SPRING 2017
A LEGACY OF
LEADERSHIP The Gearans Conclude 18 Years at HWS
The William Smith Rowing Team glides across Seneca Lake. photo: KEVIN COLTON
VOLUME XLIII, NUMBER THREE THE PULTENEY STREET SURVEY is published by the Office of Communications, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, 300 Pulteney Street, Geneva, New York 14456-3397, (315) 781-3700. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Pulteney Street Survey, c/o Alumni House Records, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, 300 Pulteney St., Geneva, New York 14456-3397. Hobart and William Smith Colleges are committed to providing a non-discriminatory and harassment-free educational, living, and working environment for all members of the HWS community, including students, faculty, staff, volunteers, and visitors. HWS prohibits discrimination and harassment in their programs and activities on the basis of age, color, disability, domestic violence, victim status, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other status protected under the law. Discrimination on the basis of sex includes sexual harassment, sexual violence, sexual assault, other forms of sexual misconduct including stalking and intimate partner violence, and gender-based harassment that does not involve conduct of a sexual nature. For questions and comments about the magazine or to submit a story idea, please e-mail Catherine Williams at cwilliams@hws.edu.
PULTENEY STREET SURVEY Spring 2017 EDITOR, VICE PRESIDENT FOR COMMUNICATIONS Catherine Williams ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Peggy Kowalik SENIOR EDITOR Morgan Gilbard ’15 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS/EDITORS Jessica Evangelista Balduzzi ’05, Betty Bayer, Steven Bodnar, Paul Ciaccia ’15, Paige Cook, Ken DeBolt, Dan DeNose ’10, Kathleen Gearan, Madeleine Gearan, Jack D. Harris, Morgan Gilbard ’15, Mackenzie Larson ’12, Chris Lavin ’81, Eric Lax ’66, L.H.D.’93, Mary K. LeClair, Natalia St. Lawrence ’15, Andrew Wickenden ’09, Aliceann Wliber and Catherine Williams COVER PHOTO: President Mark D. Gearan and Mary Herlihy Gearan depart Stern Lawn following the President’s Welcome to the Classes of 2020. Photo by Kevin Colton
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS William Bird ’17, Kevin Colton, Andrew Markham ’10, Gregory Searles ’13, Jared Weeden ’91 PRESIDENT Mark D. Gearan CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68 VICE CHAIRS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES Andrew G. McMaster Jr. ’74, P’09 Caroline Carr McGuire ’78
William Smith Alumnae Association Officers: Jane Erickson ’07, President; Julie Bazan ’93, Vice President; Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk ’98, Immediate Past President; Kate Strouse Canada ’98, Historian Hobart Alumni Association Officers: Frank Aloise ’87, President; Rick Solomon ’75, P’10, Vice President; Jeremy Cushman ’96, Immediate Past President; Derrick Moore ’05, Historian
VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT Robert B. O’Connor ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT, ALUMNAE RELATIONS Kathy Killius Regan ’82, P’13 ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT, ALUMNI RELATIONS Jared Weeden ’91
100% post-consumer fiber paper.
Gas resulting from the decomposition of landfill waste used in place of fossil fuels to produce paper.
PULTENEY STREET SURVEY
p.
20
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHP
www.hws.edu
Spring 2017
CONTENTS 2
Lakeviews
4 On Seneca: Campus News 10 Clinton: Our Common Humanity 16 Sports Updates 20 Feature: A Legacy of Leadership 70 Classnotes 108
HWS Community
120
The Last Word
1 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
Dear Friends,
I
LAKEVIEWS
Each day since 1999, in Geneva or around the country, I was honored and proud to represent Hobart and William Smith. At the beginning of the academic year I was proud to greet incoming students as they entered the Colleges and thrilled to see those same students graduate into meaningful careers. I knew they would be in classrooms with a faculty of committed and accomplished teachers and scholars, and coached and The Gearans gather on the steps of The President’s House. supported by an extraordinary staff. And I was proud to work for and with a Board of Trustees who give of themselves in truly inspirational ways. They took a chance on a ‘non-traditional’ president 18 years ago and I have always been grateful for their support. Amidst my gratitude is also excitement for the future. There are new chapters for our family as we move to Boston and there are new chapters for HWS. I leave my office in Coxe Hall full of hope and optimism, certain that the Colleges’ best days are ahead. The Board of Trustees’ appointment of Dr. Gregory Vincent ’83 as the next President of Hobart and William Smith was an exceptional choice and I am confident that his significant experience in higher education, deep commitment to the liberal arts and keen understanding of HWS as an alumnus will prove a perfect combination. I look forward to supporting his vision going forward and know that our campus will value his leadership skills and strong personal attributes. Over the past 18 years I have seen firsthand the outcomes of an HWS education. There is no question that our graduates are making important contributions in their professions and their communities, and there is no doubt that the Colleges serve an important public good. Our collective work to sustain this venerable place is critical because of the real difference Hobart and William Smith makes. Our daughters Madeleine and Kathleen wrote a lovely piece on their experiences growing up on campus (p. 62). They conclude with an apt quotation from Hellen Keller: “What we have once enjoyed, we can never loose. All that we love deeply, becomes a part of us.” Well, we love Geneva. And Hobart and William Smith has deeply become a part of us. And for that – I will always be grateful. With every best wish, I am Sincerely, Details on incoming President Gregory Vincent ’83 will be in the next issue of The Pulteney Street Survey. For full coverage, visit www.hws.edu.
Mark D. Gearan President
2 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
photo by kevin colton
n my last Lakeviews column, I write with a simple message: gratitude. Gratitude for the enormous privilege to serve as President of Hobart and William Smith Colleges and the support of so many alumni, alumnae and friends during the past 18 years. Mary and I feel fortunate to have been a part of this special community and we are especially grateful for the many opportunities afforded to our daughters, Madeleine and Kathleen, while growing up in Geneva. All of us will treasure the friendships and memories made here.
ca. 1925 PRESIDENT’S HOUSE
President Mark D. Gearan and his family made the residence their home 18 years ago, opening its doors to the community. Built in 1835 and purchased by the Colleges in 1885, this two-story Greek revival has been home to 17 of the Colleges’ presidents.
3 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
ON SENECA
PHOTO BY WILLIAM BIRD ’17
CAMPUS NEWS
HWS Boosts Local Economy The Colleges’ total economic impact is slightly more than $269 million, increasing by about $25 million since 2013, according to a recent economic analysis released by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities. Using data from the Center for Governmental Research, the report shows the $269 million includes direct spending by HWS, construction and labor costs, and estimated student and visitor impact. What’s Geneva Like Today? A nationally recognized All-America City and gateway to the Finger Lakes wine country, Geneva is an inviting and culturally diverse community that has experienced a renaissance during the past decade with a surge in the arts, food, culture and redevelopment. With a burgeoning food scene, Geneva restaurant FLX Table was just named USA Today’s “Best New Restaurant” in the country. In 2016, Geneva won a competitive bid to receive a $10 million grant from New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative to encourage development in 10 communities across the state.
Geneva, N.Y. Just the Facts 13,000
population
11
distinct neighborhoods
12
public parks
77.7
miles around Seneca Lake
4.2
trillion gallons of water in Seneca Lake
100+
regional wineries
4 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
HWS Study Abroad Ranks 7th in the Nation
Forbes says
HWS PAYS OFF
Colleges Score S&P ‘A’ Rating Standard & Poor renewed its long-term and underlying “A” ratings of the Colleges’ fixed rate bonds as well as its AA+ rating on the Colleges’ variable rate bonds in a report affirming sound financial health. The report attributes the top rating to the Colleges’ exceptional enterprise report, highlighting its historically stable enrollment, selectivity, student quality and a strong financial profile.
The Colleges were named a
Top School for Alum Return-on-Investment
by Forbes in its “2016 Grateful Grad Colleges: The Top 200 Show-Me-TheMoney Schools” based on record setting philanthropy from alumni and alumnae and the outstanding outcomes of HWS graduates. 5 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
CAMPUS NEWS
HWS ranked 7th in the nation for study abroad opportunities and global programming in Princeton Review‘s “The Best 381 Colleges 2017.” While the national average of students studying abroad is just 2%, at HWS 60% of students study abroad in more than 50 programs on six continents.
photo by kevin colton
Peace (Corps) Makers
Community Service Earns Presidential Honor
photo by kevin colton
Citing commitment to community, service learning and civic engagement, the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll has included the Colleges on its list for the 6th year in a row. This year, the Colleges were praised for Geneva Heroes, a mentorship program with local youth; Geneva 2020, a college readiness initiative with the Geneva City School District; and Arts Experience, an opportunity for participants, including people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, the HWS community and the general public to explore various means of expression through the arts.
Rosensweig ’83 Returns to Inspire “For a lot of you, your biggest fear is figuring out how to get from where you are now to where you’re going to end up. It’s unknown. But if you don’t put yourself in the game, you can’t play—and you can’t win if you don’t play,” said Daniel L. Rosensweig ’83 to a full Bartlett Theatre on February 28. The president and CEO of Chegg and former HWS Trustee received the Board of Trustees Career Services Award that evening for his commitment to the success of HWS students. The presentation ceremony coincided with Rosensweig’s President’s Forum talk, “From Sherrill Hall to Silicon Valley,” in which he discussed his career trajectory and his approach to entrepreneurship.
6 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
The Peace Corps announced that Hobart and William Smith Colleges rank fourth in the nation among small schools on the agency’s 2017 list of Top VolunteerProducing Colleges and Universities. Since the Peace Corps’ founding in 1961, 224 alums from HWS have traveled abroad to serve as volunteers, including 12 alums currently participating and four members of the Classes of 2017 about to embark on new journeys. President Gearan, who served as director of the Peace Corps from 1995 to 1999, says, “We are proud to have so many graduates whose civic engagement is having profound impacts in communities across the world.”
Winning Streak: Fulbright Awards HWS has been named among the nation’s top colleges and universities with the most recipients of U.S. Fulbright Student Awards for the second consecutive year and the third time in the past four years. Known for its highly competitive field of applicants, the Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. “This latest announcement yet again highlights the intellect and character of our students, the vital work of our faculty and staff, and the depth and strength of an HWS education,” says Provost and Dean of Faculty Titilayo Ufomata.
LGBTQ Inclusivity Applauded Campus Pride’s “Best of the Best” ranked HWS in the top 30 list of LGBTQ-friendly campuses across the nation. Recently, support for LGBTQ students at HWS has expanded to include gender inclusive housing selection and preferred gender pronoun usage, among other initiatives.
The Gearan Center for the Performing Arts earned a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council making it the first building on campus to receive an official LEED certification. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is the most popular and widely used green building system. “This honor illuminates the years of hard work, planning and communitywide collaboration that have been invested into the center,” says Project Manager Chris Button. “It distinctly aligns with the Colleges’ goal to reach climate neutrality by 2025.”
Citizen: Rankine on Campus “Art profoundly changes who we are,” says American poet Claudia Rankine, a recipient of the 2016 MacArthur Genius Fellowship and Professor of Poetry at Yale University. Rankine was on campus to give a reading from her work Citizen: An American Lyric. The book was this year’s common read for the First-Year experience at HWS and has inspired campus dialogue around issues of race and racism. In anticipation of the reading, a faculty panel discussed Rankine’s work and a student art exhibition was held in conjunction with her visit. Rankine’s visit was made possible by the Calvin R. Carver Sr. Memorial Lecture and Student Support Endowment.
7 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
CAMPUS NEWS
photo by kevin colton
LEED Gold
by Steven Bodnar
W
hen cold air passes over the warmer waters of a lake, the result is lake effect snow. Professor of Geoscience Neil Laird and Assistant Professor of Geoscience Nick Metz recently co-authored two scientific journal articles on the subject in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society and International Journal of Climatology.
“Our students have been able to step out beyond the classroom and do hands-on research with faculty.” – Nick Metz, assistant professor of geoscience
Their article, “The Ontario Winter Lakeeffect Systems (OWLeS) Field Project,” details an extensive scientific field project that brought together several colleges, universities and agencies from across the country to collaborate on winter weather research in the Lake Ontario and Finger Lakes regions. “The article provides an overview of the OWLeS field project and future pathways for research,” says Metz. “It was the largest project of its kind and so much data was
collected that people will be analyzing it for years to come.” The article outlines how the project collected unprecedented observations of highly complex lakeeffect snow events by dispensing instrumentation for measuring atmospheric data, deploying Doppler on Wheels radar, using the University of Wyoming King Air research aircraft, and implementing other datacollecting efforts. The team also collaborated with the National Weather Service to enhance data analysis, modeling and forecasting. “There were about 10 HWS students involved with the field research and another 12 to 15 HWS students involved with the data analysis,” says Metz. “They have been able to work with some unique datasets and try to unravel the processes that contributed to heavy, often difficult to forecast, lake-effect snow events. Our students have been able to step out beyond the classroom and do hands-on research with faculty. The students universally rose to the challenge.” For example, during lake-effect snow events, HWS student researchers worked shifts in extreme cold and wind to launch weather balloons at locations across western and central New York to collect meteorological data such as wind speed and temperature throughout the atmosphere. Former student researchers from the OWLeS project now find themselves breaking additional ground in
8 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
photo by kevin colton
The Great Lake Effect
“I was fortunate at HWS to have several opportunities to pursue research and learn these skills prior to actually being a graduate student.”
The climatology journal article, “Climatology of cold season lake-effect cloud bands for the North American Great Lakes,” uses satellite imagery to provide a comprehensive climatological description of the seasonal and interannual variability of lake effect cloud bands. It also provides an unmatched database related to the occurrence of coldseason lake effects in the Great Lakes region. The study found that across the cold season, about 60 to 80 percent of days per month have lake effect clouds over some portion of the Great Lakes region and on lake effect days, nearly 75 percent had lake effect activity present over several lakes simultaneously. “This shows that lake effect is a substantial part of the wintertime Great Lakes weather,” Metz says. “And it quantifies how much lake effect varies in any particular winter and how much it varies from one winter to another.” “The student involvement on this project was substantial and included many students spanning across several summer research programs at HWS,” says Laird. Metz adds: “HWS is a unique institution where students can start very early as undergraduates working on research and meaningfully complement their academic year studies.”
Professor of Biology Mark Deutschlander speaks to students during the First-Year Seminar, “Bird Obsessions.”
Deutschlander Named Ornithological President by Andrew Wickenden ‘09
This spring, Professor of Biology Mark Deutschlander, a nationally recognized expert on migratory birds, was named the 58th president of the Wilson Ornithological Society (WOS), the second oldest and second largest scientific ornithological society in North America. Previously, Deutschlander served two years as the organization’s second vice president and two subsequent years as first vice president. His two-year term as president will be followed by an additional two years of service as immediate past-president. The announcement was made in March at the society’s annual meeting at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers where Deutschlander also presented research exploring the orientation of white-throated sparrows during migration. During the 2017 WOS meeting, Madison Sutton ’17 delivered a poster presentation on research she completed under the guidance of Deutschlander and Assistant Professor of Biology Bradley Cosentino. Deutschlander and Sutton are the recipients of the Jed Burtt Mentoring Grant from WOS that supported their research and funded their attendance at the 2017 conference.
Deutschlander received his Ph.D. in zoology from Indiana University, where he specialized in animal behavior and minored in neuroscience. His research over the past 20 years has focused on sensory aspects of migration and navigation, particularly the use of visual cues and the earth’s magnetic field in animal orientation. His most recent research has expanded into the energetics of migration, and he will be employing new radio-tracking technology to study migratory birds at his main field site, the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory, on the south shore of Lake Ontario.
9 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
CAMPUS NEWS
the atmospheric science community. Macy Howarth ’16 is working toward her master’s at SUNY Albany and plans to continue on to a Ph.D. program. “Being a graduate student is a lot about taking what you learn in the classroom and applying it to your research, making the connections, and being independent. I was fortunate at HWS to have several opportunities to pursue research and learn these skills prior to actually being a graduate student,” she says. “Both Nick Metz and Neil Laird have been invaluable to my education, and I cannot thank them enough.”
photo by kevin colton
– Macy Howarth ’16
CLINTON: Our Common Humanity “...every single day…work to expand the definition of ‘us’ and shrink the definition of ‘them.’”
photo by kevin colton
10 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
D
uring the 192nd Commencement of Hobart College and the 106th Commencement of William Smith College, President Bill Clinton encouraged graduates to “relish our differences.”
“As long as we believe our common humanity is most important, as long as we understand that diverse groups make better decisions than homogenous ones or lone geniuses, as long as we realize the great thing about life is not final victories and the great tragedy is not final defeats—there aren’t any final victories or final defeats…but a life of permanent possibility,” he said.
1
After exploring the merits of inclusion and of difference as a point of unity rather than division, Clinton concluded with a charge to the audience to “every single day…work to expand the definition of ‘us’ and shrink the definition of ‘them.’”
In an unprecedented decision, the HWS Board of Trustees unanimously named President Gearan as President Emeritus of the Colleges, the first time in HWS history that the Board has bestowed the honor.
2 CAMPUS NEWS
During the Commencement ceremony, which drew a record audience of more than 7,500 people to campus and more than 400,000 viewers online, 526 Hobart and William Smith undergraduates and eight master’s candidates were awarded degrees. The Colleges also awarded honorary degrees to Clinton; founder and president of the Posse Foundation Deborah Bial L.H.D. ’17; Mary Herlihy Gearan L.H.D. ’17; and HWS President Mark D. Gearan L.H.D. ’17.
