Climate & Community Leaders Initiative

Launched in 2025, the Climate & Community Leaders Initiative offers a deeply engaging and meaningful pathway for students to explore humankind’s relationship to coastal and ocean environments in an era of global climate change. 

Each cohort of CCL students will broaden their understanding of critical environmental issues and make important connections to their chosen field of study. The collective, multi-year experience, which includes a semester at Williams-Mystic, is designed to prepare students for leadership positions in key growing fields, transcending divisional and disciplinary boundaries. The CCL initiative is administered by Williams-Mystic, in partnership with Global Education and Study Away, the Coastal and Ocean Studies concentration (CaOS), the Zilkha Center for the Environment, the Environmental Justice Clinic, the ‘68 Center for Career Exploration and the Center for Learning in Action. 

What's Involved?

Combining the interdisciplinary Williams-Mystic coastal and ocean studies semester with access to relevant paid summer internships, alumni and faculty mentorships and a winter study experience, this initiative goes beyond a single semester at Williams-Mystic. 

Cohorts of Climate and Community Leaders (CCL) benefit from climate and environmentally focused research and education opportunities and will illustrate the importance of multiple perspectives, including the humanities and social sciences, in solving complex climate-related challenges. 

Participants build leadership, advocacy and research skill sets through research and travel opportunities related to climate action, environmental sustainability and experiential learning.

• Each selected CCL student is admitted to Williams-Mystic within two semesters after acceptance. 

• Following their semester at Williams-Mystic, students are eligible for two consecutive paid summer internship opportunities in government, blue economy, non-profit, academic or commercial business sectors and related winter study experiences. Faculty and alumni mentorships support the internship selection process.

• In their junior or senior year, CCLs are eligible to present their work on campus at the semi-annual Williams Climate and Community Research Summit.

• In addition to earning the CCL designation, students successfully completing the pathway will receive a Climate & Community Leader certificate upon graduation. 

• Some CCL students may choose to be Coastal & Ocean Studies concentrators, however, it is not a requirement of the CCL initiative.

Climate & Community Leaders Application 

In 2025, second-semester first years and sophomores may apply to join their CCL class cohort; in subsequent years it may be limited to first-year students. Up to seven students will be selected per class. The CCL application opens Monday, February 17 and closes Monday, March 17. Notifications will be made to all applicants by March 31, 2025. 

Applicants will submit the following through Terra Dotta, using their single sign-on Williams credentials.

• CCL application (personal statement and short essay question)

• Names and contact information for two references. At least one reference is ideally a Williams professor, however, if you do not yet know any Williams professors sufficiently well to request a that they act as a reference, please email Executive Director Tom Van Winkle at tsv1@williams.edu so that he may advise you. The second reference may be a a professor or may be an individual who knows you well through a job, internship or work with a community organization.

• Current transcript

• Current resume

• Applicants will be contacted to schedule their interview when their complete application is submitted.

Students wishing to apply for a semester at Williams-Mystic, but not the CCL, may apply through the Williams-Mystic application in Terra Dotta.