Hobart and William Smith Colleges

In October, I had the privilege of joining colleagues in Arkansas to celebrate the 30th anniversary of AmeriCorps and discuss the future of national service. The conversation was wide-ranging, but our goal was a shared one — given the innate value of volunteerism, how do we broaden its reach and deepen its impact? Falling in the weeks after the horrific terrorist attack in Israel and the devastating violence in Gaza, the AmeriCorps event offered a powerful reminder of the ways that engaging with one another from a place of service can bridge differences.

As so many of our students and alumni know, service is a uniquely transformative equalizer, bringing together people from diverse backgrounds and viewpoints to work toward a shared goal. A key aspect of our character as an institution is to put what’s learned on campus into practice in the wider world. Nothing is more important for the future — of the planet, of our nation, of the livelihoods of generations to come — than to equip young people with the skills to build connections across varying life experiences and viewpoints.

I am heartened, as we enter our third century, that the Hobart and William Smith community is modeling this kind of action, whether through our nationally recognized civic engagement and service programming or campus events such as the President’s Forum and the Stern Family Forum. As you’ll read in this issue’s feature story, it is personal connections and collaborations that create the academic experiences and professional opportunities that are changing the world for the better.

This fall, Hobart and William Smith lost three individuals whose leadership and vision changed HWS for the better. Honorary Trustee Chester “Roy” L. Dexheimer ’55, P’86, GP’18, LL.D.’80, Trustee Michael E. Rawlins ’80, P’16 and Former Chair of the Board and Honorary Trustee Charles H. Salisbury Jr. ’63, P’94, L.H.D.’08 embodied our values of service and community as few others have. Roy, Michael and Charlie dedicated themselves to creating opportunities for students to reach their fullest potential, both on campus and after graduation. While this issue offers a glimpse of the profound and enduring impact that Roy, Michael and Charlie had on our community, the scope of their work on behalf of HWS is truly extraordinary. They will be dearly missed.

With their legacies in mind, HWS begins the spring semester building on the momentum of the fall, which saw an historic gift from Honorary Trustee Katherine D. Elliott ’66, L.H.D. ’08 and Richard Abramson, remarkable grant support for our science faculty and the continued leadership of Trustee Chip Carver ’81 and Anne DeLaney.

I hope to see many of you on campus in April to observe the total eclipse and celebrate the Year of the Sun — and of course, for our Commencement and Reunion festivities.