Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Taking Care of Business

A $2 million lead gift from Board Chair Craig R. Stine ’81, P’17 and Kathy Hay Stine P’17 supports an endowed professorship for the Colleges’ newest major, Management and Entrepreneurship, which prepares aspiring business leaders to solve complex interdisciplinary problems.

BY COLIN SPENCER ’19

Launching this fall, Hobart and William Smith’s Management and Entrepreneurship program provides an interdisciplinary structure for students interested in careers in business to succeed as leaders and innovators of the 21st century.

The program has been accelerated thanks to a $2 million lead gift in support of faculty from Chair of the Board of Trustees Craig R. Stine ’81, P’17 and his wife Kathy Hay Stine P’17.

“Business leaders need a diverse and ever-expanding set of skills, especially today, and in my experience, there is no better academic background than the liberal arts,” says Craig Stine, Vice Chairman for the Global Financial Institutions Group at Barclays Investment Bank. “I am thrilled about the opportunities that the Management and Entrepreneurship major will create for Hobart and William Smith students to develop the critical and creative thinking and strategic decision-making skills that will enable them, in turn, to create the future.”

The Stines’ gift endows a professorship in Management and Entrepreneurship. Professor of Economics Tom Drennen will serve as the inaugural Stine Family Chair of Management and Entrepreneurship.

Former Trustee Daniel L. Rosensweig ’83, President and CEO of Chegg, also made a commitment to support faculty positions over the next five years. He says: “Students who can think, question, collaborate, communicate and execute will find themselves in the leadership positions of the future. I believe that liberal arts, paired with entrepreneurship and an appreciation for technology along with an understanding of how to leverage it, is the right balance for students entering the modern economy.”

“We want to give our students the skills they need to pursue their passion when they leave Hobart and William Smith,” says Drennen. “This program represents an incredible amount of collaboration from faculty across the curriculum, and we are very grateful to Craig, Kathy and Dan for their support.”

The new major develops quantitative skills in data analysis and market literacy alongside the ethical and critical-thinking capabilities needed to take on today’s social, economic and environmental challenges. It builds on the existing curriculum of the Entrepreneurial Studies minor program with new courses, including “Fundamentals of Marketing,” “Managerial Accounting,” “Organizational Management” and “Nonprofit Management,” and a capstone project, which challenges students to develop a complete, actionable business plan.

President Mark D. Gearan says the gifts signal an exciting new chapter for innovation at the Colleges. “Hobart and William Smith have a rich tradition of entrepreneurialism. Thanks to the vision of Craig and Kathy’s leadership gift, with invaluable support and guidance from Dan and others, the Management and Entrepreneurship faculty will foster tomorrow’s leaders as they learn how HWS does business.”

THE LEADING EDGE

Management and Entrepreneurship offers a compelling academic path for aspiring entrepreneurs and leaders in public, private and nonprofit enterprises, as well as for students interested in finance and consulting. Coursework develops skills in data analysis and visualization, market and financial literacy, research methods, technical writing, and oral presentation and pitching.