Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Building a Better World

At Commencement, HWS celebrated graduates as well as the achievements of honorary degree recipients who have devoted themselves to enriching HWS and the communities around them.

In his Commencement address, social entrepreneur Alan Khazei L.H.D. ’15 praised the passion of Hobart and William Smith graduates — members of the “world’s first global generation and most socially and politically active since the 1960s.”

“I started City Year because I deeply believe in the power of young people like you to change the world,” said Khazei. “Your passion and leadership can bring us to a fairer, equitable, inclusive and just America and world. We need you to do that…. I believe that Hobart and William Smith has prepared you well and I cannot wait until your generation is in charge.”

During Commencement, HWS awarded honorary degrees to four individuals who represent the values and ideals of Hobart and William Smith including: Patricia L. Adams, a successful corporate professional, musician, journalist, steadfast friend of the Colleges and daughter of Hobart’s first Black graduate, the Rev. Dr. Alger L. Adams ’32, D.D. ’83; Dr. Gilberto Arbelaez ’06, the only emergency physician on staff at Uvalde Memorial Hospital who treated victims in the immediate aftermath of the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas; Cynthia Gelsthorpe Fish ’82, a longtime member of the Board of Trustees who has advanced the Colleges’ efforts in governance and leadership and has been active in causes related to health, wellbeing and education; and Kevin Colton, Hobart and William Smith’s longtime lead photographer who has brought campus to life with his unique perspective.