“Under your remarkable tenure as president, our beloved Colleges have seen notable growth and success on all fronts. The Board of Trustees is grateful for your distinguished service and for enriching the lives of those you served,” said Board Chair Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68 at the ceremony.
In his valedictory address, the final of his tenure as HWS president, Gearan called upon the Classes of 2017, “to fulfill the mission of Hobart and William Smith Colleges: lead a life of consequence. How and where you do that, of course, is a highly individualized conclusion. But all of you have had the experiences here – and exposure to the values of Hobart and William Smith that we hope you will carry with you: a commitment to service, citizenship and global understanding; an appreciation of the importance of difference and inclusion; a responsibility for the stewardship of the environment and a lifelong passion for learning. All of those values will assist you on your journey.”
3
As part of the opening ceremony, Patrisha A. Blue ’77 sang a powerful rendition of the national anthem and in annual fashion, Bozzuto presented the Touching the Future awards, which celebrate and honor educators from elementary, middle and high school who have had an impact on our current graduates. This year, the Colleges recognized Carlos Mendez, a music teacher and coordinator of music for the Fayetteville-Manlius School District, and Anggela Sanchez, a bilingual studies teacher at the School of Leadership Development in the Bronx. Mendez was nominated by Christopher Demas ’17, and Sanchez was nominated by Jerlin Garo ’17. This year’s student speakers were Sydney Gomez ’17 and Matthew Skinner ’17. 4 PHOTOS: 1) President Bill Clinton and Mary Herlihy Gearan share congratulations before receiving their honorary degrees. 2) In the traditional Commencement procession, the Classes of 2017 walk across campus to receive their degrees on the Quad. 3) President Bill Clinton greets Assistant Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Development Sophie Riskie ’07, Hobart Squash Head Coach Tim Riskie and their son Benjamin before the ceremony. 4) During the ceremony, Gearan conferred an honorary degree to Deborah Bial, an education strategist and the founder of the Posse Foundation, one of the most successful college access programs across the country. The occasion coincided with the graduation of the first Posse scholars from HWS. 11 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
Fossil tusk fragment from a mastodon. This specimen shows its hand-written tag with collection information.
Topographic map. Even in the age of GPS and electronic maps, paper topographic quadrangle maps are a useful tool in the field. You can accurately mark locations of fossil finds and use them to navigate…and they don’t run low on batteries.
This fish from the Green River Formation of Wyoming was preserved when it died in an ancient lake and was buried in soft mud. The fine detail of its preservation allows students to imagine life 50 million years ago.
This is my field notebook from research on the latest Cretaceous sediments of Montana. Such notebooks are written records of work in the field. Later they may be annotated with laboratory analyses and ideas about interpretations. Even in the age of electronics, the handwritten field notebook is an essential tool and learning to keep a useful notebook is a vital skill.
Tools of the Trade
Fossil trilobite of the genus Phacops. They are a common fossil found on class field trips in the Finger Lakes and date to the Devonian-age (about 360 million years ago).
In a world where “the latest model” is sometimes synonymous with “temporary,” geology’s tools of the trade are as enduring as the fossils themselves. Professor of Geoscience Nan Crystal Arens – who earned her Ph.D. from Harvard University – describes some of the tools she and her students use to explore the natural world as well as some of the objects that make up the department’s teaching collection.
photo by kevin colton
The rock hammer is used to expose fresh rock for study, break samples loose from the outcrop and open rocks to reveal fossils preserved within.
Fossil leaf from the Hell Creek Formation of Montana. This large leaf overhung an ancient river during the last days of T. Rex. Its size and shape give us useful information about the ancient climate.
12 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
Fossils of the tree Metasequoia. This is one of a handful of species that was described from the fossil record before being found alive. Fossils had been described from North America a century before living trees were discovered in the mountains of China. It is a sensitive indicator of climate and can be found growing in front of the College Store.
Hand lens used to magnify rock or fossil specimens for close inspection in the field. Purchasing your own hand lens is a sign that the student is becoming a professional in geology or paleontology. And the lanyard stained with sweat shows that it has spent a bunch of time in the field.
Hood’s Research Captures National Attention
HWS Radio on WHWS and WEOS ranked 17th in the nation for the best college radio station in the Princeton Review. The following shows are broadcast live from the Scandling Campus Center by Station Manager Greg Cotterill, and can be streamed live at WHWS.fm:
Just Kidding, I’m Fine
“[Hood’s] new book earnestly places the well-traversed late 19th century in a broader historical perspective and identifies what distinguished New York’s elites from the upper crusts of other cities,” Sam Roberts writes for the Times. While Hood’s latest work catches fire, his earlier work, 722 Miles: the Building of the Subways and How They Transformed New York, continues to receive attention. Hood appeared in the PBS documentary The Race Underground and was featured in an article from The Atlantic’s CityLab regarding the development of subway systems. Hood recently appeared in BBC’s documentary series Who Do You Think You Are?
Putting the ’Class’ Back in Classical
Crow Dissects Jeffersonian Thought and National Identity
Money Moment
Late Nite Snack
Assistant Professor of History Matthew Crow explores how Thomas Jefferson reconciled conflicts between citizens and social contracts in his book Thomas Jefferson, Legal History, and the Art of Recollection, available this spring through Cambridge University Press.
Two Birds One Song
Wayback Wednesday Don’t Listen The Eleventh Hour
The Dougout
Peanut Butter Kelly Time Brain Food Heart to Heart with Hobart
That’s What She Said Last Solid Record
Sam and Jason’s Cosmic Jams Hour
The Pretty Ok Show
Live with Syd Mad Decent Radio with Evan and Tyghe
What are the Odds?
Inside Art in America Fifty years after the Fun Palace was proposed by architect Cedric Price, Associate Professor of Art and Architecture Stan Mathews discusses the influence of the postwar design on modern architecture in his article, “The Fun Palace: Cedric Price’s experiment in architecture and technology” published in the influential Art in America.
“Americans still have trouble living together as members of a political community with dramatically different narratives of who we are and what we have been doing here, and even who the “we” is in the first place,” says Crow. “It’s really hard to live politically with fractured and different foundational narratives, fractured to the extent that they are no longer foundational, if they ever were. The book uses Jefferson as a way of pointing out this difficulty and the urgency of confronting it, together.”
Hamilton’s Narrative Appears in Windmill Windmill, Hofstra University’s journal of literature and art, has published Associate Professor of English Melanie (ConroyGoldman) Hamilton’s new nonfiction narrative “Caldera,” a portrait of the complexities of friendship and the psychological burdens left by military service. Hamilton was inspired by the experiences of a friend who is a military mental health worker. The story is published under her maiden name, Conroy-Goldman.
13 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
CAMPUS NEWS
WEOS ROCKS!
Professor of History Clifton Hood’s latest book on the evolution of New York high society quickly captivated audiences after its release early this year. Inciting praise and intrigue, In Pursuit of Privilege: A History of New York City’s Upper Class and the Making of a Metropolis received applause from, among other publications, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the Times Literary Supplement.
photo by Paul Ciaccia ’15
24-Hour Hackathon Challenges Addiction In only 24 hours, 14 teams of students, faculty and staff addressed the issue of opioid-use and addiction through social innovation in an event co-sponsored by the Centennial Center for Leadership and the Entrepreneurial Studies Program. Two keynote speakers contextualized the challenge: Jennifer Faringer, the director of DePaul’s National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence for the Rochester area and chair of the Monroe County Opioid Task Force, and Svante Myrick, the mayor of Ithaca, N.Y., and HWS Presidential Fellow who proposed and implemented one of the nation’s first supervised injection facilities. Dominique DeRubeis ’18, Gabriel Pietrorazio ’20 and Raven Jiang ’18 took home the first-place prize for their idea “Power Through Pain” that proposed to reevaluate the curriculum on pain management at major medical schools. Gabriel Pietrorazio ’20 and Dominique DeRubeis ’18
photo by kevin colton
Debate Doubles-Down
Winner of the Pitch Sam Solomon ’17 (center) stands with President Mark D. Gearan and judges Steve Neimeth ’90, Sabrina Horn ’83, Peter Luchetti ’77 and Angelo Santinelli P’18.
The Pitch Celebrates Entrepreneurship Sam Solomon ’17 was named the sixth winner of the Stu Lieblein ’90 Pitch Contest by a panel of alum judges. As the first-place winner, Solomon is the recipient of a $10,000 grant funded by Lieblein to launch his idea for a Geneva business, Pizza Posto. The judges included: Sabrina Horn ’83, managing partner and technology practice leader at Finn Partners; Peter A. Luchetti ’77, managing partner at Table Rock Capital and vice chair of the California Infrastructure Bank; Steven A. Neimeth ’90, former senior vice president and portfolio manager of SunAmerica Asset Management, LLC; and Angelo Santinelli P’18, senior executive at Dakin Management and adjunct lecturer at Babson College.
Steven Penner and “Buzz” Klinger ’12.
The HWS Team comprised of the 2012 United States Universities Debate Champion Gerald “Buzz” Klinger ’12 and Assistant Coach of the HWS Debate Team Steven Penner won the Hart House Intervarsity Debate Tournament, Canada’s preeminent debate competition for students and alums.
14 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
The Entrepreneur: Horn ’83 Returns to Lead by Natalia St. Lawrence ’16
“There is nothing greater than being an entrepreneur and creating new value in the marketplace for new products and services that solve a problem,” says Sabrina Horn ’83, who returned to campus this fall to serve as the Centennial Center for Leadership Leader in Residence. A former CEO and founder of her own company, and now a managing partner and technology practice leader at Finn Partners, Horn has helped clients transform their brand, and in the process made a significant impact on the communications and technology industries.
As the Leader in Residence, Horn worked with HWS leadership groups and classes in the entrepreneurial studies department on pitching an idea and building a brand, drawing on her knowledge of public relations, communications and technology.
CAMPUS NEWS
“HWS is providing a truly tremendous opportunity to enable students to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams on campus and start to make them become a reality now,” says Horn. “HWS is “The IdeaLab and the Pitch really put providing a truly students through the paces, making them tremendous think through their concept in every core opportunity to business aspect. The confidence HWS enable students students will get in understanding the process of pitching their business idea is to pursue their invaluable.” entrepreneurial
dreams on
Horn is a strong advocate for women in campus and start entrepreneurship, and has worked with to make them Illuminate Ventures, a venture capital firm run by women who fund women to become a reality launch new companies. She has also been now,” says Horn. recognized by New York Business Journal as a Woman of Influence, and by Paramount Public Relations as a Top Woman in PR. She graduated from William Smith with a B.A. in American studies and a minor in dance, and went on to earn her M.S. in public relations at Boston University.
photo by kevin colton
photo by andrew markham ’10
(Above) Sabrina Horn ’83 managing partner and technology practice leader at Finn Partners, shares advice with the “Social Innovation for the Entrepreneur” class during her visit to campus as Leader in Residence. (Left) Horn speaks at an interest session for the Stu Lieblein ’90 Pitch Contest alongside previous finalists for the entrepreneurial competition.
15 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
Sports
Updates
US Lacrosse Magazine ranked William Smith lacrosse No. 1 in Division III on April 17, jumping two spots from its standing just a week earlier and a significant climb since the magazine ranked the Herons 18th in the nation during their preseason round-up. William Smith broke the program wins in a season with a 13-4 victory over Rochester in the Liberty League Tournament semifinals and capture its fourth league championship with a 14-4 takedown of Skidmore. The Herons equaled the longest win streak in program history by opening NCAA tournament play with a 15-1 win over Westfield State, the team’s 16th straight victory. Entering the second weekend of the NCAA tournament, William Smith led the nation in save percentage (.594), was second in win percentage (.950) and ranked third in scoring defense (4.30). Senior midfielder Allie Flaherty and senior goalie Sarah Honan were both named Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association first team All-Americans. In addition, Flaherty was voted the Liberty League Player of the Year, Honan the Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year, and the Heron coaches the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year. Statesmen secure NEC regular season title The Hobart lacrosse team visited Robert Morris for its regular season finale with the NEC regular season title on the line. The Statesmen got off to a rocky start, falling into an 8-2 hole, but rallied to tie the game by halftime. Hobart scored five straight goals in the second half to take the lead and held on for an 18-17 triumph. The Statesmen returned to the NEC Championship game for the third time in four years, but fell short of claiming its second straight title by a 5-4 count against Bryant. The NEC Player of the Year, Frank Brown ’17 led the offense with 32 goals and 50 points. With 120 career points, he ranks eighth among Division I Statesmen. Arik Andreen ’17 and Jackson Brown ’17 lead on the defensive end. Andreen, an All-NEC second team pick, had a team-leading 24 caused turnovers this year and 61 for his career, breaking the career record set by Sean Regan ’13 (60). Jackson Brown ranks among the best goalie in Hobart’s Division I era. He has the most wins (25), is third in saves (537), fourth in GAA (10.04) and fifth in save percentage (.532).
America Trophy is HWS’ trophy The sailing team won the America Trophy, the MAISA coed dinghy championship, by 29 points over Navy to secure a spot in the ICSA National Championship. It’s the program’s 17 MAISA Championship since 1996. Hector Guzman ’20, Maya Weber ’20 and Adam Schaefer ’17 teamed up to win B Division by 22 points over Georgetown. Greiner Hobbs ’18 and Anna Flaherty ’20 took second in A Division, trailing only the Midshipmen. The Colleges’ sailors qualified for all three spring national championships—coed dinghy, women’s dinghy and team race— which will be held May 23 through June 2 in Charleston, S.C. HWS sees plenty of gold at Liberty League Championships For the 12th consecutive time, the Hobart rowing team pulled away from the competition at the Liberty League Championships. The varsity eight secured its 13th consecutive gold medal at the conference championships and the second varsity eight won gold for the seventh straight season. William Smith’s hopes of a seventh
consecutive league title came up short, but the Herons still returned from Saratoga Springs with four sets of medals. The second varsity eight, varsity four and novice eight all won gold, while the varsity eight earned a silver medal. The overall title is based on points system based on finish in the varsity eight and second varsity eight, weighted to favor a school’s finish in the varsity eight. Tennis teams net championship berths The Hobart and William Smith tennis teams both qualified for their respective Liberty League Championships. The Statesmen won nine straight matches before falling to nationally ranked Skidmore in the league title match. Hobart finished the year with a 15-5 record, the team’s best since 2011-12. The Herons secured the fourth and final spot in the Liberty League Championship by winning its final three conference matches of the regular season. After falling to the nationally-ranked Thoroughbreds in the league semifinals, William Smith’s record stood at 11-8.
16 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
Heron Awards Banquet At the William Smith Athletics Awards Banquet, All-American swimmer Caroline Conboy ’17 won the Winn-Seeley Award, AllAmerican soccer forward Kara Shue ’17 earned the Marion Harrison Greene ’20 Award and basketball all-star Melanie Patterson ’17 took home the Cynthia Oyler ’93 Award. For a complete recap of the night’s top awards, visit: hwsathletics. com/2017HeronAwards Block H Awards Dinner A week after the Herons handed out their year-end awards, Hobart Athletics followed suit. AllAmerican hockey defenseman Carl Belizaro ’17 was voted the Francis L. “Babe” Kraus ’24 Memorial Award winner. Lacrosse’s Frank Brown ’17 and hockey’s Bo Webster ’17 shared the William C. Stiles ’43 Memorial Award. The Hanna Award was presented to football and lacrosse standout Sean Cunningham ’17 and rower D. Griffin Marsh ‘17. For more on Hobart’s top award winners visit: hwsathletics.com/2017BlockH
photo by kevin colton
Herons LAX Ranked No. 1
Being a Statesman by Natalia St. Lawrence ’16
H
obart football offensive lineman Joseph “Patrick” O’Connell III ’17 shows up to make an impact. After three years of dedicated service to the Geneva community, O’Connell’s impact was recognized when he was named “Volunteer of the Year” by Happiness House, a local organization that provides educational, residential and health services to community members with and without disabilities. O’Connell has made his passion for football an opportunity to serve in the Geneva community, carrying on the tradition of turning “Tackles & Touchdowns” on the field into an annual fundraiser to benefit Happiness House. Each year, the football team asks fans to pledge a donation based on the number of tackles and touchdowns scored by the Statesmen during the game. Since the fundraiser’s inception seven seasons ago, the team has raised more than $41,000 for the organization. O’Connell, the team’s captain and an economics major at Hobart, also organized a day for his teammates to play games and read to the children at the Happiness House preschool program. “Those preschoolers are fearless; I mean they’re only as tall as my waist but they still line up to play with us, and take us down in some tackles,” recounts O’Connell. O’Connell’s win of “Volunteer of the Year”
makes him the third Hobart football player to receive the honor, after Jarrid Blades ’12 and Michael Green ’14. O’Connell, who has played in 27 career games while a member of the Hobart football team, also earned academic honors in 2014 and 2015 as a CoSIDA Academic All-District and was a two-time Liberty League All-Academic selection. During his 2015 season, O’Connell took over as left tackle for Ali Marpet ’15 (now a guard for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and helped NAMED “VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR” the Statesmen rush for BY HAPPINESS HOUSE, a season-high 276 yards A LOCAL ORGANIZATION THAT against Union College. An injury prevented O’Connell PROVIDES EDUCATIONAL, from playing in his 2016 RESIDENTIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES season, but he used the TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS opportunity to devote even more time to his community service endeavors. Offensive coach Jon Drach says O’Connell has been a dedicated leader to his team, saying he’s the type of player who was able to lead through his actions. “He’s always willing to give his time and energy to those in need. He’s a perfect example of what it means to be a Statesman.”
