Williams College has appointed Maud S. Mandel, dean of the college and professor of history and Judaic studies at Brown University, as its 18th president.

Mandel, who will begin her tenure in July, will be the first woman president at Williams since its establishment in 1793. The college's board of trustees unanimously approved her appointment on Sunday, prior to Tuesday morning's public announcement.

"She has a distinguished record as a scholar, a teacher and an academic leader, and has demonstrated throughout her career a deep and abiding affection for the students, faculty and staff who together create a great academic enterprise," wrote Michael Eisenson ('77), chairman of both the Williams board of trustees and the college's Presidential Search Committee, in the announcement. "She embodies the values at our core and will provide outstanding leadership as we continue to pursue our shared aspirations for Williams."

In a brief phone conversation with The Eagle on Tuesday evening, Mandel said she's particularly drawn to the Williams College mission, which includes the "bold ambition: To provide the finest possible liberal arts education" and to help students gain the wisdom and skills they need to become, "rigorously self-reflective, ethically alert, and imaginatively alive."

To address becoming the first female leader of Williams, Mandel said that as "someone who champions diversity and inclusion work," she is glad to see the college and other institutions "open up to a broader spectrum of talent across the country." ...