Dear Friends of Williams Track and Field,

As some of you know, Ralph White has informed his team that the College has decided not to renew his contract when it ends June 30.

Some of you have e-mailed us about this.  As the President of the College and the Chair of the Committee on Appointments and Promotions, we thought that this listserv posting would be a good way to communicate all that we can about the matter.

Some of you have communicated very convincingly and even movingly your high regard for Coach White and the positive role he's played in your lives and the lives of others.  Indeed the College knows very well the many good things that he has done for Williams students.  Nonetheless, other aspects of his job performance have outweighed them.

As is the case in all personnel matters at Williams, the process for deciding whether to offer a five-year contract to a coach is very thorough and thoughtful.  The initial recommendation comes from the senior colleagues in the Athletic Department, based on a variety of inputs, including interviews with athletes.  That recommendation goes to the Committee on Appointments and Promotions, which, before reaching its conclusion, scrutinizes the department recommendation and the process that produced it to ensure their thoroughness and thoughtfulness.  After a decision has been made, the faculty member can ask the Committee to review whether its own process has been sufficiently thorough.  If the Committee determines that it was, the faculty member can then ask for a final review of that process by other faculty colleagues, who have not yet been involved.  The process overall is extremely careful, but that's what we should expect of Williams.

Coach White has one remaining step in the appeal process that he has the option to pursue.

Based on our close experience with decisions about personnel and other matters at Williams, we can say that so far the process in reaching this decision has adhered to the College's highest standards and that the two of us, and all who have been involved with the decision, have complete confidence that it's in the best interests of Williams students.

Some messages to us have noted our reluctance to describe the issues that in the College's mind have outweighed Coach White's clearly strong qualities. Some have even suggested that our not doing so falls short of the College's principles.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, to state the reasons for the decision publicly would betray Williams' deep, principled commitment to personnel ethics and law, and we believe that you, as people who care deeply about the College, would not really want us to betray these vital principles.  We speak about Coach White's situation at the length that we do here only because people have asked us to explain the situation as fully as we can.

This message does that.  Your experiences with Coach White may lead others of you to write to us.  We understand that, but since this is all that we can say on the matter and since the work of the College goes on, we won't be in a position to respond personally to e-mails or letters.

Williams Track and Field is a wonderful entity-full of remarkably able and dedicated students, coaches, parents, and alumni.  The expressions of concern that some of you have communicated result, we know, from the passion that helps make this program great.  Williams Track and Field has been exceptional for decades and it will continue to be that in the future.  We understand the contributions Coach White has made to the program, to the College, and to many of you.  May that continue through the rest of this season.  But then, the College is utterly convinced, it is time to move on.

Regards,

Morty Schapiro
President of the College

Bill Wagner
Dean of the Faculty and
Chair of the Committee on Appointments and Promotions