17 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
CAMPUS NEWS
photo by kevin colton
Joseph “Patrick” O’Connell ’17 pitches in with playtime at the Happiness House day care center in Geneva.
IN NICARAGUA WITH SOCCER WITHOUT BORDERS, A NON PROFIT THAT EMPOWERS UNDERSERVED YOUTH THROUGH MENTORSHIP
Zoe Jackson-Gibson ’16 (left) with Soccer Without Borders players and a fellow instructor in Nicaragua.
Best in Field by Paige Cooke
Z
oe Jackson-Gibson ’16 traveled 2,133 miles to play soccer. Well, it was more complicated than that. The recent grad and former Heron defensive player journeyed to Nicaragua with Soccer Without Borders (SWB), a nonprofit that empowers underserved youth through mentorship, safe spaces and the love of the game. “Coming from William Smith and being a student-athlete where education and the overall empowerment of women, with a great emphasis on leadership and life skills, is key, I found the SWB program to fall right in line with the values that came along with being a part of the William Smith family,” says Jackson-Gibson. In Nicaragua, 28 percent of young women are pregnant by age 18, 52 percent do not complete primary school and many are expected to raise their younger siblings. The SWB program provides young women with a network of coaches and mentors like Jackson-Gibson to encourage continued education and healthy lifestyle choices while providing emotional support. “I think my favorite part about working for SWB is being a part of a community that genuinely cares and
is continuously searching for ways to improve the lives of these kids,” says Jackson-Gibson, who serves as a team leader. “I love seeing the strong, positive relationships SWB Nicaragua has within the Granada community.” Soccer is on Jackson-Gibson’s mind most of the time, but in addition to coaching, she recruits additional players, monitors SWB social media pages and serves as an English tutor for the young women in the program. SWB also reunited Jackson-Gibson with former Heron teammate Madeline Buckley ’15, who joined the organization for their week-long camp. For Buckley, the experience was “life changing…. Probably the coolest part of the trip was being able to play side-by-side with Zoe against the Nicaraguan National Team in an official FIFA friendly [game]. We tied 1-1,”says Buckley, who recently earned her master’s degree in child life and family-centered care at Wheelock College and coaches soccer, ice hockey and softball in the greater Boston area. “The greatest part of the game was afterward when all 70 girls ran up to the fence and greeted us players with huge smiles and cheers. When
18 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
we walked out of the locker room after the game, the girls made a tunnel for us to run through and memories flooded through my mind of getting off the bus in Geneva coming home from the national title game being greeted by the tunnel of fans.” An environmental studies major while at William Smith, Jackson-Gibson played in 66 career games on the Heron soccer team. She posted two goals and four assists for William Smith and earned a national title in 2013. The two-time Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year and NSCAA first team All-American guided the Herons to 63 shutouts in her four years on the pitch. Jackson-Gibson will be working with SWB until June. She’s still deciding where the future will take her after her time in Nicaragua ends, but she does know that she will find a way to stay involved with SWB. “The things that soccer, and especially William Smith, have given me are things I will be forever grateful for. I decided it was time to give back to the game that has given me so much, and I could not have found a more fulfilling way to do that,” she says.
ca. 1965
Civil Rights March
Approximately 175 citizens and HWS students trek down Exchange Street during the Civil Rights March, a peaceful demonstration held on March 20, 1965, in solidarity with the historic Selma to Montgomery march led by Martin Luther King Jr. Clarence McKee ’65 spoke to the crowd on the steps of Geneva City Hall, describing the quest for equality and justice as “a cause that transcends all of us but that affects all of us.” Photo by P.B. Oakley, courtesy of the Geneva Historical Society. 19 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF
LEADERSHIP by Catherine Williams
photo by Kevin Colton
hen President Mark D. Gearan concludes his presidency at the end of June he will have the distinction of being the longest serving president in the history of Hobart and William Smith, leading the Colleges through a period of unprecedented growth. More than 35% of all living graduates have crossed the stage in front of Coxe Hall to accept their diplomas and shake hands with Gearan – that’s 7,600 alumni and alumnae who have benefited from Gearan’s focus on preparing students to lead lives of consequence.
20 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP 21 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
“There is no doubt that the Colleges are better prepared for the future by every conceivable measure than they were before or would have been without him.”
BOZZUTO
“I joined the Board of Trustees the weekend of Mark’s inauguration in 1999 so I’ve had a front row seat to his presidency,” says Chair of the Board Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68. “There is no doubt that the Colleges are better prepared for the future by every conceivable measure than they were before or would have been without him.” Under Gearan’s leadership, the Colleges have expanded its academic reach and advanced its reputation as a prominent liberal arts institution. By strengthening the Colleges’ financial resources and increasing its fundraising range, Hobart and William Smith have transformed the physical campus, adding and expanding facilities while also increasing access and opportunity for students through an expansion of financial aid. Gearan has made significant commitments to diversity and inclusion, propelled the Colleges’ environmental sustainability efforts, and grown programming in civic engagement, career services, leadership, study abroad and student services. “When I think of Mark, I think of the word integrity. Early in his career at HWS, Mark tapped into the real heart of the Colleges,” says Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Carolyn Carr McGuire ’78. “Hobart and William Smith resonated with Mark and he was able to build a vision for the Colleges that was based so strongly in our history and so embedded in our DNA that our advances these past two decades have been natural and rooted in our mission.”
—Chair of the Board Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68
Carr McGuire
When he was named President in 1999, Gearan was one of the youngest college presidents in the nation and a non-traditional choice given his background as Director of the Peace Corps and, during the Clinton Administration, Assistant to the President, Director of Communications and Deputy Chief of Staff. “He was a breath of fresh air,” says Trustee Thomas B. Poole ’61, P’91, L.H.D. ’06 recalling Gearan’s first interview with the Search Committee in 1999, a search that Poole chaired. “His energy was contagious. His interest was genuine. His integrity was obvious. He was quietly confident and extremely articulate and passionate. Those things haven’t changed in the 18 years I’ve known him. What has changed is HWS. He got everyone to work together toward a common vision.” Margarita Ramos ’85 joined the Board of Trustees shortly after Gearan became president. “At the time, I was just forming my own sense of leadership as a young attorney and I identified with many of the challenges Mark faced. One of Mark’s most telling and positive attributes early in his tenure was his capacity to actively engage with others through listening to their concerns.” Honorary Trustee and Former Chair of the Board David H. Deming ’75 agrees. “Mark was the right person at the right time,” he says. “He took Hobart and William Smith and gave it incredible focus. And he did it in a nice, inclusive way. He listened first and then put teams of people together to work on some of our biggest challenges. Everyone owned the process and the outcome.”
ramos
deming
This approach, Professor of History Clifton Hood says, allowed the Colleges to transition from, “a regional liberal arts college to what I would call a mini-versity that is active nationally and internationally, that provides our students with an elaborate and evergrowing array of academic programs and extracurricular services, and that has a complex administrative structure aimed at supporting those heightened ambitions. Mark raised our sights and he and Mary added a lot of basic human decency to the process.”
22 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
“Achieving all of that has not been easy,” says Professor of Public Policy Craig Rimmerman. “But Mark has a tremendous amount of respect for the faculty. His generosity, his unflappable nature and his professionalism in the face of challenges have set a new model for future presidents to emulate.”
RIMMERMAN
“His generosity, his unflappable nature and his professionalism in the face of challenges have set a new model for future presidents to emulate.” —Professor of Public Policy Craig Rimmerman
In his final year as president and in partnership with faculty, staff, students and trustees, Gearan is drafting a new strategic direction with an emphasis on the financial model, diversity and inclusion. The goal is to ensure that Gearan’s successor has the best thinking of the community at the ready. “Mark’s commitment to the future of the Colleges is in some ways best demonstrated by his actions during this, his final year on campus,” says Bozzuto. “Rather than spend his time ‘coasting’ or basking in well-earned praise, he has gotten to work envisioning the possible next steps for the Colleges.” Former Chair of the Board of Trustees Maureen Collins Zupan ’72, P’09, L.H.D. ’16 says that Gearan is always seeking a way to be of service. “I’ve known Mark since the beginning when his application arrived on Peace Corps stationary,” she recalls. “I’ve observed him in many situations, good and difficult, festive and sorrowful, formal and casual, on campus and off, with all of our constituencies and with Geneva residents, and more. He always treats everyone with respect. He listens, he empathizes, he collaborates and he finds ways to make us all feel part of the solution.”
ZUPAN
ABRAHAM
Gearan has accepted an appointment at Harvard University, his alma mater, as the ‘President in Residence’ at the Graduate School of Education. For the fall 2017 semester, he will be working on important issues facing higher education and the next generation of leaders. The position at Harvard reflects Gearan’s stature in higher education where he has held leadership roles in numerous organizations including chair of National Campus Compact, chair of the Corporation for National and Community Service, chair of the Annapolis Group of selective liberal arts colleges, and chair of the Talloires Network Steering Committee, an international organization of college and university presidents from six continents committed to civic engagement. “Mark has a restless intellect,” explains Dr. George Abraham ’59, who has worked closely with Gearan on expanding opportunities for the arts on campus and in Geneva. “That’s part of why he’s successful. When you look at the way he’s developed the Colleges, the national attention he’s brought to HWS, the range of projects he’s accomplished, and the leadership role he’s taken in higher education, it’s monumental. He’s interested in everyone and curious about all things.” That curiosity led Gearan to serve on the boards of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, New York Council of Independent Colleges and Universities, New York State Campus Compact and The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. He is a member of the Leadership Council for The Franklin Project, a policy program at the Aspen Institute, and is the co-chair of the National Advisory Board on Public Service at Harvard College. Gearan has also maintained his connections in politics, serving as an appointee of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Commission on Political Reform. The national commission focuses on policy recommendations on electoral system reform, congressional reform and encouragement of greater public service. He is also a former member of the White House Council for Community Solutions,
23 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
At the close of his first year at Hobart and William Smith, Gearan began the development of a five-year strategic planning initiative called HWS 2005. He then led the next two phases, HWS 2010 and HWS 2015, as well as Campaign for the Colleges, which raised more than $205 million to support facilities, endowment and annual giving. These strategic plans and the campaign provided a clear road map to achieving academic excellence, intensifying student engagement, improving and enlarging facilities, advancing financial stability and expanding access.
a wisdom linked to authentic compassion,” explains Carr McGuire. “He fosters mutual respect and trust, and has true affection for the people he works with.”
a group of cross-sector leaders appointed by President Barack Obama to recommend collaborative solutions to increase civic engagement. “Many of the individuals Mark knew in his former life in D.C., as well as those he has met while involved in these national organizations, came to campus to give lectures and mentor students,” says Rimmerman. “People often remark on how he and Mary opened their home to the community, and that’s true. But he also opened HWS and Geneva to the world. Heads of state, politicians and journalists visited campus, shared their perspectives and insight, and returned home with a new understanding of the modern Hobart and William Smith.”
POOLE
“His energy was contagious. His interest was genuine. His integrity was obvious. He was quietly confident and extremely articulate and passionate.”
“I still think about many of the speakers who President Gearan brought to campus,” says Jane Erickson ’07, president of the William Smith —Thomas B. Poole Alumnae Association. “They continue to ’61, P’91, L.H.D. ’06 influence the way I think about the world and how to understand multiple sides of an issue. Interacting with people like Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai Sc.D. ’94, P’94, P’96, Ambassador Swanee Hunt and Conservative Activist Grover Norquist changed me.” Lucile Mallard L.H.D. ’15, president of the Geneva chapter of the NAACP, is one of many Geneva community members who took advantage of Gearan’s open invitation to attend campus lectures and events. “I will never forget Convocation in 2007,” says Mallard. “The speaker was Congressman John Lewis, a leader of the Civil Rights Movement who spoke at the March on Washington and nearly lost his life on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. As Mark and Lewis were processing off stage, Mark spotted me in the audience and asked me to join them. I never thought I would have an opportunity to talk with Lewis, to walk with Lewis. It was one of the most important moments of my life. Mark knew what it would mean to me and he made it happen.” That kind of thoughtfulness is a hallmark of Gearan’s approach to life and work. “He has
ERICKSON
LEVY
Gearan’s tenure at the Colleges is “nothing short of transformational,” says Reynold Levy ’66, former president of the Robin Hood Foundation and of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “His persistence and doggedness in seizing opportunities and realizing goals has been remarkable. His ability to relate well to students, faculty, parents, trustees, donors, alumni and alumnae is peerless. His patience, tolerance for ambiguity and consensus building skills were in frequent evidence throughout his service as president…. Morale is up. Pride and accomplishment is everywhere apparent.” Ann Warner has served HWS for nearly 40 years as the academic coordinator of the sciences and remembers meeting the Gearans on one of their first days in Geneva. “What was quickly clear was that this was a different era for the Colleges,” she says. “Mark and Mary make everyone feel included. No matter what job you have, it’s clear that you’re an important part of the community. They have always had our best interests at heart. I honestly don’t think they realize the impact and the difference they’ve made.” “Virtually everyone he’s touched – faculty, staff, alumni, alumnae, Geneva community members and especially students – think of him as a personal friend,” says Bozzuto. “That’s pretty amazing, primarily because it’s true.” “Over the years, I’ve returned to Mark’s inauguration speech. It’s all there – what he wanted to accomplish, his vision for the future, his approach,” explains Poole. “He said that 50 years from now, he imagined a future HWS president preparing for his or her inaugural address. What would be said of our time here at the Colleges? Mark hoped that our legacy was that we made a difference, that he made a difference. He absolutely did.”
24 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
ALL THE MORE by Eric Lax ’66, L.H.D. ’93
25 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
T
he tangible achievements of Mark Gearan’s spectacular 18 years at Hobart and William Smith are evident everywhere: the six new buildings, the doubled endowment, the nearly three-fold increase in early admission applications, the 28% increase in the student body, the 57 added full-time faculty positions, the 1:10 faculty-student ratio, the $205 million Campaign for the Colleges, the more than 80 capital projects to renovate residence halls, academic buildings, and athletic facilities; the list fills pages, and me, with admiration. And let’s not forget the President’s Garage Band with its clearly mutable faculty musicians—with the exception of the keyboard player, so obviously attuned to the students that like them from year to year, he seems President Mark D. Gearan with Karen Sulzberger and Eric Lax ’66, L.H.D. ’93 at a regional not to have aged a day since he arrived. event at their Los Angeles home. Lax is the best-selling author of works such as Woody Allen: Yet for all of this, it is the intangibles he has brought to the A Biography and Life and Death on 10 West. He serves in the leadership volunteer role of Colleges that impress me even more. One of the great allures of Hobart Regional Vice President of the West Coast region. HWS to me is how personal colleges of this size can be. As his band suggests, Mark has made himself and his office open and the country none had seen before. When I was a student, town and gown accessible. Louis Hirshson, whom most people know as a dormitory but I were separate, unequal, and uneasy with the other. No longer. Mark created knew as the president and was lucky enough to call a friend, engaged in the Geneva Partnership, engaging the Colleges with the city and residents campus life but in keeping with the mores of the time, not to the depth in numerous ways, from committing to helping the city balance its budget, or degree Mark does with students and alumni. As Edie Sparago Irons ’66, to partnering with the school district, to working with the town to become my close buddy since our first day on campus in 1962, puts it, “The most one of 10 All America Cities in 2015. But most important to an old Peace amazing thing about the guy is the way he makes contact and connects to Corps Volunteer like me, now all HWS students take part in community an individual and to a group. When he is talking to you, you feel like he service throughout the year, collectively offering more than 80,000 hours knows you, and that he is actually talking to you. And he does that in such of time. a nice, lighthearted way, you end up talking right back.” As most everyone knows, Mark was director of the Peace Corps before He does not do this alone. Among her many other contributions, Mary coming to HWS and had distinguished himself in public service at the Herlihy Gearan opens their house every Friday afternoon for tea and White House. My Peace Corps years right after I left Geneva changed my conversation with any and all students who might be outlook and my life, and I know from experience that the missing home or simply want a welcoming place to go, volunteerism HWS students offer allows them to learn even has extra places at the dinner table nearly every night, more than they give. Mark rejuvenated the Peace Corps, and “The most amazing and besides being the mother of Madeleine and Kathleen, the vital spirit that he brought, and that students share in, thing ... is the way is the godmother of campus friendships that otherwise make Hobart and William Smith very different liberal arts would not be made. Mary is able to see the essence of colleges. he makes contact a solitary teenager or a new arrival from abroad and Community service gets to the heart of a liberal arts and connects to an connect them with others in a way that enriches all their education, in which book knowledge is enhanced by wide individual and to lives. experience in unaccustomed areas. “Oh, this learning, what Ella Calder ’18 recalls she “entered HWS with the a thing it is,” the oblivious Gremio says in The Taming of the a group.” common first-year fear of potential exclusion and Shrew. Sometimes clueless is smart because the best lessons isolation; I wondered who would be my friends or are unknowable at the outset. We learn from texts but even at the very least give me the time of day. As an ‘international student’ more from context. The understanding that comes from involvement in from Canada, I was invited for lunch at the president’s home. When he unfamiliar circumstances with others unlike ourselves makes us better approached me with a smile, I thought he had mistaken me for someone citizens and better, smarter, more compassionate people able to lead lives else, but he said: ‘Hello, I’m Mark Gearan…what’s your name?’ I staggered of consequence beyond profession. to respond but today both Mark and Mary know me on a first-name basis. Many years ago, my classmate Donald Stern ’66 worked with Mark in I am forever grateful for the effect they have had on me and on the Massachusetts. When the search committee for the new president asked his Colleges. There is no couple more genuinely caring or more impactful on a opinion, he was filled with praise, and Mark’s endless ability was evident community.” the day he started. Don and I talked a few months later, after I’d had the The Colleges are far more diverse and inclusive than when the Gearan chance to meet Mark. Our great concern was that at 43, and with the family arrived in 1999. A couple of years ago my wife Karen and I had the average tenure of college presidents about eight years, we would be lucky pleasure of hosting a group of 10 incoming first-year students from the L.A. if he stayed even that many before being lured away. area who were Posse Foundation scholars—excellent students who might Here we are nearly two decades later, fortunate to have had the Gearans otherwise have been overlooked who were awarded scholarships. The unimaginably longer than anyone could dare to hope. Which will make not chance to get to know each other before going to Geneva helped them to just me miss them all the more. be mutually supportive in the new world of campus life in a distant part of
Even though I was majoring in the sciences, I jumped at the chance to take a class on political strategy with President Gearan that was co-taught by Associate Professor of Political Science DeWayne Lucas and Presidential Fellow and Mayor of Ithaca Svante Myrick. President Gearan’s experiences working on the Clinton Campaign and the scope of political views that were represented by the students and the guest speakers who skyped in from D.C., were amazing and broad. He brought in people with real, on-the-ground experience. And everyone felt respected, no matter their political viewpoint. His legacy of empathy and inclusion will be everlasting. His professionalism is without peer.” — Justin Partyka ’16, a double major in physics and economics, is completing the joint engineering program with Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering. Afterward, he heads to New York City for a job with J.P. Morgan. A member of the Political Science Department, President Gearan regularly taught classes on campaigns and elections, often with Associate Professor of Political Science DeWayne Lucas and Professor of Political Science Iva Deutchman.
