More generally, the very presence on the campus of a group of informed, interested foreign students helps to create an awareness of the great diversity and the many forms of that diversity that inhabit the world. In particular, all CDE students come from nations where a huge proportion of the population lives in overwhelming poverty. That Williams students become aware of this fact and of its implications for world stability and peace, and for their own morality, is surely a matter of high relevance to a first rate liberal arts education. The CDE students also make an impact on the broader Williamstown community. All students have host families, many attend local churches, a few will have a child or two in the local schools, and some take part in other local activities.
Education takes place in many ways.
The only help it receives from the College is a subsidy on the rent of the Center building. Center students, of course, have access to college libraries, sports facilities, concerts, etc. The main source of continuing income however is the tuition paid by the participants. Students usually obtain financial support from international organizations, the United States Agency for International Development, or from their own government or employer. The Center is now trying to establish an endowment that will yield enough income to cover a major part of the costs of the program.