HWS News Top Stories
5 January 2023Professor Bodenlos on Being the Change
A new book by Professor of Psychological Science Jamie Bodenlos offers practical guidance for activists to maximize their impact as agents of change.
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5 January 2023Historic Debate Performance at World Championships
At the world’s premier collegiate debate competition, HWS debaters finished with one of the team’s best performances ever at the tournament.
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3 January 2023Podcast’s Success Soars Internationally
In 2022, listenership for the Entrepreneurial Endeavors podcast took off. A recent episode featured director and producer Brad Falchuk '93, L.H.D.'14.
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3 January 2023Finding a Passion for ESL Teaching
Molly Gorelick ’19 is pursuing her Master's in TESOL, ESL and Bilingual Education.
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22 December 2022It’s Going to be Fun
The annual Winter Wonderland will once again welcome students back to campus for the spring semester on Saturday, Jan. 28.
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22 December 2022New Streams of Thought
A look at our innovative graduate program and three new academic minors, and examine the exciting possibilities for classroom learning, student research and future careers.
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22 December 20222022: A Remarkable Year
As our historic Bicentennial year comes to a close, we pause to look back on the many successes of the past year.
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21 December 2022HWS to Compete in World’s Largest Debate Tournament
Four students are preparing for their trip to Spain, where they will compete against 540 debaters at the annual World Universities Debating Championships.
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16 December 2022Yemen in the Shadow of Transition
Drawing on 17 years of field research and collaboration with Yemeni researchers, Associate Professor of International Relations Stacey Philbrick Yadav’s new book explores the peace-building in Yemen against a backdrop of deadlocked political and humanitarian crises.
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15 December 2022Writing and Thinking Partners Develop
The newest cohort of 12 peer tutors join the Writing Colleagues Program.
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15 December 2022Describe Yourself in Three Words
At the end of their first semester at the Colleges, members of the Classes of 2026 reflect on who they are now and who they want to be.
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15 December 2022McCormack ’23 Reflects on Starring in Cabaret
Approaching her final semester, Julia McCormack ’23 reflects on playing the lead role of Sally Bowles in the community production of the musical Cabaret.
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15 December 2022Bilingual Community
Research project combines historic play translation and outreach with local Spanish-speakers.
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15 December 2022Landscape Architecture with Barton & Loguidice
Environmental studies capstone helps launch Amanda Kesler’s ’22 career in landscape architecture with Barton & Loguidice.
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15 December 2022Stein Family Commits $5 Million to Integrated Science Center Project
A generous gift from Kevin Stein ’88 and his family provides the financial foundation for a state-of-the-art building that will be the hub of scientific education at Hobart and William Smith.
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13 December 2022Holiday Giving
Annual student food drive to provide 40 ham roasts to Geneva Center of Concern.
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12 December 2022Statesmen extend stay at #1
For the fifth consecutive week, the Hobart College hockey team is ranked No. 1 in the DCU/USCHO.com poll. The Statesmen received all 20 first place votes for the fourth consecutive week.
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8 December 2022Physics: The Most Mind Blowing Discipline
Associate Professor Steven Penn teaches “PHYSX: Knowing the World,” instructing and advising first-year students on the Physics track.
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8 December 2022Dooley Presents on Spectroscopy Imaging in Artwork
Dr. Kathryn Dooley, a research scientist at the National Gallery of Art, presented on the use of multimodal imaging spectroscopy as the 2022 Hill-Franks Speaker in Chemistry.
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8 December 2022Meet the 2023 Pitch Semifinalists
Ten student ventures have advanced to the semifinals in the Todd Feldman ’89 and Family Pitch Contest.
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7 December 2022Carving a Path
Every department starts somewhere and with the HWS Art and Architecture Department, it began with Norman Kent.
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7 December 2022An International Perspective of Veterinary Medicine
During the spring, Natalie McCarthy ’22 spent three months in Thailand learning up-close what life as a veterinarian is like as part of the selective Thailand Veterinary Seminar Abroad.
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7 December 2022HWS Wins Six CASE Awards
For work on writing, marketing and social media, Hobart and William Smith won six awards from the Council of Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) in the Best of District II Awards.
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7 December 2022Alternative Spring Break Applications Open
The 2023 programs include service-learning trips to tutor in North Carolina, learning about life of migrant workers in New York and performing service work in Virginia.