26 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
ACADEMIC PROGRAM AND REPUTATION
Under Gearan’s leadership, the Colleges have invested in faculty, creating an environment in which more of these partnerships can flourish. The result is a corresponding increase in national recognition and academic awards.
The Colleges have advanced 16 spots in U.S. News & World Report’s best national liberal arts college ranking since 1999, moving from No. 81 to No. 65. Hobart and William Smith are featured in Princeton Review’s Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Schools That Give You the Best Bang for Your Tuition Buck. Points of distinction noted for HWS include strong student-faculty engagement, exceptional career preparation, guaranteed internship programs, a personalized financial aid approach, and a robust alum network.
Since 1999: • the graduation rate increased 7% • applications increased 75% • The student to faculty ratio decreased from 13:1 to 10:1 • The student population increased by 23.6% to 2,262 • The number of full time faculty increased by 24% with 43 full-time faculty positions added
a
Graduation R at e
In
re
d se
In 1999, the number of students applying early decision was 14%. Today, about 44% of students apply early decision, making HWS their first choice. Applying Early Decision [1999] 14%
[2017]
44%
APPLICATIONS INCREASED
75
%
27 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
b y:
• 34 U.S. Fulbright Student Awards; in 2016 and 2017, the Colleges were named among the top colleges and universities with the most recipients of U.S. Fulbright Student Awards. In two back-to-back record years, 14 members of the Classes of 2015 and 2016 have earned a Fulbright. • 1 Rhodes Scholarship • 9 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships • 3 Princeton-in-Asia Fellowships • 1 Marshall Scholarship • 1 Gates-Cambridge Scholarship • 3 Morris K. Udall Undergraduate Scholarship • 6 NOAA Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarships • 2 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowships
65
81
c
During Gearan’s tenure and under the mentorship of faculty, HWS students have earned numerous prestigious scholarships and fellowships, including:
No.
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
O
ne of the traditional hallmarks of a Hobart and William Smith education has always been the lifelong and rewarding partnerships that students and faculty form around topics of mutual interest. When students can make a powerful connection with a faculty member, they are more likely to thrive academically and socially.
“We were impressed by the sense of community and common purpose that define the Hobart and William Smith experience. In particular, we observed a deep appreciation for the life of the mind, dedication to educating students with global competencies, a collective commitment to service and to Geneva, outstanding and remarkably committed presidential leadership, and an integrity that is shared across the Colleges.”
photo by Kevin Colton
Middle States Accreditation In 2014, the Colleges received an outstanding accreditation report from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education indicating that HWS fulfilled all standards and characteristics of excellence. Since the last Middle States reaccreditation, the team reported, Hobart and William Smith “have enhanced academic quality, expanded the faculty, improved campus resources and facilities, strengthened its competitive position, completed a successful $205 million campaign, contributed creatively to Geneva, developed signature programs in co-curricular learning, and nurtured its tradition and engagement of alums – all while weathering extremely well the national financial difficulties of the past six years.”
“I think the most important aspect of President Gearan’s legacy for the Colleges will be his respect for disagreement. Whether it was a challenging meeting with faculty members or a class discussion with students of opposing political passions, Mark has always shown considerable respect to the ideas and opinions of all participants and has sought ways to fully understand and engage them from their perspective. His legacy is that a President is approachable, respectful and engaged with the entire campus constituency.” —DeWayne Lucas, Associate Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean of Faculty
Center for Teaching and Learning Since 2003, the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) has worked with faculty and students to empower innovative scholarship, cooperative inquiry and intellectual risk-taking. CTL offers support and enrichment to students through teaching fellows, quantitative fellows, writing fellows and study mentors. CTL also works with faculty to improve course design and assess learning outcomes through a wide array of support opportunities, from Faculty Learning Communities to one-onone consultations. Curriculum Evolution In 2016, Hobart and William Smith completed a comprehensive, multiyear process to review and revise the curriculum. The new curriculum adopts “Explore, Collaborate, Act” as an animating principle for common and engaged discourse. With an emphasis on writing enrichment, the revised curriculum also includes an enhanced First Year Seminar experience and the requirement of a capstone project in every discipline. Trias Residency for Writers Thanks to the generosity of the late Peter J. Trias ’70, in 2011 the Colleges launched the Trias Residency for Writers, which has brought world-renowned writers to campus for a unique one-year residency. During their tenure, Trias residents work with the Colleges’ best students in meaningful mentorships. The residents—awardwinning novelists, poets and essayists—also offer a public reading and lecture, participate in a service event for the greater Geneva community and curate a reading series with other notable authors.
— Daniel R. Porterfield, President of Franklin & Marshall College and Chair of the 2014 Middle States Accreditation Team
28 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
photo by ANDREW MARKHAM ’10
It’s Not “Town and Gown” by Professor of Anthropology and Sociology Jack D. Harris P'02, P'06
photo by Kevin Colton
M
any years ago my wonderful honors student, Wren Gleason ’04, did her project on the relationship between HWS and the community of Geneva. When she interviewed President Gearan he gently chided her about the use of the phrase “town and gown.” Mark understood that the simple phrase used to characterize a college and its relationship to its host location generally emphasized separation, and even conflict, between the two entities. Due very much to Mark’s leadership and immersive involvement in the Colleges and in Geneva, accompanied by the great work of Mary Gearan throughout our Geneva community, the relationship between the Colleges, the city and community has flowered and flourished. The partnering of the Colleges with the City of Geneva and the larger community is now firmly planted and sustainable. This is a truly exceptional achievement of Mark and Mary Gearan during their 18 years with our community. The City’s and the Colleges’ relationship seems natural because the Gearans make it look so easy. But ours is a rare unity of purpose, sewn together by Mark’s and Mary’s bridging of our two worlds. Mary’s active involvement in organizations such as Happiness House, Mark’s leadership in Geneva 2020 and his support for extensive community engagement and service-learning, have infused HWS with a strong sense of place, with the Geneva partnership at its center. Under Mark’s direction, we are testing what we know by doing, making a difference in collaboration with our community partners. On campus or in the city, it seems wherever you go, there they are – Mark, Mary and their girls. Whether it is the Asian Student Union Chinese New Year dinner, or a William Smith soccer game, or a celebration of Hobart’s history and tradition, the Gearans are, more often than not, there (and this does not include the Garage Band!). Their presence has enriched every event as they tucked their family into our collective families. This is only one of President Gearan’s and his family’s legacies. Their modeled engagement has been so important to this place, and it will leave a “Mark” on our Colleges and our community, not “town and gown.” I will especially miss them for this lasting gift.
29 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
President Mark D. Gearan, Geneva NAACP President Lucile Mallard L.H.D. ’15, Chief of Police Jeffrey Trickler and Geneva City School District Superintendent Trina Newton volunteer with HWS students and community members at the local farmers’ market.
Collections of Hobart and William Smith Colleges
T
he Collections of Hobart and William Smith Colleges contain many original works of art and are particularly strong in works on paper from the 19th through the 21st centuries. Many works are periodically displayed throughout campus, including at The Davis Gallery, The Thomas Poole Family Admissions Center, the Melly Academic Center, Rosensweig Learning Commons and the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts, before returning to the Collections for preservation.
photo by Kevin Colton
Students actively participate in all aspects of collection management, learning museum standards of art handling and registration, assisting with the installation of exhibitions and campus displays, as well as conducting research for curatorial purposes and educational programs.
30 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
—Dr. George N. Abraham ’59, Professor Emeritus of Medicine, and Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Rochester
“Elbow Lake” (left) and “Violent Turn” (1977), mixed media prints by James Rosenquist, were given to the Colleges by Mr. and Mrs. William E. Welsh Jr. P’84. The Collections, which include works by Mary Cassatt, Norman Rockwell, Toshi Yoshida and Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, have benefited greatly from the support of individuals like Dr. George N. Abraham '59, Clarence "Dave" Davis Jr. '48, Theodore C. '50 and Melva Max '50, P'78, P'80, Trustee Chair Emeritus L. Thomas Melly '52, L.H.D. '02, Robert and Marion de Mauriac North '32, L.H.D. ’78, Edward T. Pollack '55 and Richard A. Scudamore '55. 31 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
“Soon after Mark started in 1999, he invited me to campus to have lunch. He knew I collected art and wanted my opinion on the holdings of the Colleges. We sat in the old café at Scandling Campus Center. Across from our table was the condiment station – ketchup, napkins, trash bins. Above it was a Rosenquist. Mark asked me, “Do you think that Rosenquist should be hanging above the mustard?” That question started my journey to get many of the pieces in the collection archivally framed and conserved so they would be appreciated by others for generations. Over the past 18 years, we’ve worked with Visual Arts Curator Kathryn Vaughn P'08 and several alums to assess the Collections, restore unframed lithographs and prints, and acquire several original pieces of art. Some of the works that the Colleges own are extraordinary. Mark has made sure that these pieces will survive and be viewed. In his quiet way, he pulled the arts forward – both the visual arts and the performing arts through the Gearan Center. Now, that Rosenquist definitely does not hang over the mustard.”
photo by ANDREW MARKHAM ’10
A COXE FAREWELL Life at Hobart and William Smith ends similarly to how it begins: shaking hands with President Gearan on the steps of the stately Coxe Hall. After leading a generation of alums through these crucial chapters, Gearan congratulated his 18th class during his final Commencement ceremony on May 14, 2017, during which President Bill Clinton delivered the Commencement Address (see p. 10 for details). The What
The tradition of commencement originated in medieval Europe when graduates would receive their degrees in a ceremony called inceptio, meaning “beginning” in Latin, a reference to the beginning of their lives as full scholars. The practice later adopted the French term commencement. The celebration is both in honor of what one leaves behind and what lies ahead, a duality that President Mark D. Gearan raised during his Commencement Address in 2001: “As you drive out of Geneva, look at your passenger side mirror of your car. It says ‘Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.’ Well, so too for HWS; it will be closer than it appears for you in life. In fact, it will always be with you – in the academic preparation you have received, the friendships made and the memories of this wonderful place.”
The Why
“Because a day like today proves that wishes and dreams and prayers come true, that hard work pays off, and that all-nighters do, too. A day like today proves that your dreams can exceed even your wishes.” – The late Gwen Ifill, L.H.D. ’01, during her 2001 Commencement Address
Words of Wisdom from HWS Commencement Speakers “I hope you fail miserably. I hope you crash and burn. I hope you get fired. I hope someone breaks your heart in the most awful way. I hope you find yourself one day on the floor – metaphorically bloody, hopeless, sobbing over a dream that didn’t come true…Heroes are not born out of glory and success. Heroes can only come to life in the dark heart of failure.” –Brad Falchuk ’93, L.H.D. ’14 “Now is not the time to settle. In fact, I would say, your job right now is to dream big, extravagant, borderline unrealistic dreams.” –Savannah Guthrie L.H.D. ’12 “Well, thank God for dreamers, and for those who selflessly help others, those who stand up for what is right, even when it’s not easy. Especially when it’s not easy. “ – Bill Whitaker, Jr. ’73, L.H.D. ’97
32 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
“I mention that trademark Gearan kindness not just for the fond memory; his presence here, his leadership here, his emphasis on making Hobart and William Smith Colleges a community of civil discourse and public service is proof to me you already know the lessons that matter most.” –John King L.H.D. ’06 “You must use your skills, set your expectations high, be prepared to make some tough choices, and to shine some light into a few dark corners.” –Gwen Ifill L.H.D. ’01 “You’re going to do the great stuff—total confidence in that. You’re going to get beat up along the way—total confidence in that. But always remember, there is only one definition of a champion, only one, and the true champion is the one who gets up one more time than they’re knocked down.” –James Carville LL.D. ’13, P'17
2016: Dr. Cheryl L. Dorsey L.H.D. ’16, president of Echoing Green
2015: David Gergen L.H.D. ’15, CNN senior political analyst and trusted adviser to four U.S. Presidents
2014: Brad Falchuk ’93, L.H.D ‘14, Emmy-award winning writer, producer and director
2013: James Carville LL.D. ‘13, P’17, Political commentator and former campaign advisor
The Who 2011: Patrick Corvington L.H.D. ’11, senior
2012: Savannah Guthrie L.H.D ’12, co-anchor of The Today Show
2010: Daniel R. Glickman L.H.D. ’10, former Congressman and former Secretary of Agriculture
2009: Carol M. Browner L.H.D. ’09, assistant to President Barack Obama for Energy and Climate Change
2008: William T. Whitaker, Jr. ’73, L.H.D. ‘97, 60 Minutes correspondent
2007: Judy Woodruff L.H.D. ’07, anchor and managing editor of PBS
2007: Albert R. Hunt L.H.D. ’07, Washington executive editor for Bloomberg News
2006: John Carlton King L.H.D. ’02, chief national correspondent for CNN
2005: Dee Dee Myers L.H.D. ’05, political analyst and former White House Press Secretary
2004: Chris Matthews L.H.D. ’04, host of MSNBC’s Hardball
2003: Andrea Mitchell L.H.D. ’03, chief foreign affairs correspondent for NBC News
2002: Mark Shields L.H.D. ’02, political columnist, commentator, and moderator of CNN’s The Capital Gang
2001: Gwen Ifill L.H.D. ’01, anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour and Washington Week
2000: Hon. Richard C. Holbrooke L.H.D. ’00, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
33 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
NewsHour
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
fellow, Campaign for Grade Level Reading and former chief executive officer, Corporation for National and Community Service
Women Who Pave the Way: the Blackwell Award Recipients
T he road to equality is rarely without resistance, so to honor the revolutionary women crossing unprecedented boundaries, Hobart and William Smith issued the first Elizabeth Blackwell Award in
1958 in honor of William Smith College’s 50th anniversary. The recognition came nearly 100 years after its namesake Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell graduated from Geneva Medical College (a department of Geneva College, the precursor to Hobart) and became the first female medical doctor in America. Since it was established, the Colleges have honored 40 women with awards, nine during President Mark D. Gearan’s tenure. Reserved for honorees who match the extraordinary feats of Blackwell herself, the award is given to women whose lives exemplify outstanding service to humankind.
