Williams College President President Receives Honorary Degree from Brown University

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College President Maud S. Mandel, received a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, from Brown University during the university's commencement on Sunday, May 2.
 
Mandel taught at Brown as a visiting assistant professor, and then as professor of history and Judaic studies while also serving as dean of the college before joining Williams as president in July 2018. 
 
At Brown's commencement ceremony she addressed the same students she had welcomed in-person four years earlier. In her remarks, she noted major events that have transpired since then, including a global pandemic, political upheaval, fights to hold onto basic rights in voter access, and major movements against racism and for equity and justice.
 
"One of the things you've learned is that life can be unpredictable," Mandel told the university's Class of 2021 graduates. "That the path for those who thrive requires resilience. That you need to be open to changing course, learning while you're doing, assessing the evidence and regrouping…"
 
Since moving to Williams, President Mandel has engaged the community in articulating a vision for the college's future through a strategic planning effort involving faculty, staff, students, alumni, families and friends. She has advanced educational work at Williams, from major grants to important conversations about the role of technology and the creative arts in a liberal arts education. In addition, she has encouraged a culture of shared, community-wide responsibility for diversity, equity and inclusion work and continued Williams' investment in the sustainability of its built environment.
 
President Mandel is also an accomplished historian, whose scholarship looks at how policies and practices of inclusion and exclusion in 20th-century France have affected Jews, Armenians and Muslim North Africans, among other minorities. Her scholarship has been recognized with fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Council of Learned Societies and the American Philosophical Society, among others. In addition to her presidential duties, she holds the title of professor of history and teaches as her schedule allows.
 
She earned her B.A. from Oberlin College in 1989 and her master's degree and Ph.D. in history from the University of Michigan in 1993 and 1998, respectively. 

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Mount Greylock Hosts Argentinian Students for Exchange Program

By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Mount Greylock Regional High School is currently hosting 36 students from La Cumbre, Argentina, for a two-week cultural exchange program.
 
The program, organized by Mount Greylock Spanish Department, involves a variety of cultural and social events for the visiting students.
 
"It is incredibly impactful on their academic experience," said Shannon Vigeant, Spanish teacher and Spanish Club adviser. "This allows them to experience the world in different ways, to connect to the language in a different way, and bring life to learning."
 
Vigeant organized the program with her colleagues Joe Johnson and Amy Kirby, also Spanish teachers at the school. She said it took some time to coordinate the exchange, which saw 25 Mount Greylock students visit La Cumbre last year.
 
"This is something we wanted to do for a long time, but we had a hard time getting it off the ground," Vigeant said. "We were just getting everyone on board and then COVID hit. It took about a year and a half, two years."
 
The Argentinian students, who arrived April 11, are improving their English language skills and immersing themselves in American culture. Simultaneously, Mount Greylock students are enhancing their Spanish language abilities and broadening their global perspectives.
 
"We're making friends from other countries, so I think that's a great experience," said Mount Greylock student Rafa Mellow-Bartels. "So to meet people from such a different part of the world from a different culture is interesting. We can learn about them, and now we get to show them what we do."
 
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