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6 December 2022Alexander nets 2, #1 Hobart blanks #15 Skidmore 4-0
The top-ranked Hobart College hockey team erupted for three goals in the second period as it knocked off 15th-ranked Skidmore 4-0 in a New England Hockey Conference contest at The Cooler this afternoon.
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6 December 2022William Smith Soccer Berg Named All-American
William Smith College senior midfielder Julia Berg was named a 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-American today. She was selected to the first team.
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5 December 2022Drosdowich '72 Reflects on College Experience
George Drosdowich ’72 explores coming of age amid the tumultuous cultural and societal changes of the late 1960s and early 1970s in his new book Bad to Me, published by Nine Mile Books.
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2 December 2022Vicious is My Middle Name
Professor of International Relations Kevin Dunn’s debut novel is “a must-read for anyone who has ever felt like a misfit and found solace in books and music.”
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2 December 2022Revitalizing Australia’s Ecology
While studying abroad this fall, students planted 250 native trees in Queensland, Australia to aid habitat restoration.
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1 December 2022Alums on Oprah’s “Favorite Things” List
Two companies helmed by HWS alums appear on Oprah Winfrey’s 2022 Favorite Things list.
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30 November 2022Increasing the Vote
Hobart and William Smith Colleges have been named one of nearly 400 colleges and universities across the country for increasing student voter participation in the 2022 midterm elections as part of ALL IN’s Campus Democracy Challenge.
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30 November 2022Award-winning Serial Lyric Essay
Author Katherine Indermaur will deliver the final Trias Reading of the fall semester.
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30 November 2022Goldman brings Colorado-Style to HWS Sailing
From Colorado to Seneca Lake, Elijah Goldman ’26 shares his journey to HWS sailing.
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29 November 2022Statesmen remain #1 in USCHO.com poll
For the third straight week, the Hobart College hockey team claimed the top spot in the DCU/USCHO.com poll. In addition, the Statesmen received all 20 first place votes for the second consecutive poll.
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29 November 2022Teaching Young Readers
As an AmeriCorps tutor, Isabelle Jeppsen ’21 says she is eager to help students in kindergarten to third grade with their reading through intervention activities at Literacy Lab in Washington, D.C.
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22 November 2022Mead '13 Wins at Grow-NY
Matthew “Mattie” Mead ’13, a co-founder of the hemp-based material business Hempitecture, won $500,000 in this year’s Grow-NY Food and Agriculture competition in Syracuse, New York, with the finalists pitching their businesses on Nov. 15-16.
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21 November 2022Blogging from Kenya
This semester, environmental studies major Mary Baillos ’24 is studying abroad in Kenya through a Center for Global Education partnership with St. Lawrence University.
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17 November 2022New Art by Ruth Featured in NYC Gallery
Professor of Art and Architecture Nick Ruth will attend the opening reception of into this world, an exhibition at Planthouse art gallery in New York City that showcases his work. Ruth’s 2022 screenprint and colored pencil This Place X (pictured here) is featured on the exhibit announcement card.
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16 November 2022An Abundant Life
Coming from careers spanning the fields of law, government, human services, education and health care, five William Smith alums returned to campus to share their stories with students, faculty and staff that filled the Vandervort Room on Thursday night.
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15 November 2022Immersion Through Language
As part of the Colleges’ exchange program with Technos International College, two students from Tokyo recently visited campus.
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15 November 2022Biggest HWS Club-hosted Event of the Year
This semester, more than 100 students took center stage for the Kinetic Dance Collective’s annual fall showcase.
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15 November 2022Commit to the Future with the Anderton Impact Challenge
Former Trustee James F. Anderton IV ’65 hopes to inspire HWS alums and friends — and leverage his $1 million gift into even more support for student scholarships and financial aid.
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10 November 2022Remembering Professor Grant Holly
A successful screenwriter, scholar of literary theory, and member of English faculty for 52 years, Professor Holly passed away on campus on Tuesday.
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10 November 2022No. 17 Herons Soar Past Hawks in NCAA First Round
The nationally ranked William Smith College field hockey team defeated Hartwick 4-0 in the first round of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championships on McCooey Field.
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10 November 2022Do Dogs "See" Smell?
In his latest blog on Psychology Today, Associate Professor of Psychological Science Daniel Graham details new research from Cornell University Veterinary College that explores differences in how dog brains process smells.