The Why “The example of Elizabeth Blackwell should shine in each of our hearts. For she was a fighter who confronted the steepest barriers and wore down those she couldn’t knock down. She was a doer with purpose and that purpose was to excel while serving and healing others. Her career is a reminder that each of us must choose whether to live our lives selfishly and complacently, or to act with boldness and faith.” – Madeleine K. Albright, 32nd recipient of the Elizabeth Blackwell Award
Words of Wisdom “For Elizabeth Blackwell in 1849, the barriers must have seemed insurmountable. What is clear today is that a revolution has occurred in the educational and career possibilities for women.” – Dr. Pricilla Schaffer ’64, Sc.D. ’94, former chief of the laboratory of molecular virology at Harvard Medical School
“I am confident that you don’t truly know yourself until you become involved in serving others. I have found the most rewarding thing you can do in life is to go above and beyond yourself.” – Dr. Wangari Maathai Sc.D.’94, P'94, P’96; founder of the Green Belt Movement and Nobel laureate
34 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
“It’s doubly an honor to find myself associated with the individuals who have received the Blackwell Award before today. I am very grateful to be here, but especially grateful that Hobart and William Smith have used this award since 1958 to celebrate the service and historic achievements of these women. I can’t think of a more fitting tribute to Elizabeth Blackwell.” – Dr. Janet L. Yellen, chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
The Who
– 2013 – The Most Reverend Doctor Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church and the first woman to head one of the Anglican Communion’s national churches
– 2011 – Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of the Special Olympics
– 2009 – Rabbi Sally J. Priesand, first woman to be ordained a rabbi in the United States
– 2008 – Dr. Wangari Maathai Sc.D.’94, P’94, P’96, founder of the Green Belt Movement and the first African woman and the first environmentalist to receive the Nobel Peace Prize
– 2007– Dr. Priscilla A. Schaffer ’64, Sc.D. ’94, internationally recognized expert in the pathogenesis of DNA viruses and Chief of Harvard Medical School’s laboratory of molecular virology
– 2004 – Bishop Barbara Clementine Harris, first woman to be ordained to the episcopate in the worldwide Anglican Communion
– 2003 – Loretta C. Ford, founder of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioners program
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
– 2015 – Dr. Janet L. Yellen, the first woman to serve as the chair of the Federal Reserve
35 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
– 2001 – Madeleine K. Albright, first woman to serve as Secretary of State of the United States
The President’s Garage Band Since the inaugural performance at the Senior Dinner in 2005, one prized rite of passage for soon-to-be graduates is the distinctive pleasure of hearing the President’s Garage Band. Headed by President Gearan on keyboards and vocals, the band’s rotating lineup includes an eclectic mix of faculty, staff, deans and Geneva community members who — accompanied by the chorus of Hobart and William Smith seniors — sing, dance, twist and shout to the repertoire of classics.
Here he is, a guy who is literally running a college and raising two daughters, with a thousand things to do and sort out, and important people to talk to, and of course he shows up at the Senior Barbecue with The President’s Garage Band. Obviously. He was always the secret final star of every show, and yet we kept being so surprised and excited when he’d show up. I loved my experience at HWS. I treasured it then and value it now. And I endeavor to embody the spirit of our unique college in upstate New York even at the research-driven University of Cambridge.”
photo by Kevin Colton
—Wendi Bacon ’12, recipient of the Marshall Scholarship which took her to the University of Cambridge where she earned a Ph.D. in Hematology and is now a postdoctoral scientist.
36 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
S
ince Gearan joined HWS, every facet of the student experience has been enhanced and improved, providing students with a broad array of experiences through athletics, career preparation, leadership programs, study abroad and speakers' series. Gearan is a frequent guest at club gatherings and meetings, attending athletic competitions and culture club events. Below, a snapshot of campus life under President Gearan.
CLUBS & 100 ORGANIZATIONS 2017
50 1999
Student groups and clubs have doubled under Gearan’s leadership going from 50 organizations in 1999 to about 100 today.
of students participate in community service
60%
of students study abroad in more than 50 locations around the world
“During our first year on campus, Cydney Conley and I seemed to hear every week about a new talent or fun fact about President Gearan– he plays the piano, he was director of the Peace Corps, he worked for Bill Clinton…. We came to the conclusion that he must be the most interesting man alive and we wanted to hang out with him. Cyd crafted an email introducing us as “pranksters hailing from Jackson 3 and Hirshson Hall," asking if we could get lunch and "talk about anything under the sun." Long story short, he obliged, and not only did we learn that he is in fact the most interesting man, we have had lunch with him every year since.” —Amy Feda ’17, William Smith field hockey goalie and Liberty League All-Academic Team player
90,000+ hours
of service are completed annually by students, faculty and staff
600 “The Gearans represent the ethos of the Colleges. They are committed to community engagement and to creating an environment where students can connect with one another and new ideas. I met one of my best friends at one of Mary Gearan’s Friday Open Houses. HWS students know how much the Gearans care and respect them. And we care and respect the Gearans right back.” — Jonathan Tuttle ’18,economics major completing an internship at JetBlue
37 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
Each summer, more
than 600 HWS students participate in a career internship or research opportunity, compared to about 70 in 2005.
70
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
President and Mrs. Gearan are supportive of all the students’ endeavors, attending events, concerts, games and plays, and participating in all aspects of campus life. We could not have had a better president or a better family on campus, and I’m so grateful to have been a part of their time here.” —Micaela Carney ’18, a Spanish and Hispanic studies and Education double-major and a 2017 Orientation Coordinator
“The Gearans have shown kindness, humility and concern for others, which makes them the true embodiment of lives of consequence. I wish them the very best in their future endeavors." —Ato Bentsi-Enchill ’17, cofounder of Deals en Route and RevisionPrep, winner of the Stu Lieblein ’90 Pitch Contest
Attendees at the two-day Leadership Institute gather in the Vandervort Room.
Centennial Center for Leadership Since its inception, the Centennial Center for Leadership has been a hub for activities that develop and prepare leaders for future contributions of value, character and significance. The Centennial Center, which was dedicated in 2007 in conjunction with the William Smith Centennial, is a point of distinction for the Colleges, offering noted programs such as the annual Stu Lieblein ’90 Pitch Contest, HWS Leads Leadership Program, Beyond Borders HWS global leadership program, the two-day Leadership Institute, HWS Idealab and most recently, the 24 hours of Social Innovation Hackathon, a 24-hour social innovation program. Through a learning-centered environment, participants in the center’s programs develop global, community and entrepreneurial skills that ready them to lead in the 21st century.
HACKATH N
a cappella groups The HWS tradition of student singing groups has expanded exponentially over the past 18 years, from the growth of the Colleges’ Chorale and Cantori groups to the founding of three a cappella groups including the Hobartones (Hobart), Three Miles Lost (William Smith) and Perfect Third (HWS). The groups sing at HWS community events across the country, collaborate for campus concerts during events like Homecoming and participate in service and fundraising events in the Geneva community.
Members of the Colleges’ a cappella groups perform at the 2009 William Smith Centennial Gala in the Robert A. Bristol ’31 Field House.
38 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
Teams from across the globe debate in the 2016 HWS Round Robin.
Debate Team Since 2000, HWS Debate has become one of the premier undergraduate teams in the country and has established the Colleges as a beacon for collegiate debate competitions at the highest level. Each fall, HWS hosts a regional debate tournament, attracting many of the best teams in the Northeastern U.S. and Canada. Each spring, the Colleges host the HWS Round Robin, an international tournament, second only to the World Championships in competitiveness. The 2017 event featured debate teams from more than 20 countries ranging from Singapore and Sweden to Malaysia and South Africa. The team’s international reputation has led to unique opportunities for its members who have led workshops and serve as adjudicators in prestigious global settings.
Chief Diversity Officer In 2016, President Gearan appointed Solomé Rose Interim Chief Diversity Officer, the first in HWS history. Rose heads a new office focused on ensuring that all members of the community have the support and equal opportunity to thrive. Her first project is leading a committee of faculty, staff, students and trustees in the completion of a Strategic Diversity Plan that articulates issues, identifies solutions and envisions a campus community in which all members are valued.
photo by Kevin Colton
Posse Under Gearan’s direction, in 2012, HWS entered into a partnership with Posse, one of the most successful college access and youth leadership programs in the country. To date, the partnership has created access for 40 students from the Los Angeles area who would otherwise face significant challenges to attend HWS. Posse scholars from the Classes of 2020, the fourth cohort at HWS, meet Mary Herlihy Gearan and President Mark D. Gearan in front of Coxe Hall during matriculation on the first day of Orientation in fall 2016.
39 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
photo by ANDREW MARKHAM ’10
Title IX In 2015, the Colleges significantly expanded its Office for Title IX Programs and Compliance. The office now includes a Title IX coordinator, Deputy Title IX Coordinator and a Prevention and Education Coordinator, increasing its outreach to students and facilitating the timely resolution of cases. From safety and security, to policy and procedure, to education and training, the reenvisioned Title IX office offers engaged and ongoing outreach and support.
Congratulations, Gratitude and a Healthy Dose of Gatorade
I
by Aliceann Wilber P’13
t was late October this past fall and the Herons had just secured the Liberty League Soccer Championship. President Gearan came across Cozzens Field to stamp the event with his unique combination of both institutional and sincerely personal congratulations. With a trace of thinly veiled sarcasm that came from the context of the occasion, I asked him if he would like to speak to the team “one last time.” Against this backdrop of finality I was recalling the first time that President Gearan addressed Heron Soccer. We had just won something significant; the girls were milling around as they do after a game and I gathered them in to listen to our President speak to their accomplishment. I felt I was witnessing the gears spinning in his head as he
Athletics Growth of Programs Since President Gearan’s arrival at the Colleges, the number of HWS students participating in athletics has increased significantly, with more than 80% of current HWS students participating in intercollegiate varsity sports or intramurals, club sports or outdoor programs. Since the start of the 1999-2000 academic year, the Colleges have added women’s golf and women’s ice hockey. In addition, Hobart rowing and the William Smith squash team have been elevated to varsity standing. During that participation same time, the in athletic Colleges have programs invested in all areas of athletic programming, from the creation of a full-time compliance officer to new facilities like the Caird Center for Sports and Recreation, which have helped revolutionize athletics and wellness at HWS. Academic All-Americans Between the founding of the award in 1952 through 1999, HWS boasted 12 Academic All-Americans, one of the most prestigious and select awards program for scholar-athletes. Under Gearan’s tenure, 25 more students have earned the ranking to date, including the Colleges’ first Academic All-America of the Year.
photoS by Kevin Colton
>80%
Aliceann Wilber P'13 is surprised by a celebratory bath of Gatorade after reaching her 400th career win in 2009. She now holds 535 wins, earning her first place on the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer all-time list. Also caught in the spray is Professor of Political Science Kevin Dunn who serves as the Faculty-Athletic Fellow for the Heron Soccer team, President Mark D .Gearan and retired Head Lacrosse Coach Pat Genovese P'01, P'03, P'05, P'08.
40 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
41 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
“To say that President Gearan has cultivated athletics at HWS would be an understatement. There’s a winning culture at Hobart and William Smith and he works hard to sustain it. In my four years here, any time we’ve identified a competitive disadvantage or asked for challenging improvements, his focus has always been on what’s best for our student athletes.” —Greg Raymond, Head Hobart Lacrosse Coach
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
searched for comments most appropriate for athletic achievement. I remember thinking “He is out of his element! He doesn’t know what to say to them.” Since then I have learned that President Gearan is a very gifted speaker. I have heard all but one of his commencement speeches and listened to him on countless occasions over these past 18 years. I have enjoyed seeing how the cadence of his remarks, his usage of inflection, and his employment of rhetorical techniques like tricolon add to the messages he conveys. But what I find most striking is his ability to spontaneously incorporate and synthesize into his own remarks the essence of those speakers who preceded him. That is a remarkable talent that adds incredible impact to his connections to the audience before him, whether soccer players, alumni or community leaders. (He’s taught me how to use a tricolon!) From that first soccer team address to the present, President Gearan has walked across many different athletic surfaces, been splashed with Gatorade on occasion, and delivered the right words to signify the meaningful lessons of our athletes and their accomplishments. He’s come a long way, baby! And how about his skill with the challenges of hospitality expectations? I am mindful of the inordinate amount of wining and dining that accompanies his position. With a graciousness that many leaders could not summon, President Gearan has ignored the “inordinate” and embraced the challenge of these occasions. It’s a wonder the man doesn’t weigh 300 pounds! His support and attendance at the Colleges’ functions has been matched by participation in initiatives and events far beyond his role as president. President Gearan is a truly singular figure within the Geneva community. I have seen him at Geneva events in which he had no specific family involvement or a direct college connection. I recall a sleepinducing, parochial fundraising dinner in a neighboring community that I was asked to participate in, an event seemingly without an end, and President Gearan was steadfastly engaged in it until its merciful conclusion. At another recent fundraising event my husband and I attended, we bid on and won “A Dinner with Mark and Mary Gearan.” “This will be fun,” we thought. Then the auctioneer announced that we had gotten a great bargain. Just the week before, he said, another “Dinner with Mark and Mary Gearan” had gone for double the price. “Poor Mark and Mary,” I thought. “Do they never get to dine alone?!” So, President Gearan – I’ll take one dinner off your plate! Maybe just play us a tune on the piano and we’ll call that good enough? Just one last time….
Center for Global Education As the former Director of the Peace Corps, President Gearan understands the transformative nature of study abroad. During his tenure and under his guidance, the growth of global education at the Colleges has meant that today 60% of Hobart and William Smith students study abroad (compared to the national average of just 2%). HWS study abroad offerings include more than 50 programs on six continents (compared to 33 programs in 2000). With funding from the Mellon Foundation and on-campus support, new pre-departure and re-entry programs enable students to extend their abroad experiences, molding global citizens with deep, rounded knowledge of international cultures, customs and relationships. A decade ago, the Colleges hosted one or two exchange students per year. Since then, the number of HWS exchange programs has vastly expanded, allowing students to study directly at foreign institutions and bringing international students to HWS. On average, the Colleges host around 25 exchange students each year. This wide-ranging commitment to global education earned the Colleges the prestigious Senator Paul Simon Award for CAMPUS Internationalization.
Students visit the Batuan Temple in Bali during their trip with Assistant Professor of Theatre Chris Hatch to study the Indonesian island’s performing arts.
HWS study abroad offerings include more
than 50 programs on
six continents (compared to 33 programs in 2000).
42 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
Walter Cruz ’11, Lucia Berliner ’12, Scott Holton ’10, Yorleiny Terrero ’11 and Allison May ’11 visit Manarola, a coastal village in the northwest Italian region of Cinque Terre.
43 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
photo by Kevin Colton
WORDS OF WISDOM
Follow The Flags: Convocation Remembered and Reborn
“The action of Rosa Parks, the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., inspired me to find a way to get in the way. I got in the way. I got in trouble. It was good trouble. It was necessary trouble. So I appeal to you as students, as freshmen with a sense of vigor, energy and vitality, to find a way to get in the way. Speak up, speak out and do not be quiet.” – Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)
T
he late August sun beats down on Stern Lawn as the sound of bagpipes emerges from the wings of the audience. The procession continues with 102 flags representing the nations and territories from which the Colleges’ students and faculty hail and where they travel through off-campus programs. The scene is unequivocally that of Convocation, reintroduced to the HWS community by Gearan in the first years of his presidency. With pomp, circumstance and those 102 flags as a powerful reminder of the Colleges’ commitment to global citizenship, Convocation is a vibrant celebration marking the opening of the academic year.
The What
Select Guests:
The ceremonial beginning of the academic year, Convocation hosts a distinguished speaker who offers reflections on the promise of the year ahead and encourages the community to reflect on core values of the Colleges. For many years a lecture series, Gearan returned the concept to its historical inception: a gathering that reflects the highest aspirations of a community, deriving from the Latin word convocare: “to call together.”
• Congressman John R. Lewis (D-GA)
The Why
• Christopher McDonald ’77, L.H.D. ’13, Broadway stage, television and film actor
“Let us commit to building a community that fosters traditions and celebrates our achievements. In events such as this we are reminded of the ritual of academic beginnings and celebration of extraordinary commitment.” —President
“The true freedom provided by a liberal arts education is the freedom to open your mind. That means taking leaps of faith, being able to see the logic of an argument you profoundly disagree with, assimilating difficult, often unsettling ideas, and learning to think critically and act humanely.” – Dorothy Wickenden ’76, L.H.D. ’14
• Dorothy Wickenden ’76, L.H.D. ’14, executive editor of The New Yorker • Trustee William F. Scandling ’49, LL.D. ’67, founder and president of the Saga Corporation • Judge Herbert J. Stern ’58, P’03, LL.D. ’74
• Maureen Collins Zupan ’72, P’09, Chair of the Board of Trustees • Rosie Mauk, former director of AmeriCorps, 2005
Mark D. Gearan, 2002
44 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
“And when you approach something new, something different, something out of your comfort zone… maybe your hands are sweating and your heart is racing – remember that you are not afraid, not worried about failure. You are excited about trying something new, following your passion, evolving and growing.” – Christopher McDonald ’77, L.H.D. ’13
A Life of Leadership
—Dr. Martin Luther King
D
uring his Commencement address for my class, President Mark D. Gearan and Mary Herlihy Gearan with Dan DeNose ’10 President Gearan shared a maxim used by the on a recent visit to Geneva. cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point: “Risk more than others think is safe. Care more than others think is wise. Dream more than others think is practical. Expect more than others think is possible.” This quote left an imprint on my heart, but it took me years after graduation to truly understand its significance. It was during my first year as a college student when I asked President Gearan to be my mentor. Like many of my friends, I went to college with the hope of becoming a change agent and contributing to my family’s success. But I recognized early that to accomplish my dreams, I needed guidance and development, leadership and wisdom, opportunity and growth. The night before I asked President Gearan to mentor me, I prepared myself to be pointed in another direction for mentorship. However, to my surprise, the busiest man on campus said yes. Despite his schedule, for four years President Gearan always made time for me. The transition from young first-year student to young man would not have been the same if not for him. He provided me opportunities to grow as a leader and professional. It is because of Mark’s citizenship that I risk more than others think is safe. It is because of Mark’s mentorship that I have learned to care more than others think is wise. It is because of Mark’s leadership that I dream more than others think is practical. It is because of Mark’s friendship that I have learned to expect more than others think is possible. Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Geneva will never be the same, but I am reassured to know Mark’s legacy will carry on for generations in our beloved community. The world is a better place because of him, and so am I. Mark Gearan will always be my President. In the words of Mark D. Gearan… With every best wish, I am Dan M. De Nose
45 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’”
photo by Kevin Colton
by Dan DeNose ’10
The What
[Annals of Free Speech]
Stimulating, Spirited, Surprising: 18 Years of the President’s Forum Series by Andrew Wickenden ’09
I
n 2001, about a year after the launch of the President’s Forum Series, HWS President Mark D. Gearan called journalist and political advisor George Stephanopoulos, a longtime colleague and friend, to invite him to speak as part of the series. “Mark made his pitch, told me all about the thoughtful, engaged conversations happening at this wonderful place called Hobart and William Smith,” Stephanopoulos recalls. “We came to a point in the conversation when he said, ‘George, do you believe in free speech?’ And I said, ‘Yes, of course.’ And he said, ‘Good, because you’re going to give one.’”
