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Upfront: A Letter from President Jacobsen
After the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the fall, Associate Professor of American Studies Kirin Makker made this collar out of paper for the Elizabeth Blackwell Statue on the Hobart Quad, a fitting tribute to Justice Ginsburg.
American Pioneers
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Honoring Blackwell and Ginsberg
In recognition of a lifetime of extraordinary achievements and public service, including authorship of landmark decisions impacting women’s rights and gender discrimination, the late Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was posthumously honored as the 41st recipient of the Elizabeth Blackwell Award on Feb. 3, 2021, the 200th birthday of the award’s namesake, the first woman to receive the Doctor of Medicine degree.
The award — conferred by Hobart and William Smith to women whose lives exemplify outstanding service to humanity — celebrates Ginsburg’s extraordinary achievements and public service.
At the Cornell Club in New York City, President Joyce P. Jacobsen and Board Chair Craig R. Stine ’81, P’17 presented the award in person to Ginsburg’s daughter, Jane C. Ginsburg, the Morton L. Janklow Professor of Literary and Artistic Property Law at Columbia Law School. Ginsburg’s son, James Steven Ginsburg, the founder and president of Cedille Records, joined remotely from Chicago.
Jane Ginsburg noted: “We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of tributes to our mother, and we have not been able to participate in the acceptance of all of them, but this one was very special … not only for the remarkable graduate that it commemorates and for the extremely distinguished prior recipients … but also because of a very deep family connection to Hobart College [through] my mother’s beloved … cousin Richard Eugene Bader, Hobart Class of 1954.”
In a video tribute recorded for the award ceremony, Nina Totenberg, NPR’s legal affairs correspondent focusing on the Supreme Court, said, “I think it’s very fitting that the Elizabeth Blackwell Award is going to Justice Ginsburg, for she too was a pioneer in American life.”
Hill & Quad
Biking for a Cause
Jonathan Garcia ’23 shattered both his distance and dollar goals in a fundraiser for children’s cancer research in September. After pledging to ride 500 miles and raise $2,000, the mathematics major ended up biking 600 miles and raising $3,525 while participating in the Great Cycle Challenge. “I was inspired to take part in the challenge because I love biking and because my brother was diagnosed with a rare yet treatable cancer when he was a child,” Garcia says. He rode five or six times a week, with “shorter” two-hour rides on the weekdays and longer rides on the weekends. Though he mainly stayed in and around Geneva, he biked three times around the entirety of Seneca Lake.—Alex Dwyer ’23
CELEBRATING BLACKWELL
Continuing the celebration of the Elizabeth Blackwell Award on Feb. 3, 2021, Professor of Women’s Studies Betty Bayer facilitated a virtual conversation with Janice P. Nimura, author of The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine, a dual biography of Dr. Blackwell and her sister, Emily, who earned her medical degree shortly after Elizabeth.
Professor of Art and Architecture A.E. Ted Aub III and head winemaker at Hosmer Winery Julia Hoyle ’11 conducted a conversation about the spaces and objects in Geneva, N.Y., that Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell lived in and visited, as well as the ways in which she is remembered. Aub created the Elizabeth Blackwell sculpture dedicated in 1994 that rests on the Hobart Quad.
Newman Fellowship
Gabriela Martinez ’22 is one of only 212 students nationwide to be named to the 2020-2021 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows by Boston-based non-profit Campus Compact.
Martinez, who is studying anthropology, education and entrepreneurial studies, works as civic lead of outreach for the Center for Community Engagement and ServiceLearning, coordinating the Community Lunch program, the Holiday Gift Program and the Blood Drive.
Named for Campus Compact co-founder Frank Newman, the fellowship is a oneyear experience emphasizing personal, professional and civic growth for students who have demonstrated a capacity for leadership and an investment in solving public problems.
Racial Equity Leadership Alliance
In Nov. 2020, the Colleges became an inaugural member the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance (LACRELA), a partnership of more than 50 liberal arts institutions committed to improving and advancing racial equity. The allegiance will support key elements of the HWS Strategic Diversity Plan.