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9 November 2022Biomedical Research
The National Institutes of Health selected Maegan Manning ’22 for a highly competitive Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award.
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9 November 2022Statesmen Move Up to No. 2
The Hobart College hockey team moved up one spot to No. 2 in the USCHO.com poll, receiving one first place vote.
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4 November 2022Davis Reflects on a Career of Investing
This fall, Robert “Mal” Davis ’62, GP’18, GP’23 published a retrospective of his 56-year career as a wealth manager. With “I Made House Calls,” Davis details for readers some of the key ideas and experiences that shaped his success, examining his business and investing philosophy, important historical context and illuminating personal anecdotes.
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3 November 2022“You are Here” Day Empowers College and Career Journeys
Every year, Hobart and William Smith welcomes students from the Geneva City School District to visit campus as second-graders, sixth-graders and again during the ninth grade as part of the Geneva 2030 Initiative. After a two-year pause due to the pandemic, ninth graders recently returned to campus as part of the initiative’s commitment to college and career preparedness.
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3 November 2022HWS Hosts Debate Championship
In the debate world, Hobart and William Smith has a reputation for hosting elite tournaments. This esteem was built over years of hosting the annual HWS Round Robin, an international tournament of champions, began by members of the Colleges’ 2006 debate team.
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3 November 2022Everyday Wonders
Under the Direction of Colin Mann, the HWS Community Chorus will present Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo and Gloria in D, works that juxtapose two very different cantatas, in a performance at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at The Presbyterian Church, 24 Park Place, Geneva. The concert is free and open to the public.
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2 November 2022Vying for $1 Million in Grow-NY Competition
As a finalist in this year’s Grow-NY Food and Agriculture Competition, Matthew “Mattie” Mead ’13, CEO and co-founder of Hempitecture, hopes a victory and its $1 million purse will allow him to expand his business back to its origin in New York.
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1 November 2022Capitalizing on Opportunity in the Nation's Capitol
Economics major Jesse Whelan-Small ’24 spent his summer in the Washington, D.C. office of Congressman Donald M. Payne Jr. as a legislative intern. Through this role, Whelan-Small gained valuable experience crafting correspondence with constituents through letters and news updates, meeting with lobbyists and advocacy groups and attending committee hearings and congressional briefings.
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1 November 2022President Gearan on National Service in the 21st Century
President Mark D. Gearan will join the Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Rochester’s Fall Forum series, delivering a guest presentation on the state of public service in the U.S. and possibilities for its future.
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28 October 2022Military Service Celebrated
During Bicentennial Weekend, HWS honored the military service of alums with the release of a book about veteran-alums and a panel discussion and book signing with its authors.
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27 October 2022IdeaLab Fosters Student Initiatives
From a community skatepark program to a ride hailing service for rural towns and a clothing recycling service, students participating in IdeaLab have been working to flesh out their initiatives to full-on enterprises.
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27 October 2022Click Here to See Hobart's Bicentennial Media Page
In honor of the 200th anniversary of Hobart College, making it one of the 50 oldest colleges in the United States, multiple events have celebrated the college’s historic past and promising future.
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26 October 2022Founder's Day Event Welcomes Back Alums
Five William Smith alums will discuss their career trajectories during William Smith’s Founder’s Day talk “Life Transitions after College” on Thursday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. in the Vandervort Room. President Mark D. Gearan will deliver welcoming remarks.
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26 October 2022Expect the Unexpected
HWS Theatre will open the 2022-23 season on Nov. 3 with Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind (30 Plays in 60 Minutes) by Greg Allen.
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26 October 2022Christie and Carville Talk Politics
During the Bicentennial weekend’s Stern Family Forum, two political veterans shared their insights on the 2022 midterms, the issues animating voters, and strategies for effective campaigns, governance and political cooperation.
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26 October 2022Gearan Launches Voices of Democracy Podcast
The inaugural episode features former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and political commentator and strategist James Carville LL.D. ’13, P’17.
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26 October 2022Making the Student Experience the Best it Can Be
In 2020, David Wilson P’24 and Lisa Lexa P’24 watched as their daughter Frances Wilson ’24 missed the final months of her senior year in high school and the celebrations it entailed. Prom, graduation, sports banquets — all canceled. They wondered with trepidation what Frances’ first year of college would look like.