Beginning with Hillary Rodham Clinton in 2000, the HWS President’s Forum Series (PFS) has held more than 150 public events featuring some of the most influential politicians, intellectuals, artists and social activists of our time. In lectures and intimate panel discussions, these renowned public figures engage the campus, the Geneva community and the extended HWS family in illuminating and thought-provoking dialogues. While on campus, PFS speakers also visit classes, gather with small groups of students and faculty members and converse one-on-one with community members in a free exchange of ideas and opinions.
The Why College should be an opportunity for students to have access to interesting voices and concepts across a wide spectrum of disciplines and backgrounds. My hope with the President’s Forum Series was to create a true forum of ideas and discussion, one
that would encourage people in our community to think about issues in different ways. By asking questions in a public setting and by engaging these very public figures in a spirited dialogue, students gain the confidence to challenge their own assumptions and to think critically about the world around them. In return, our guests leave with a deeper appreciation of Hobart and William Smith and a broader sense of the mission of the Colleges. —President Mark D. Gearan
The Who The esteemed speakers who have joined the PFS embody what engaged citizenship looks like in practice. The list of PFS guests—which includes a dozen HWS graduates and five parents of HWS students—represents practically every aspect of active public life. These politicians, journalists, entrepreneurs, scholars, physicians, writers and activists offer perspectives that empower students to take a “holistic approach,” or as political commentator and 2009
PFS speaker Paul Begala says: “Not to view any Paul Begala particular problem in a vacuum, but to understand the greater picture.” While the experience of the speakers, and the conversations they ignite, encompass foreign policy and domestic politics, race and gender, PTSD and poetry, the common theme of the PFS is grounded in the intellectual, political and human impacts of public service and public debate.
Helen Thomas
As Helen Thomas, former White House press correspondent and 2004 PFS guest, told the audience, “We are a part of the world in all things. The more we know about others, the better we are in understanding the world around us.”
George Stephanopoulos
A (small) Sampling of President’s Forum Guests
Tom Harkin, retired U.S. Senator from Iowa
The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry ’75, the 27th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States and the first AfricanAmerican to hold the Church’s top office
Hon. Shireen Avis Fisher ’70, Justice of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone
46 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
E.J. Dionne, Washington Post opinion writer
The variety of topics and the areas of specialization of speakers have varied from activists to entrepreneurs and encompassed viewpoints spanning the political spectrum.
=5
Civil Rights, Human Rights and Peace Activists
Political Advisors and Activists
Education Experts
Public Service Activists
Environmental and Agricultural Leaders
Religious Leaders
Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders
Scholars, Academics and Researchers
Diversity Experts
U.S. Ambassadors and Diplomats
Governors and Lieutenant Governors
U.S. Presidential Candidates
Healthcare and Medical Experts
U.S. Senators and Congressional Representatives
International Politicians
Writers, Journalists and Filmmakers
Judicial Servants Mayors Nobel Laureates
After a question-and-answer session, each PFS event ends the same way. A Hobart and William Smith tie or a scarf is presented to each guest in gratitude for their contributions to the civic dialogue on campus. Speakers have worn their HWS ties and scarfs everywhere from the White House to foreign embassies to the CNN studios during live broadcasts. “It was more than obvious that HWS students were well informed and opinionated, yet extremely respectful and gracious. We rely on students like these to be our statesmen, journalists, judges, teachers and truth tellers—they can and will make an impact.” —Tara Wall, award-winning television journalist, filmmaker and media analyst, 2009 PFS speaker “At the level of the head, and more importantly at the level of the heart, something special is going on at Hobart and William Smith…This is a place where service and stewardship are woven into every aspect and every detail of campus life.”—Eric Liu, author of The True Patriot, 2005 PFS speaker “I want to suggest, especially to the young students here, that even as you commit yourselves intensely to mustering the courage to think critically for yourself, against the grain, be highly suspicious of forms of intellectual conformity: whatever it is, whatever the ideology. Finding your own voice but knowing that you can’t find your own voice without bouncing off against the voices of the dead and the living, not just the echoes. It is a perennial, endless process, just like the quest for wisdom.” —Cornell West, author and public intellectual, 2009 PFS speaker
Chuck Todd, host of Meet the Press
Mary Matalin P’17 and James Carville LL.D. ’13, P’17, political strategists
Timothy P. Shriver, director of the Special Olympics
Susan Page, USA Today's Washington Bureau Chief
Grover Norquist, conservative activist, president of Americans for Tax Reform
Svante L. Myrick, mayor of Ithaca, N.Y. and HWS Presidential Fellow
Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Alan Keyes, conservative political activist and presidential candidate
47 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
THE PRESIDENT’S FORUM
Graduate Schools
HWS students go on to some of the world’s best graduate programs including: • Harvard University • Yale University • University of Pennsylvania • Cornell University • University of Cambridge • Georgetown University • University of Toronto • Boston University • Stanford University • American University • Carnegie Mellon University • Columbia University
Internships
Whether it’s through the Guaranteed Internship Program, The Salisbury award or a career networking program, the Colleges connect students to amazing internships around the world and across industries.
Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Learning
W
hen President Gearan came to the Colleges in 1999, the career services office had primarily provided consultation on job searches and resume writing. With the opening of the Salisbury Center in 2004, named in honor of former Chair of the Board of Trustees Charles H. Salisbury Jr. ’63, P’94, L.H.D. ’08, HWS established an innovative and comprehensive approach to career preparation, ensuring students have the experience and skills to learn, grow and succeed beyond campus. The office now has more than 3,000 student appointments each semester, with experienced counselors guiding students through assessments, internships, job shadowing and networking opportunities. In 2016, student internships numbered more than 600, up from 70 in 2005. Guaranteed Internships Beginning in 2014, the HWS Guaranteed Internship Program has INTERN further distinguished the Colleges, ensuring that all students who complete the Pathways Career Services program are guaranteed an internship or research opportunity. These support structures facilitate an exhaustive career development process that helps students articulate, explore and realize their professional goals. The Salisbury International Internship Award A groundbreaking award program, The Salisbury International Internship Award has supported more than 30 HWS students with up to $20,000 each to pursue an international internship or research opportunity anywhere in the world. The vision of Honorary Trustee and former Chair of the Board of Trustees Charles H. Salisbury Jr. ’63, P’94, L.H.D. ’08, the highly competitive stipend is awarded to three students each year.
48 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
• U.S. Department of Agriculture • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert • Credit Suisse • Cleveland Clinic Children’s ADHD Center • FosterClub • New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center • Chegg • Cornell University’s New York State Agricultural Experiment Station • Ralph Lauren • Pace Energy and Climate Center • J.P. Morgan • People Magazine • Geneva City Council • The Wendy Williams Show • Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy • William Blair • NBC News • Coyote Logistics • Eye to Eye • NASA’s Student Airborne Research Program • Royal Bank of Scotland • Chitwan Medical College in Nepal • Colliers International • Women’s Hall of Fame • DFS • National Weather Service • Vineyard Vines • Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Academic Resources Center
Creating Futures
Augusta A. Williams ’13, M.P.H., Sc.D. candidate, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University
3,000
More than student appointments each semester, with experienced counselors guiding students through assessments, internships, job shadowing and networking opportunities.
49 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
To be competitive in the job market or to gain admittance to graduate school, students are increasingly called upon to demonstrate relevant experience. Under Gearan’s leadership, the Colleges have benefitted from a number of endowed funds that help students take advantage of internships and research opportunities. Major contributors include: Ian and Kimberly Bickley P'14, Harry W. Bowman '65, Eric Cohler '81, Clarence Davis Jr. '48, Trustee Katherine D. Elliott ’66, L.H.D. ’08, Jack Frenaye '49, Mr. and Mrs. Charles S. Jones P'18, Dan Kortick ’89, Trustee Chair Emeritus L. Thomas Melly '52, L.H.D. '02, Jeff and Peggy Padnos P'11, Ralph A. '56 and Jane M. '58 Pica, John A. Ross '66, Honorary Trustee Charles H. Salisbury Jr. ’63, P’94, L.H.D. ’08, and Mehrnaz Vahid-Andieh ’85.
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
Today, as I walk through the halls of the Harvard campus, I pass by a picture of President Gearan on the wall of the Kennedy School, taken when he was participating in a Harvard Institute of Politics event. Every time I walk past it, it always reminds me to keep going, and that with hard work, determination, and belief in yourself, that ’lives of consequence’ thing isn’t so hard to achieve.”
Students meet with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (right), founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P., during a visit to company headquarters as part of the annual HWS “Finance Experience” facilitated by the HWS Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education.
— L. Thomas Melly ’52, L.H.D. ’02, Trustee Chair Emeritus of the HWS Board of Trustees
50 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
photo by Kevin Colton
A life of consequence was a big part of Mark’s vision. He wanted to give students something to aspire to. That made him a very good fundraiser because he believed in the Colleges and was genuinely interested in our alumni, alumnae and parents. Under his leadership, we doubled the endowment. He was active in so many national and international organizations, and that also increased the Colleges’ reputation and recognition. His legacy to me is 18 years of smooth sailing. Every year, he made the Colleges better than the year before – financially sound and attracting outstanding students. And every year he graduated a new group of students who are pursuing that goal to lead a life of consequence. I greatly admire him for it.”
FINANCIAL HEALTH AND ALUM ENGAGEMENT
A
hallmark of Gearan’s presidency has been shrewd attention to the overall budget of the Colleges, innovation in seeking new streams of revenue, and ambitious and far-reaching fundraising goals.
200 M
ENDOWMENT
317 million
has been raised in support of HWS since Gearan took office in 1999.
Campaign for the Colleges, which
In 2009, the Colleges launched the National Regional Network which divides the country into nine regions, each one overseen by a team of volunteers tasked with engaging alums and parents in activities in support of admissions, career services and development.
concluded in 2012, raised
more than
205 million.
$
It was the largest fundraising effort in the Colleges’ history, impacting every aspect of life at HWS including the academic program, student life, the endowment, financial aid and facilities.
Forbes has included HWS in its
Index, which assesses institutions on their return on investment and exceptional outcomes.
51 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
In a recent survey of alums…
9 out of 10 alums would recommend the Colleges to a friend or family member 9 out of 10 alums also say the Colleges prepared them well for their careers.
HWS are included on Kiplinger’s List of 100 Best College Values
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
$107 M photo by jared weedn ’81
Since Gearan took office in 1999, the HWS endowment has nearly doubled, growing from approximately $107 million to about $200 million today.
$
The 2016 fiscal year was among the best on record with the largest number of alumni and alumnae donors in the past 15 years. In total, members of 76 classes, going as far back as 1934, made a gift.
photo by GREG SEARLES’’13
“The first time I met the Gearans was when I arrived on campus for Orientation. They were standing in front of Coxe Hall greeting every student. Mark asked if I was alone which I was since I was an independent student. Later that weekend, I ran into Mark and Mary, and they remembered my name. They said to stop by the house any time. So I did. I ended up babysitting for their daughters, who were remarkably well behaved. They treated me and all students like we were part of their family. It was like having a surrogate family. Moreover, Mark and Mary Gearan have always been focused on developing the individual rather than on the statistic. I owe them and the Colleges a debt of gratitude.” —Julia James ’05, the first William Smith Rhodes Scholar, holds a doctorate in clinical medicine from Oxford University and is a post-doctoral research associate at Nova Southeastern University
Access and Financial Aid Recognizing that affording a college education can be daunting, since 1999 and thanks to the philanthropy of many, the Colleges’ financial aid budget has more than doubled, going from $19.6 million in 1999 to $42 million today. Since Gearan was named president, donors have created 168 new endowed scholarships, providing greater access to students.
88% of
students receive some form of financial assistance
Strategic Planning At the close of his first year at Hobart and William Smith, Gearan began the development of a five-year strategic planning initiative called HWS 2005. He led the next two phases, HWS 2010 and HWS 2015, as well as Campaign for the Colleges to support facilities, endowment and annual giving. These strategic plans and the campaign have provided a clear road map to achieving academic excellence, intensifying student engagement, improving and enlarging facilities, advancing financial stability and expanding access. In his final year as president, he will conclude a new strategic plan with an emphasis on the financial model, diversity and inclusion.
Mark is a genial leader, and a very effective one. He sets goals and once set, monitors them closely. He always encouraged us to take the long view and we are a better place because of his leadership.” —Roderic H. Ross ’52, LL.D. ’79, Honorary Trustee and Former Chair of the Board of Trustees
52 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
“Mark was an exceptional leader for the Colleges, the right person at the right time with a sound vision. He will be greatly missed. ” —Charles H. Salisbury Jr. ’63, P’94, L.H.D.’08, Honorary Trustee and Former Chair of the Board of Trustees
Planes, Trains and Automobiles In an average year, it’s estimated that President Gearan traveled about 45,000 miles attending regional HWS events and meeting with alumni, alumnae, parents and foundations. That’s roughly 800,000 miles over the course of 18 years, the equivalent of about 32 trips around the world.
800,000 miles
Equivalent of
32 trips
On the Road around the world Established under Gearan in 2011, the HWS Alumni and Alumnae Associations have sponsored global education trips for graduates and families of current students to explore culturally rich locations with the Colleges’ expert faculty. From Machu Picchu in Peru to the rocky coast of Ireland, from Rome to London, and Poland to Vietnam, the travel programs through Alumni House expose participants to experiential courses spanning art, history, religion, anthropology and more.
“Mark Gearan’s tenure as HWS President has been one of growth, openness, inclusiveness and increased engagement. The Colleges have become incredibly welcoming for alumni and alumnae. Gearan has been a tireless and effective ambassador traveling the nation on behalf of HWS. As an alum, it has filled me with great pride to see Hobart and William Smith so well positioned and respected. The awards and accolades earned over the years have been a consistent source of pride.” —Hon. Ludwig P. Gaines ’88, principal senior vice president and general counsel of The Euille Group LLC.; Hobart College Alumni Council member at large
53 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A Legacy Created: The Gearan Scholars
W
hen asked what gives him pause as he surveys the landscape of higher education, Gearan inevitably responds, “The question of cost and access.” It is fitting, then, that the Board of Trustees initiated a fundraising project in honor of the Gearans that will provide increased access for students to a Hobart and William Smith education. The President Mark D. and Mary Herlihy Gearan Endowed Scholarship recognizes the impact that the Gearans have had on the Colleges and the Geneva community over the course of the last 18 years. “The Gearans appreciate the imperative to provide access to a Hobart and William Smith education,” Chair of the Board Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68 says. “In their honor and for everything they have done for the Colleges and our students, the recipients of these scholarships will forever be known as the Gearan Scholars.” As of May 8, roughly $2.8 million had been raised for the Gearan Scholarship making it the largest endowed scholarship in the Colleges’ history. Gifts will be accepted to the fund through May 31, 2017. To learn more about the Gearan Scholars and how you can make a gift in honor of President Mark D. and Mary Herlihy Gearan, visit www.hws.edu/ alumni/gearan-scholars.
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
Rewarding Legacies Established in 2010, the Hobart and William Smith Legacy Admissions Program celebrates alumni and alumnae who make the Colleges part of their family tradition. During the admissions process, the program helps prospective legacies – children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins or siblings of alumni, alumnae and current students – determine if HWS is the right fit. Personal admissions counselors work with applicants throughout the admissions process. Legacy students’ applications are first to be read and first to be notified. Admitted legacy students receive an automatic $5,000 scholarship, and top academic legacy students are eligible for one of five Legacy Scholarships worth an additional $20,000. Today, 1 in 4 students is from a legacy family.
Landmarks of a Legacy A carefully designed campus master plan and the efforts and philanthropy of many have resulted in a campus of incomparable beauty. Since taking office, President Gearan has led the growth and expansion of the physical plant, constructing new buildings and renovating dozens of others. New Buildings Major Capital Projects Facility Upgrades
5
1
Details on following pages.