Created by the University of Southern California Race and Equity Center, LACRELA offers resources and opportunities to enable administrators, faculty and staff to foster a more inclusive campus community.
Presidents of alliance member colleges meet quarterly to share strategies, seek advice and identify ways to leverage LACRELA for collective impact on racial equity in higher education. The Center is developing an online repository of resources and tools for member institutions. HWS employees will have 24/7 full access to the virtual resource portal.
We’re Running Out of Room for the Trophies!*
Changes brought about by the ongoing pandemic have been no match for both novice and experienced members of the Debate Team as they continue their competitive streak.
Bart Lahiff ’20 and Sarim Karim ’22 finished in the quarterfinals of the 2020 United States University Debating Championships; Sreyan Kanungo ’23 and Karim finished as quarterfinalists at the Hart House IV at the University of Toronto, one of the premier tournaments in North America; and William Lewis ’23 and Elise Donovan ’22 finished as varsity semifinalists at the Huber Debate tournament, hosted by the University of Vermont. As individual speakers, Eesha Anjum ’23 was awarded fifth best ESL speaker at the Huber Debates and Kanungo was recognized as the fourth best ESL speaker at Hart House.
First-year team members made strong showings as well. Eden LaRonde ’24 and July Winters ’24 won the Tertiary Division of the Jamaican Debate Open, while Maya Ratner ’24 and Christi Ashenden ’24 were named champions of the Rookie Division at the 2020 Novice Regional Championships hosted by McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Brendon Bennet ’23 and Jesse Whalen-Small ’24 made it to the novice semi-finals at the Hart House IV, the first novice team from HWS to ever qualify for elimination rounds at this major competition.
Team president Reed Herter ’22 stands among the top students in the North American debate circuit. Herter served as a chief adjudicator for the “Feed the Hungry” tournament in Nepal, tournament director for the 2020 United States Universities Debating Championships, chief adjudicator of the 2020 Maharashtra Debate Open in India and aid to assistant coach Marlene Pierce in running the 2020 Jamaican Open. As a debater, Herter has placed as a semifinalist at the Masters Competition at the World Championships held in Bangkok, Thailand and been in elimination rounds at the 2019 Eastern Regional Championships and the Asian Queer Open 2020.
“I’m thrilled with the performance of all of our students,” says Associate Professor of Philosophy Eric Barnes, who also coaches the Debate Team. “The team has never been bigger or more broadly successful, with a wide range of students competing against top ranked opponents and bringing impressive awards back to campus.”
Celebrating Commencement
Working within the constraints of State and County regulations, the Colleges intend to hold in-person Commencement ceremonies for the Classes of 2021 on May 16 and for the Classes of 2020 on June 6.
2021 Commencement
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden will deliver the 2021 Commencement Address and receive both an honorary degree and the Elizabeth Blackwell Award. On Sunday, May 16, during the Commencement ceremony for the Classes of 2021, the Colleges will also present honorary doctorates to Director of Public Health for Ontario County Mary L. Beer RN, MPH and Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva and the Geneva Community Center Christopher N. Lavin ’81 .
“Carla Hayden has served communities and the country as a champion for access to knowledge and literacy. With indefatigable energy, she is a trailblazer and a role model whose work has helped people across the nation enjoy the freedom and opportunity that the library holds,” says President Joyce P. Jacobsen. “Our community looks forward to celebrating her remarkable professional achievements. She will be joined by two individuals whose leadership of our community here in Geneva has never been more influential or needed. Mary Beer and Chris Lavin have risen to the challenges the pandemic created, solving monumental problems and always delivering hope.”
A guiding force in recording and proliferating the intellectual and creative life of the United States, Carla Hayden is the 14th Librarian of Congress and the first woman and the first African American to lead the national library. Since beginning her career with the Chicago Public Library in 1973, she has been committed to the free and open access to ideas and information, helping people across the country harness the opportunities the library holds. Hayden has been an important and powerful voice for the needs of the nation’s reading public, especially for young readers, championing literature as a fundamental vessel for human experience and possibility.
