioned reasons, I was elated when President Maud Mandel announced Williams’ all-grant financial aid policy three years ago. By replacing loans, work-study and summer job obligations with outright grants, the college vaulted to the forefront of college access and affordability. Maud has also doubled down on Williams’ commitment to non-traditional students, both community college transfers and military veterans, who invariably bring a very different perspective to the classroom.

Such bold initiatives represent an enormous financial commitment, to be sure, but the cause is great. Having been at Williams as both a student and an administrator, I’ve witnessed so many lives being transformed, particularly those for whom the value added is the highest. I’ve also witnessed the college stepping up to embrace true affordability, and I’m happy and proud to support its efforts in whatever way I can. Go Ephs!