2
18
8
3
19
14 3 5
17
2
1 4
18 5
4
6 6
2
54 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
7
21
22
23 20
13
16
21
3
17
4 15
14
1
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
13
12 11
19 16 7
22
20
15
23
The Fribolin Farm, White Springs Lane
24
McGuire House, 394 South Main
25
Geneva Recreation Complex Skating Rink, 666 S Exchange St.
26
Solar Farm, Route 14 N
27
Hellstrom Boathouse, 470 Blue Heron Lane
25 7
8 8
9
10
6
9
10
11 12
55 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
24
NEW BUILDINGS Eight new buildings have been constructed including: 1 Stern Hall (2003) – Named for lead donor and Honorary Trustee Herbert J.
Stern ’58, P’03, LL.D.’74, the building is one of the most versatile academic facilities on campus with extensive classroom and faculty space.
2 Bozzuto Boathouse (2003) – Serving the nationally ranked sailing team and
Outdoor Recreation and Adventure Program, the boathouse is named in honor of Charles Bozzuto, father of Board Chair Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68.
1.
3 Caird Hall (2005) – Funded by James F. Caird
’56, L.H.D. ’12 and Cynthia L. Caird L.H.D. ’12, the residence hall accommodates 88 students.
4 de Cordova Hall (2005) – Named for Arthur E. de
Cordova ’56, L.H.D. ’05, the residence hall houses 88 students.
5 The Katherine D. Elliott Studio Arts Center (2006)
– 14,600-square-feet of academic and studio space named in honor of Trustee Katherine D. Elliott ’66, L.H.D. ’08.
6
2.
Seneca Room (2008) – 2,300-square-feet conference and meeting center overlooking Seneca Lake.
7 Gearan Center for the Performing Arts
(2016) – The largest capital project in the Colleges’ history, the Gearan Center includes 65,000-square-feet of practice and performance spaces for music, theater, dance and media and society. The Gearan Center is the result of generosity from various donors, notably Chair Emeritus of the Board of Trustees L. Thomas ’52, L.H.D. ’02 and Judith H. Melly L.H.D. ’16. The building features several named spaces including:
4.
3. 6.
• McDonald Theatre • Froelich Hall • Stine Terrace
7.
5.
• Carver Somatics Room • L. Thomas Melly Lobby • Morrow ’52 Lobby
8.
• Welles Tower • Zupan Green Room • Mathieson Plaza • Pilla Dance Suite • Margiloff South Lobby • Glaser North Terrace • Buck Terrace 8
Richard S. Perkin Observatory (2016) – Named after the grandfather of donor Christopher T. Perkin ’95, the late Richard S. Perkin GP ’95, co-founder of Perkin-Elmer Corporation and space exploration innovator.
56 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
MAJOR CAPITAL PROJECTS Dozens of important capital projects, most of them significant renovations, have been completed including:
22 Caird Center for Sports and Recreation (2010) – Named for James
F. Caird ’56, L.H.D. ’12 and Cynthia L. Caird L.H.D. ’12.
23 The Fribolin Farm (2014) – Donated by Carl W. Fribolin L.H.D.’14, 1 Goldstein Family Carriage House (2006) – Funded by the
4
5 6 7
8 9 10 11
12 13 14
15 16 17
18 19 20 21
24
25 26 27
FACILITY UPGRADES Nearly every structure on campus – from theme houses to academic buildings – received some form of upgrade: 1 Beta Sigma (2006) 2 746 S. Main St. (2007)
3 Stewardson House (2013) 4 Bampton House (2007)
5 Sill House (2009) 6 704 S. Main St. (2012, 2016) 7 McDaniels House (2010)
8 Geneva 2020 House (2014) 9 Gerhart House (2010)
10 615 S. Main St. (2012) 11 593 S. Main St. (2005)
12 583 S. Main St. (2014)
13 Hillcrest House (2011)
14 Jackson, Potter and Rees Halls (2005) 15 Geneva Hall (2004) 16 Gulick Hall (2005)
17 Napier Classroom Center (2007, 2011, 2012)
18 Lansing Hall (2002)
19 The Cellar Pub (2008)
20 Demarest Hall (2008, 2010, 2014) 21 Hirshson House (2004) 22 Williams Hall (2016)
23 The Barn (2016, 2017)
24 380 S. Main St. (2006) and
25 20 Seneca Street (2014) – As leased properties, the 380
S. Main residence hall and HWS office space at 20 Seneca St. in downtown Geneva serve to strengthen the Colleges’ commitment to the community while maximizing space on campus.
57 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
2 3
Sheldon and Ruth Goldstein GP ’04, GP ’07 Foundation, the space houses photography and digital imaging studies. Houghton House (2008) The Davis Gallery at Houghton House (2009) – Professional gallery space in Houghton House named in honor of Clarence “Dave” Davis Jr. ’48. Abbe Center for Jewish Life (2007) – Named for former Trustee Richard K. Abbe ’92, P’19, the center also includes the Wasserman Garden of Quiet Repose and the Wasserman Kosher Kitchen, named in honor of Trustee Dr. Richard L. ’70 and Tina D. Wasserman. Carr McGuire House (2007) – Student housing funded by Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Carolyn Carr McGuire ’78 and Terry G. McGuire ’78. Merritt Hall (2006) The Salisbury Center and Trinity Hall (2004) – Named for Honorary Trustee Charles H. Salisbury Jr. ’63, P’94, L.H.D.’08, the renovation includes the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education; Center for Global Education; and Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning. The Thomas Poole Family Admissions Center (2005) – Named for Trustee Thomas B. ’61 L.H.D. ’06 and MaryJane M. Poole P’91. Centennial Center for Leadership (2007) – Made possible through a gift from Trustee Cynthia Gelsthorpe Fish ’82. Finger Lakes Institute (2004) Scandling Campus Center (2004, 2008, 2017) – Additions to Scandling include the Vandervort Room, new Café, the relocated WHWS/WEOS radio studio and the expanded Saga Dining Hall with continued support from the late William F. ’49, LL.D. ’67 and Margaret Scandling. Rosensweig Learning Commons (2007) – Named in honor of former Trustee Daniel L. Rosensweig ’83. John H. Cozzens Jr. ’41 Memorial Field (2017) Bristol Gymnasium (continuously upgraded) – Notable additions include the Raleigh-Foley-Kraus Varsity Strength Training Center, the Carver-DeLaney Team Rooms, Dr. Bob Ford ’54 Basketball Team Room and the Tom Poole ’61 Soccer Team Room. HWS Tennis Center (2017) Comstock Hall (2011) The William Smith Statue (2008) – Designed by Professor of Art and Architecture A.E. “Ted” Aub III in commemoration of the William Smith Centennial. The Trias House (2011) The Counseling Center (2008) H.J. McCooey Memorial Field (2001, 2011) – Named for H.J. McCooey Sr. P’76, P’78, P’82, P’90, P’92, GP’04, GP’08, GP’09, and GP’12 Village at Odell’s Pond (2008)
the farm’s grounds include gardens, a barn, stables, spring-fed ponds and an indoor equestrian ring. McGuire House (2009) – A residence for visiting scholars, the property was donated by Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Andrew G. McMaster Jr. ’74, P’09 and his wife Suzanne L. McMaster P’09 in honor of Professor Emeritus of Economics Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D.’12. Geneva Recreation Complex Skating Rink (2001, 2007, 2014) Solar Farm, 2826 Rt. 14 North (2016) Hellstrom Boathouse, 470 Blue Heron Lane (2017)
One of my favorite moments was in 2012 when the Board of Trustees was invited to attend the Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce Dinner. Geneva was honoring the Colleges with its Business of the Year Award. Mark and Mary had such an easy way with every person in the room. I remember being incredibly proud because Mark was respected and his work was being honored by the people of Geneva. Mark and Mary built the bridge with Geneva by being good people and by caring about the community. That relationship with Geneva has made such a difference and has given our students opportunities to learn from true roles models of civic engagement.”
photo by william bird ’17
—Cynthia Gelsthorpe Fish ’82, Member of the Board of Trustees
58 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
GENEVA AND THE FINGER LAKES
W
The Corporation for National and Community Service selected HWS five times in a row for its Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for commitment to servicelearning and civic engagement. Soon after the Gearans arrived in Geneva, they had a gathering at their home. It was the first time many people in the community had been invited to the house. Of course, that would become a signature of the Gearans – everyone was always invited. Their girls were little and my granddaughter was with me. She went upstairs to play with Madeleine and Kathleen. When it was time to go, she didn’t want to leave. None of us ever did.”
HWS ranked
for college community service and engagement per Washington Monthly.
In 2010, the Colleges received the Community Engagement Classification designation by the Carnegie Foundation.
HWS was named “Business of the Year” in 2012 by the Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce.
“When the City of Geneva was applying for the $10 million Downtown Revitalization grant, I asked Mark Gearan to help us; he sees the 50,000-foot view and everything he touches has a ridiculously high quality. There was nothing to benefit Mark in this – none of that $10 million is earmarked for the Colleges. Yet he spent hours coaching us on our submission, reviewing the document, and even participating in the presentation to the State. He helped because he believes that what is good for Geneva is good for the Colleges. He and Mary extended the hand of friendship and partnership to the City. They taught us that we can work together to make change happen.” —Matt Horn, Geneva City Manager
—Lucile Mallard L.H.D. ’15, president of the Geneva chapter of the NAACP, Member of the Steering Committee of Geneva 2020
59 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
hen they moved to Geneva in 1999, President Mark D. Gearan and Mary Herlihy Gearan already believed that a responsibility of citizenship is community involvement. The Colleges’ engagement with Geneva and the Finger Lakes is not only a legacy of the Gearans, but also the culmination of core values that will endure for years to come.
more than 90,000 hours of service annually
Geneva 2020 Geneva 2020 is a broad-based group of local citizens united with one goal – to support Geneva’s children by advancing the strategic objectives of the Geneva City School District (GCSD). Geneva 2020 was formed in 2011 when many of the challenges facing the education system nationally were reflected in Geneva: GCSD was under a New York State watch with fewer than three quarters of graduating high school seniors entering college. Graduation rates hovered around a disheartening 70%.
|
|
In the past six years and by collaborating with other local efforts, Geneva 2020 has been able to address School District priorities, growing existing programs and creating new initiatives that give children opportunities and access. %
70
One of the most important priorities tackled by Geneva 2020 is the high school graduation rate. With the collective efforts of Geneva 2020, the four-year completion rate has risen from 70% in 2011 to 85% in 2016.
2016
The HWS Day of Service, a tradition of nearly two decades, became Days of Service in 2008, with additional service days throughout the year, allowing more students and local organizations to participate. Today, all HWS students take part in service, contributing more than 90,000 hours annually to local, national and international communities, and generating more than $100,000 in fundraising efforts for non-profit organizations.
In response, President Gearan convened a group of community and school leaders around his dining room table to discuss a collective impact effort in Cincinnati that changed that city’s public school trajectory and the lives of thousands of children.
2011 GHS Graduation Rate
Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning The Public Service Office at HWS officially opened in 1995 but was reimagined after President Gearan arrived at the Colleges. Renamed in 2007, the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning has become a leader in promoting positive community change and enhanced student learning, deepening the relationship between the Colleges and the City of Geneva.
Finger Lakes Institute A key recommendation of President Gearan’s first 5-year strategic plan, Gearan led the effort to establish the Finger Lakes Institute. Promoting environmental research and education about the Finger Lakes and the region, the FLI opened in 2004 with initial funding from former State Senator Michael F. Nozzolio L.H.D.’07 and former U.S. Congressman James Walsh. Today, the FLI is the preeminent source of research, education and community outreach for the Finger Lakes region. The FLI collaborates with regional environmental partners and state and local government offices to foster
60 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
environmentallysound development practices throughout the region and disseminate accumulated knowledge to the public. Sustainability Among other colleges and universities, Hobart and William Smith have become national pioneers in environmental sustainability, a core value under President Gearan’s leadership. In 2007, Gearan signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, making HWS a charter member of a national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Since then, the Colleges have cut energy consumption by more than 10% and created robust recycling and composting programs to reduce waste. Today, 100% of the Colleges’ electricity comes from wind. Most recently, HWS took another meaningful step toward climate neutrality with the 2016 construction of a local solar farm on Route 14 in Geneva. In 2014, the Colleges acquired 35 acres of farmland from local agricultural innovator Carl W. Fribolin L.H.D.’14. The site has become an academic center hosting classes and seminars that promote environmental stewardship and sustainability. The Colleges continue to be named to Sierra magazine’s annual list of the greenest colleges and universities, climbing 63 spots since first appearing on the list in 2009.
photo by Kevin Colton
A NEW GENEVA eturning to Geneva after 35 years, it became immediately clear that this was neither the same small city nor the same college I had left so long ago. And within just a few weeks of reacquainting myself with old friends and colleagues, it became apparent that virtually all significant change that I saw could be traced to two things: Mark and Mary Gearan. The burgeoning wine industry had clearly brought a young, entrepreneurial class to town, but, more significantly, so much of the stultifying divides that had been part of my hometown had “Flash forward to softened or disappeared. This is where I found the fingerprints of Mark and Mary Gearan everywhere. 2015 and I returned When I entered Hobart as a freshman in 1977, it truly was like entering a foreign to a town where the land, though my childhood home was virtually visible from my Hale Hall dorm room. Flash President’s House at forward to 2015 and I returned to a town where the President’s House at HWS had become HWS had become the the community’s celebration space – dinners, speakers, important meetings with a mix of community’s celebration community leaders, students, and faculty together with such frequency everyone seemed at home. Throw in the occasional piano, singing and poetry and I truly felt I had come home to space – dinners, speakers, a different city. These gatherings even traversed the divides of religion, ethnicity and race important meetings that had been such a clear part of the Geneva of my youth. with a mix of community As months passed, I found Mary Gearan leading high school students in public service, leaders, students, and dropping off books for my young readers, helping me bridge my 35-year absence by making sure I knew the new folkways of a town that had truly become a college town. Mark faculty together...” Gearan’s administrative skills and his influence and the esteem with which he was held across the city instantly helped me gather the support needed to bolster a struggling youth organization I had decided to lead. Soon I had faculty members joining my board, students researching our challenges and an HWS tutor corps forming that would surpass anything I could have expected to develop on my own. Mark Gearan, I came to realize, understood that the future success of Hobart and William Smith Colleges was inextricably linked to the success of the city the Colleges called home. As he worked to guide HWS through the turbulent waters of difficult decades of higher education, he also had taken on the effort to help Geneva rise with its Colleges. As someone who grew up in Geneva, who witnessed the resentments and tensions that rose from economic divides, I was struck by the persistence and humility that Mark and Mary brought to their efforts to help Geneva improve. Geneva 2020 was an institutional way to express what Mark and Mary have been pursuing for almost two decades and I hope it can carry on their spirit in their absence. What I do know is that we have more than 75 great college kids sitting side-by-side more than 150 times a week with some of Geneva’s most challenged kids. Nothing like this was happening in 1977 and it is just one example of the impact Mark and Mary have had on my hometown. In the view of this Geneva kid, Mark and Mary Gearan’s greatest gift may be this new paradigm, a gathering of students learning by doing and giving – our own local Peace Corps, an innovative approach to education in changing times.
61 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
R
by Chris Lavin ’81, Executive Director of the Geneva Community Center and the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva
The Gearans on the side porch of the President's House at 690 S. Main Street.
In the President’s Home by Madeleine and Kathleen Gearan
When we moved to Geneva in
August of 1999, we were looking forward to seeing our new home and meeting new friends as our dad became one of the country’s youngest college presidents. On our first night in Geneva, we ran outside
to watch fireworks over Seneca Lake. Perhaps it was our affinity for fireworks that our dad sweetly said were meant for us, or maybe it was because we had just arrived in the best hide-and-go-seek house ever, but we could not have been more excited.
The Gearans in their first year on campus.