Since 2008, Mary L. Beer RN, MPH has led Ontario County Public Health, managing disease prevention, health education promotion and community health protection for more than 100,000 residents, including Genevans. A registered nurse with more than 40 years of experience, Beer directs the county’s COVID-19 response, implementing safety guidelines, investigating and containing outbreaks and overseeing public communications. During her career, she has been a tireless advocate for public health laws prohibiting smoking, efforts that have reduced smoking rates countywide. A hospice volunteer and past president of the S2AY Rural Health Network board of directors, Beer is devoted to improving public health and well-being through health equity, access and personal engagement.
At left, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden will deliver the Commencement Address and receive an honorary degree and the Elizabeth Blackwell Award. Top, Director of Public Health for Ontario County Mary L. Beer RN, MPH and Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva and the Geneva Community Center Christopher N. Lavin ’81 will both receive honorary degrees.
Christopher N. Lavin ’81
is responsible for a diverse expansion of programming at the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva and the Geneva Community Center. Named executive director in 2015, Lavin has launched new health, education and arts and entertainment initiatives to meet the developing needs of the community. In collaboration with the Colleges, he oversaw the formation of the HWS Geneva Corps in 2017, which engages dozens of HWS students in tutoring and mentorship for K-8 students from Geneva schools. At the start of the pandemic and in response to the changing needs of the community, he quickly pivoted his organization to prepare and serve thousands of hot meals for Geneva families hit hard by economic challenges.
2020 Commencement
After a one year delay because of the pandemic, the Colleges will celebrate the Classes of 2020 with an in-person Commencement ceremony on the Quad.
As we reported in a previous issue of The Pulteney Street Survey, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Bishop Michael B. Curry ’75, will deliver the Commencement address on Sunday, June 6. An honorary doctorate will be awarded to Curry, as well as to Margaret “Peggy” Bokan Greenawalt ’66, an influential philanthropist and advocate for increased female leadership, and to G. Peter Jemison, a celebrated artist, activist and Historic Site Manager of Ganondagan State Historic Site.
“Bishop Curry’s inspirational ministry of love and redemption is as vital as ever, and we are excited to celebrate his exemplary life of service to those in need,” says President Joyce P. Jacobsen. “We will recognize Bishop Curry alongside two other esteemed honorees who have devoted themselves to education, opportunity, arts and culture in exemplary ways that reflect the Colleges’ history and our future aspirations.”
In 2015, Michael B. Curry ’75 was elected as the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church, becoming the first African-American to hold the Church’s top leadership office. He has dedicated his life and ministry to making what he calls “the redemptive power of love” a palpable force in the world. In the churches he served in North Carolina, Ohio and Maryland, Curry developed emergency assistance resources, educational centers, summer camps, preaching missions and networks of family day care providers. He has preached and written about social and economic inequality, ideological division, faith and love, expanding on the sermon he delivered at the British royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. In 2016, Curry returned to HWS to participate in the President’s Forum and receive the Hobart Alumni Association’s Medal of Excellence.
Margaret “Peggy” Bokan
Greenawalt ’66 is a noted philanthropist devoted to supporting education, the arts, and the advancement of women in leadership roles. She rose through the hierarchy of the finance industry, holding leadership positions at Citibank, Citicorp and Monchik-Weber. She has served on the boards of directors for not for profit organizations such as The White House Project, the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, the Chestnut Hill Historical Society and the Philadelphia International Theater Festival for Children. Through the Margaret Greenawalt ’66 Annual Scholarship, she annually pays off the student loan debt of two William Smith graduates who intend to pursue careers in finance and who have completed internships on Wall Street. Fine artist G. Peter Jemison is a member of the Heron Clan of the Seneca Nation and a leading authority on Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) history. His artwork appears in the British Museum, Museum of Mankind, Whitney Museum of American Art and the Institute of American Indian Arts Museum. Jemison serves as the historic site manager of the Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, N.Y., which tells the story of Haudenosaunee contributions to agriculture, art, culture and government. He has served as a consultant to the Smithsonian Institute’s Native American Museum Training Program and the National Endowment for the Arts and is on the board of trustees for the National Museum of the American Indian.