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24 October 2022Announcing the Alger Adams '32 Intercultural Center
Thanks to Chair of the Board of Trustees Craig Stine ’81, P’17 and his wife, Kathy, the Colleges’ new Intercultural Center will bear the name of the Rev. Dr. Alger L. Adams ’32, the first Black man to graduate from Hobart College.
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20 October 2022Unvarnished America
Described as “one of the most original choreographers on the downtown dance scene,” (Village Voice) Bessie Award winning NYC choreographer Jane Comfort has been creating innovative work that bridges movement and text, dance and theatre, and the personal and the political since 1978. Comfort’s choreography addresses contemporary and social issues with compassion and wit.
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20 October 2022Behind the Curtain View
In advance of the HWS Theatre Department's production of the neo-futurist play Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind by Greg Allen (running Nov. 3, 4, 5), New York Neo-Futurist founding member and current co-Artistic Director Rob Neill will present a talk titled “Storytelling, Neo-Futurism, and Devised Theater” on Friday, Oct. 21 from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. in the Gearan Center Room 228.
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19 October 2022Creating One Final Mandala
The Venerable Tenzin Yignyen will create his final sand mandala for Hobart and William Smith as part of Hobart College’s Bicentennial Celebration.
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18 October 2022Celebrating the Military Service of HWS Alums
Hobart and William Smith have a long connection to the United States Armed Forces, dating back to the founding of Hobart College in 1822 with early trustees serving in the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 and students serving not long after the College’s founding.
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14 October 2022Geneva 2030 Aims “Back to the Future”
During the annual meeting for Geneva 2030 and Success for Geneva’s Children, program highlights celebrated the engaged citizenship and philanthropy that have had an impact on literacy, high school graduation rates, school, college and career readiness.
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13 October 2022Domestic Violence Talk
Author and activist Linda Dynel will give a public talk on intimate partner violence.
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13 October 2022Documenting Athens, Greece
For nearly a decade, Visiting Assistant Professor in Media and Society Julia Tulke has been documenting political street art in Athens, Greece. Her research has received international acclaim.
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12 October 2022Veterinarian Mentor
Matt Brown ’24 found a role model in Veterinarian Jonathan Wilkerson ’95, P'26 while completing an internship in Philadelphia this summer.
Read More12 October 2022HWS Debate’s Strong Season Opener
At the Cornell IV Debate Tournament, HWS Debate proved they’re more than ready for another epic semester.
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12 October 2022New Staff to Tackle Non-Native Species in the Finger Lakes
The Finger Lakes Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (Finger Lakes PRISM) is a collaborative program designed to address the threat of invasive species. Housed within Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ Finger Lakes Institute (FLI), the program is one of eight across New York that focus on managing invasive species, developing detection programs, employing response efforts, providing education programs and outreach, and working with communities.
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11 October 2022Tapper Fund Advances Student-Faculty STEM Research
Over the past year, Professor of Chemistry Christine de Denus and her research group have made significant headway in identifying molecular wire candidates, which may one day replace silicon chips in small electronic devices. Meanwhile, students across STEM disciplines pursued collaborative research projects through the Colleges’ summer science programs.
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7 October 2022Campbell '18 Promoted at Mathematica
In her new role as data analytics developer supervisor at Mathematica, Katherine Campbell ’18 oversees a team of six employees who do data analysis and evaluation, primarily in labor and education fields, while she also performs data cleaning, analysis and programming.
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6 October 2022HWS Expands Posse Partnership
Ten years after Hobart and William Smith began its partnership with Posse students from Los Angeles, the Colleges are expanding its partnership with Posse to welcome students from Chicago.
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4 October 2022HWS Votes Looks to Triple Voter Participation Ahead of Mid Terms
On National Voter Registration Day, HWS Votes was out in full force encouraging people to register to vote.
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4 October 2022Day of Service Joins with San Francisco Alums
On campus, the fall Day of Service will bring students into the FLX community for a day of volunteerism. In conjunction with the event, alums in the San Francisco Bay Area will work at a food pantry.
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30 September 2022Crow Awarded Research Fellowship
Associate Professor of History Matthew Crow has been awarded a residential research fellowship by the Omohundro Institute at the College of William and Mary for his study of the influence of the Renaissance and Reformation on the Enlightenment and Age of Revolutions, and on the origins of the United States.