Pictured above, top to bottom: Michael B. Curry ’75, Margaret “Peggy” Bokan Greenawalt ’66, and G. Peter Jemison
Academic, Scholar and Teacher
Kirk Named Provost and Dean of Faculty
Dr. Sarah R. Kirk has been appointed the new provost and dean of faculty. Currently serving as Associate Provost and Professor of Chemistry at Willamette University in Salem, Ore., she will begin her new position on June 30.
An experienced scholar and administrator, Kirk recently completed a four-month term as the Acting Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Willamette, following a five-year rotating term as the Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Development. She replaces Dr. Mary L. Coffey, who announced that she will be stepping down from her position to relocate to North Carolina to spend time with her family and to engage in other academic and nonacademic pursuits.
“Dr. Kirk is an impressive academic, scholar and teacher who has the experience and vision necessary to lead the academic function at Hobart and William Smith to a new level of excellence while building on the momentum that Dr. Coffey, the faculty and the Office of Academic and Faculty Affairs have generated,” says President Joyce P. Jacobsen. “Her commitment to the professional development of faculty and her strong community engagement make her a compelling leader for the Colleges.”
Kirk holds her Ph.D. and master’s degree in organic chemistry from the University of California, San Diego, and her bachelor’s in chemistry from Whitman College. At Willamette, she oversees leadership training, coordinates the faculty mentoring program and faculty development workshops, and supports diversity and equity initiatives. Kirk also serves as the principal investigator of a National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant and STEM Administrator on an NSF-S-STEM grant, both of which address barriers impacting the retention and promotion of minoritized groups in STEM fields.
“I have long admired Hobart and William Smith and am very excited to join an academic community known for its dedication to pedagogy, faculty scholarship and student mentorship, as well as its pledge to equity and diversity,” says Kirk. “I’m very excited to work with President Jacobsen, the faculty and staff to create opportunities for innovation and inclusion as we educate future leaders.”
Coffey, who has served at HWS since 2019 and will remain as Provost and Dean of Faculty through the end of June, has played a crucial role in helping to navigate HWS through the COVID-19 pandemic. She quickly shifted instruction in the spring of 2020 to a remote model, instituting policy changes to address the impact of the pandemic, creating an entirely remote Maymester program which became the most successful in the Colleges’ history, and preparing faculty and campus for the return to in-person instruction in the fall of 2020.
“This was not an easy decision for me to make, and it was a deeply personal one that quite frankly I struggled with, precisely because I hold the faculty of this institution in such high esteem,” Coffey explains. “I have every confidence in Sarah Kirk’s ability to be an outstanding Provost and Dean of Faculty, one who will continue the work already underway, and will do so collaboratively and with intentionality.”
“I remain deeply appreciative for everything Dr. Coffey has done for the Colleges and for me personally,” says Jacobsen. “She has been a stalwart colleague, helping to lead the Colleges through the pandemic. Most importantly, though, she has established an ethos that values innovation and that prioritizes student success and faculty scholarship. This will be enormously important as Dr. Kirk begins her work in June.”
New STEM Scholars Program
In March, 15 students were inducted to the new STEM Scholars program designed “to elevate and recognize the importance and value of historically underrepresented scholars in STEM fields,” says Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Khuram Hussain.
Announced in 2020, the STEM Scholars Program offers opportunities for academic support and financial aid to ensure all students have the resources to succeed in their chosen fields. STEM Scholars can serve as paid peer mentors and participate in monthly meetings on research and internship opportunities.
Going forward, the Office of Admissions will award financial aid packages annually to 15 incoming students demonstrating aptitude in STEM fields, and these students will participate in a weeklong summer welcome program.