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29 September 2022Governor Chris Christie, James Carville and Bill Whitaker Headline Fall Stern Family Forum
As part of Hobart’s Bicentennial celebration, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and political commentator and strategist James Carville LL.D. ’13, P’17 will join the HWS community for a panel discussion moderated by Emmy Award-winning 60 Minutes Correspondent and HWS Trustee Bill Whitaker '73, L.H.D.'97.
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23 September 2022Vincent ’83 Commits $50K to IC Renovation
The renovation of the Intercultural Affairs Center received a boost from former HWS president and current Talladega College President Gregory J. Vincent ’83.
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23 September 2022Simons-Barrientos ’21 Heads to The University of Southern California for Public Health
This fall, Ferdy Simons-Barrientos ’21 is pursuing a master’s in public health at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.
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23 September 2022HWS Aquatic Science Joins Geneva High School
Geneva High School students will dive into aquatic science under a new program based at Hobart and William Smith.
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22 September 2022Dobkowski Gives Talk at Jewish Book Festival
Professor of Religious Studies Michael Dobkowski spoke on mortality and the Holocaust in conversation with author Dara Horn at the Rochester’s Jewish Book Festival.
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22 September 2022HWS Ranked 4th in the Nation for Service
For the sixth year in a row, Hobart and William Smith Colleges are among the top five U.S. liberal arts institutions for service, according to Washington Monthly’s annual rankings.
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22 September 2022Critical Lenses, Clear Pathways
Provost and Dean of Faculty Sarah Kirk previews the Colleges’ academic outlook for this year and beyond, new programs, priorities and the unrivaled interdisciplinary, residential education that students find at HWS.
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22 September 2022Cohen ’67 Donates to Colleges, Creates Endowed Fund
Psychology Research, Internships, Leadership and Athletics will benefit from gift from Dr. Stephen L. Cohen ’67.
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22 September 2022HWS Theatre Announces a Thoroughly Unpredictable 2022-2023 Season
HWS Theatre has announced plans for a full season return to their home in McDonald Theatre of the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts.
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19 September 2022Kanungo '23 Discusses the Future of UTime
With $50,000 raised in startup capital, Sreyan Kanungo ’23 answers questions about moving the automated scheduling system company forward.
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16 September 2022Budmen ’15, MAT’16 Engaged with Leadership Ontario
CCESL’s Peter Budmen to serve with Leadership Ontario.
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16 September 2022Harris to Speak on Vietnam
As a featured guest for the Asian Film & Talk Series: Masculinity, Food, and Social Changes at New College Florida, Professor of Sociology Jack Harris P’02, P’06 will present his research on Vietnam.
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16 September 2022Friedlander ’80, P’10 Offers Support through Planned Gift
Lynne Friedlander ’80, P’10 gives back, propelling HWS forward.
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16 September 2022Earley ’23 Completes Internship with National Women’s Hall of Fame
This summer, Lauren Earley ’23 found both a mission that mattered to her and an opportunity to further her academic pursuits through an internship with the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
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15 September 2022With Ivan and Ruth Kuhl, the Legacy of Hobart’s No. 1 Fan Remains Strong
To many Hobart College students who matriculated during the first half of the 20th century, an intercollegiate athletics contest without Art Kenney leading cheers from the bleachers or sidelines was unthinkable.
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15 September 2022Geneva 2030 and Success for Geneva’s Children Host Joint Meeting
Dr. Brian Fowler, HWS President Mark D. Gearan and Geneva City School Superintendent Bo Wright will speak at the annual joint meeting of Geneva 2030 and Success for Geneva's Children.
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13 September 2022Bayer Named William R. Kenan Jr. Chair
Professor of Women’s Studies Betty M. Bayer, who holds the William R. Kenan Jr. Chair, works at the intersection of feminist history and psychology.
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13 September 2022Media and Society Students and Faculty Attend Toronto International Film Festival
Assistant Professor of Media and Society Jiangtao Harry Gu ’13 and four HWS students attended the opening weekend of the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival last weekend.
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13 September 2022New Critical Museum Studies Minor
A new minor in Critical Museum Studies offers students the chance to investigate museums from a decolonial perspective while providing them the practical skills to work in a variety of fields.
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9 September 2022Remembering September 11
HWS to reflect on the impact of the attacks of September 11.
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9 September 2022Eisenbud '23 Completes Two Internships
Jada Eisenbud ’23 lands an internship with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and another as a human rights law researcher with the Brussels School of Government.
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