62 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
63 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
WE COULD NOT BE MORE PROUD TO BE THEIR DAUGHTERS AND THROUGHOUT OUR OWN LIVES WE WILL STRIVE TO FOLLOW THEIR LEAD.
photo by Kevin Colton
For the past 18 years, we have had the privilege of growing up on the campus of Hobart and William Smith and calling Geneva home. How lucky we’ve been to be surrounded by dynamic students, faculty, staff and visitors who broadened our understanding of the world and its challenges. At our mom’s Friday Open Houses that she hosts each week and during events on campus, we got to know students from all over the world who became treasured babysitters, tutors, mentors and friends. And as our parents welcomed guests like Eli Wiesel, John Lewis and Madeleine Albright to our home, we had the chance to learn how they committed their lives to combating injustice. In the Geneva Public Schools, we had excellent teachers who prepared us well, and we made lifelong friendships. Growing up here shaped so much of who we both are, so it’s difficult to imagine a chapter without Seneca Lake right across the street and Ports Café down the road. Geneva welcomed us warmly 18 years ago and this community has become our extended family. Here, we learned from our mentors, teachers and Genevans that being part of a community means one has a responsibility to give back. We saw it every day in the Geneva schools, in service organizations and in public leaders who care deeply and work tirelessly to make 14456 such a wonderful place to live. One of the most special aspects of growing up on campus has been watching our parents in these roles. Our dad was not a typical college presidential candidate. But the trustees took a chance on him, and we have watched him lead with extraordinary vision, humility, courage and wit. He possesses a skillful ability to lift others up, listen and offer sage advice, consider all perspectives before making a decision, and work toward a solution on any issue. Our dad has taught us, and so many around him, how one can inspire others to serve our community, country and world by example. Serving others and working toward social justice is who he is. And his dedication to broadening opportunities for current and future HWS students and commitment to the Geneva community through the creation of Geneva 2020 has made us so proud to be his daughters. Whether it was watching our father bring together a crowd for a rousing rendition of “Lean on Me” on the piano or perform with students in Koshare, we saw that what perhaps made him an unconventional college president, made him an outstanding one. Our mom has made the President’s House not just a wonderful home for the two of us, but also a warm and welcoming haven for HWS students. She is an example of how living one’s life with kindness and generosity is how you can tangibly make the world a better place, starting right in your own community. The Happiness House, Rotary Interact Club, Martin Luther King Jr. Art and Poetry Competition, HWS Geneva Heroes, the Geneva High School Festival of Nations – these are all initiatives that our mom has devoted her unstoppable energy and compassion toward. It was no surprise in our house that she was named Geneva Citizen of the Year. Whenever anyone needs advice on careers and internships, a home cooked meal, an attentive listener, our mom is there. She’s the best advocate we know, which is the reason we’re not the only ones to affectionately call her “Mama G.” From our admittedly biased perspective, our parents have taken on these roles and made a difference in the lives of many HWS and Geneva Public School students. We could not be more proud to be their daughters and throughout our own lives we will strive to follow their lead. By our humble estimation, the best decision our parents ever made was moving our family to Geneva. We love Geneva and Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Helen Keller once said, “What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.” We’re thankful that HWS and Geneva will always be a part of us.
President Mark D. Gearan and Mary Herlihy Gearan with their daughters Madeleine (left) and Kathleen (right), along with their dog, Dublin.
photo by Kevin Colton
CREATING COMMUNITY WITH MARY HERLIHY GEARAN by Mary K. LeClair
A
month after arriving at Hobart and William Smith Colleges while contemplating her future in a new community, Mary Herlihy Gearan volunteered to be the cookie mother for her 6-year old daughter Madeleine’s Girl Scout troop. “I had no idea how that one decision was going to catapult me into a lot of people’s lives in a way that was so special for us,” says Gearan, recalling not only the hundreds of boxes of cookies that lined the tables and floors of The President’s House but more significantly the mothers, fathers, guardians and grandparents who came with their children to pick up those cookies. From that first outreach in 1999, Gearan’s gracious and genuine nature has spread across Geneva and the HWS campus, where her effortless ability to welcome and connect people – students, faculty and community members – has allowed her to spread her belief in the power of service. On campus she formally extends her home to students for an Open House each Friday – or any day they come knocking – greeting each at the door with a warm smile, asking about their classes and families, and then introducing them to others with similar interests. “Mary Gearan is the heart of the Hobart and William Smith community and the source of making community happen,” says Felipe Estefan ’08, who credits Gearan with urging him to go to graduate school, which led to his career as an investment principal in governance and citizen engagement at Omidyar Network. “She creates community. It is truly remarkable the guidance, comfort and advice that she has given me but also to so many students. She is the reason so many
64 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
Mary Herlihy Gearan presents a check from the Colleges to the United Way, the result of the HWS Community Barn Sale.
65 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
make people know that you do appreciate them so much when they can help you a little bit,” she says. “I hope I make people feel appreciated for anything they can do to help.” Mary Boatfield, the CEO of Finger Lakes Cerebral Palsy-Happiness House, CP Rochester and Rochester Rehabilitation, where Gearan has served Mary Herlihy Gearan with Felipe Estefan ’08 Mary Herlihy Gearan speaks with students at Geneva High School prior to an on the board for the past on campus. Interact meeting. 15 years, calls Gearan “the of the city schools and the community. connector.” of us feel at home in this small town in “When Mark and Mary decided to send “Mary is always making the circle Upstate New York whether we came from their daughters to the Geneva schools not bigger and better while always helping Tucson, Arizona, Johannesburg, South Africa, only did that make a statement of support others,” says Boatfield. “She is strong, Munich, Germany or Bogotá, Colombia.” for the schools but it also meant they were thoughtful, quietly getting the job done In Geneva, Gearan has become a personally involved, especially Mary. She –and giving credit to others. Mary is truly vital force quietly volunteering at multiple is always in the schools and when I see her interested in each and every person and agencies with a particular focus on those that she is always greeting students by name and what they are doing. She makes you feel aid children. As the Room Representative encouraging them to get involved,” he says. for Madeleine’s classroom, she witnessed Weiskittel credits Gearan with the firsthand the needs in the community. “I had “Mary is truly interested in each and significant growth of the Interact program one little boy ask what I was going to be doing every person and what they are doing. and the vast community involvement with with the food from a class party,” Gearan She makes you feel good, as if you are the annual Festival of Nations celebration. recalls. “I could see that the snacks – the important and your life is important. “I think it has a lot to do with Mary making celery and carrots – were what he wanted. I And every single piece of guidance that the kids feel welcome. They feel honored, packed them all up for him and it really broke she passes along she does it in a way to valued and they want to be involved,” he my heart because I knew this was going to be help individuals better their lives.” says. “The school district is getting better food that he was going to eat that weekend. and better every year, and Mary is like the This experience opened my eyes to the —Mary Boatfield, the CEO of Finger Lakes hand that rolls across a hoop to make it importance of really being involved as best Cerebral Palsy-Happiness House go faster. She is adding to the momentum, you can with helping kids.” adding to the improvement.” Ford Weiskittel, past president of the In retrospect, Gearan, a former vice Geneva Board of Education and fellow president at the Wexler Group, believes her good, as if you are important and your life Rotarian, is grateful for Gearan’s support skill in connecting people is important. And every single piece of blossomed while overseeing guidance that she passes along she does volunteers in Chicago during it in a way to help individuals better their the Michael S. Dukakis lives.” presidential campaign. Chris Lavin ’81, executive director Possessing a law degree of the Boys & Girls Club and the Geneva from George Washington Community Center since 2014, agrees. University, she worked as a “Through Mary Gearan, when I arrived in fundraiser, national delegate Geneva two years ago, I was immediately liaison and California Field connected to the campus and the Desk Officer on the 1988 community was connected to me,” says campaign. Lavin, who champions Gearan’s capacity “I appreciate the to recognize the needs in the community volunteer coordinators who I and match those needs to campus have had in my life who did capabilities. “HWS students and faculty welcome me in and thank me are all over town, studying, volunteering, for coming. They have been doing research. The Colleges host regular my models of just trying to visits of local youth, summer enrichment
with Mary Herlihy Gearan Mary Herlihy Gearan (third from right), Mark D. Gearan ( center) and former presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis (second from right) gather with volunteers working on the Dukakis presidential campaign.
programs and athletic camps. Mary Gearan has broadened the definitions of “campus” and “community” in Geneva.” Aloysius Kolubah’15 not only credits Gearan with making him feel confident in his decision to work in the fashion industry, he says she “pulled me back when I was trying to run away from my goal.” He recalls being on the verge of tears in the kitchen of the President’s House believing the job market was too competitive. “She said to me, ‘Aloysius, sometimes you have to let life happen.’ It was so comforting and calming to know that she believed in me and that I could do this.” Gearan asked Kolubah to offer his artistic talents for the Festival of Nations celebration and he now calls it one of the best experiences in his life. “Festival of Nations was one of those rare moments when I sat back exhausted and happy that everyone around me was happy and enjoying themselves. I would do it again if I could,” he says. Joseph Rivera-Ramos ’04, a textile and resource librarian at Stickley, Audi and Co., in Manhattan and the president of RiveraRamos Design for the Art of Living, says: Volunteer Affiliations: • Happiness House-Finger Lakes Cerebral Palsy Association board of directors • Geneva Heroes adviser • Rotary and Interact, member and adviser • Boys and Girls Club of Geneva • Festival of Nations committee member • Geneva High School Multicultural Club adviser
“Mary Gearan’s promotion of my abilities has positively altered my perspective on success and prosperity, and will forever connect me to a greater sense of myself and my potential.” During Friday Open House visits, Emily Ott ’17 often discusses with Gearan her desire to work in the field of city planning and her community projects. As president of HWS Rotaract, Ott’s civic engagement work has blossomed, assisting with programs like Neighbor’s Night, the Community Lunch Program and the Geneva Public Library. “Mary Gearan has inspired me to dedicate time for service and mentoring wherever I am living, whatever I am doing.” Marie Milligan, social ministry coordinator at Our Lady of Peace Parish, has worked with Gearan on such projects as the Thanksgiving basket program and migrant worker initiatives. “Mary Gearan is a light that shows others the way and how to do their best. Mary does good work and supports the good work of others. She makes things happen from the background and then observes the successes. She is a light for all of us.”
• Martin Luther King Jr. Art and Poetry committee member • African American Men’s Association, Life Skills Program • Our Lady of Peace Parish • Center of Concern • Geneva Historical Society annual Wassail Bowl • Community Lunch Program • Geneva Music Festival board member • St. Peter’s Episcopal Church youth programming
What advice do you offer to event organizers? The No. 1 thing is to get everyone’s cell numbers. If you have cell numbers you can do anything. I am not a big fan of cell phones in many ways but that is one thing that I do think has made organizing easier. I can just text and get a group together. Number of HWS student cell numbers on your phone? 250. Favorite saying: ‘Peace begins with a smile,’ by Mother Teresa. It sounds simple but I really believe in that sort of philosophy. Favorite fact you enjoy sharing about the President’s House: First lady Eleanor Roosevelt sat at this dining room table in 1947. As the only board that you officially serve on, what prompted your commitment to Happiness House more than 15 years ago? Shortly before I was asked to serve, Mark and I were with our dear friends when they discovered their son had autism. Happiness House is an inspiring and beautiful place that fills families with positive hope.
Awards: • 2008 “Mary Herlihy Gearan Award,” established by HWS International Student Association • 2010 “Citizen of the Year,” Geneva Chamber of Commerce • 2010 “Sharing the Light,” Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes • 2011 “Happiness is Helping" Humanitarian Award, Happiness House
66 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
• 2011 New York State “Women of Distinction” • 2012 Women’s History Month recognition, Lake to Lake Women • 2014 Springstead Award, Geneva Rotary Club • 2016 “Outstanding Board Member of the Year,” Ability Partners Foundation • 2016 “Paul Harris Award,” Geneva Rotary Club
Outreach All Week Long Mary Herlihy Gearan’s outreach to the community is far reaching and nearly continuous.
Monday
Tuesday
photo by Kevin Colton
Gearan attends the weekly Geneva Rotary Interact Club meeting at Geneva High School. Throughout the year, she arrives early to invite new students and greet current members.
Wednesday Building students’ leadership skills, Gearan takes Interact Club members to weekly lunches hosted by the Geneva Rotary Club. Leading up to the Happiness House Gala, Gearan stops at its Pre-Emption Road office to assist with fundraising efforts.
67 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
Gearan joins Chris Lavin ’81 for a discussion with Professor Emeritus of Economics Pat McGuire L.H.D. ’12, Professor of Education Jim MaKinster and HWS MAT students at the Boys and Girls Club of Geneva.
Thursday
Friday
Rotaract President Emily Ott ’17 stops to see Gearan at her home to order HWS club T-shirts.
Offering the President’s House as a home away from home, each Friday Gearan hosts an Open House for students.
Saturday From February through May, Gearan joins members of Geneva Heroes on community engagement projects.
Sunday Gearan hosts holiday celebrations such as Valentine’s Day, Pumpkin Carving, Thanksgiving Dinner and Easter Brunch.
On Saturdays, Gearan attends student functions on and off campus.
68 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
69 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
A LEGACY OF LEADERSHIP
We asked Chief Photographer Kevin Colton to choose some of his favorite photos of the Gearans. Share your favorite photos on social media using #HWSColleges.
HWS
COMMUNITY fanfare • honors • awards • celebrations
Reunion 2017: A Special Farewell to the Gearans
A
ll alumni, alumnae and members of the HWS campus community were invited to campus for a final farewell celebration for President Mark D. Gearan and Mary Herlihy Gearan in recognition of their remarkable 18 years of service to the Colleges. During a special Reunion weekend open to all members of the HWS community, President Gearan delivered his final State of the Colleges Address to kick off a Saturday of fun culminating with a gala celebration in Bristol Field House, a final performance of the President’s Garage Band, the Oaks Tent, music and fireworks.
To see coverage of the weekend’s activities, head to www.hws.edu or follow the Colleges via social media.
photo by kevin colton
108 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
T
– 2017 –
he Hobart Alumni Association and William Smith Alumnae Association honored Professor Emeritus of English James Crenner, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Benjamin Daise and the late Professor of History Maureen Flynn P’09, P’12, P’16 with Distinguished Faculty Awards during Reunion 2017.
Established in 1990, the Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes the importance that graduates of the Colleges place on the contributions of outstanding faculty members of the past – for their impact as teachers, mentors and scholars. Nominations for the award are sought by all alumni and alumnae, and are professors who are retired or have moved on from Hobart and William Smith for more than five years or are deceased.
James Crenner (Professor of English 1967 – 2008)
Benjamin Daise (Professor of Philosophy 1970-2008)
Maureen Flynn P’09, P’12, P’16 (Professor of History 1992 – 2014)
Crenner was a co-founder in 1970 of the Seneca Review, the Colleges’ renowned literary magazine and, in 2001, was appointed the John Milton Potter Chair, a prestigious endowed professorship. With an extensive list of publications, Crenner holds an M.A. in modern literature and a Ph.D. in English literature from the University of Iowa, as well as an M.F.A. from the prestigious Iowa Creative Writers’ Workshop.
Daise, one of the first black philosophy professors in the country, spent nearly 40 years enriching the lives of his students through the study of existentialism and ancient philosophy, with special attention to the idea of self. He is the author of Kierkegaard’s Socratic Art, a book that affirmed his role as a leading voice on Kierkegaard in the field. Trained in Danish and Greek, Daise earned his B.A. in chemistry from Morehouse College and his Ph.D. in philosophy from University of Texas at Austin.
Flynn, who passed away in 2015, is remembered as a passionate educator who defied the limits of “past” and “present.” Teaching at the Colleges for 22 years, Flynn specialized in medieval and renaissance history, among other disciplines. A Fulbright scholar and member of Phi Beta Kappa, she earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from University of Wisconsin Madison, and is the author of Sacred Charity, among many other publications.
“By caring so much, Jim Crenner gave students not only a passion for the courses’ content but also the desire to embody the same level of passion in whatever form we felt drawn to in the future.” – Jane Elizabeth Herbst ’72 “Professor Crenner was my dad’s [Todd Rosenthal ’71] writing professor in 1970 and mine in 2007 and 2008. We were both equally inspired by his energy and creativity. He pushed me to be the best writer I could possibly be. I will forever be grateful for Professor Crenner and go glad I got to share such a wonderful man with my dad!” – Molly Rosenthal ’11
“Because he constantly pushed me to approach problems from a different perspective, it helped to change the way that I viewed the world and the issues that we face within society. He was one of the few professors that could give criticism, but not allow that to keep him from judging one’s work fairly.” – Joseph Goings ‘01 “Daise transmitted a rare and contagious enthusiasm for philosophy and treated students with respect, dignity and equality.” – Robert Alan Schindler ‘72
109 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
“Maureen Flynn was one of the most amazing teachers I had, not only at HWS, but in my whole life. Her Medieval Popular Culture course changed my perspective on life and gave me insight into human nature and how society has evolved. Maureen was a truly inspirational person, who taught with passion and moral conviction and who revealed a more nuanced view of the world.” – Sophie Bober ’14 “Maureen Flynn had a genuine interest in helping the student as an individual. Her approach was to make sure you made the connections yourself in order to understand the material. Her offers to help were well used and her attitude made her approachable and better understood.” –Ashley Lee ‘11
HWS COMMUNITY
To see photos from the Distinguished Faculty Awards reception or to recommend a faculty member for consideration, please go to www.hws.edu/alumni/dfa.aspx.
HIGHEST HONORS Alumna Achievement Award Magazine Leadership Recognized for her influential, principled and longstanding leadership in the magazine industry, Lucy E. Kaylin ’81, editor-in-chief of O, The Oprah Magazine, was awarded the William Smith College Alumnae Association’s highest honor – the Alumna Achievement Award – during Founder’s Day. Under Kaylin’s leadership, O boasts one of the largest monthly magazine circulations and one of the industry’s highest e-edition circulations. In Kaylin’s first two years as editor-in-chief, the magazine won back-to-back National Magazine Awards.
“I really am clear on the fact that my career and my life would not have taken the course that it did – this very satisfying course – had it not all begun here,” Kaylin said. “I received untold gifts along the lines of stimulation, inspiration and incredible attention from professors in a way that you can only get at an intimate place like this, and I am eternally grateful.” photo by andrew markham ’10
Hobart Medal of Excellence The Pilgrimage from Hobart and Back Following graduation, Michael B. Curry ’75 departed Geneva with a profound sense of purpose: to spend his life challenging unjust social structures through faith. Now the first African American Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Curry has done just that and recently returned to the Colleges to receive the Hobart Medal of Excellence for his progressive initiatives and influence. President Mark D. Gearan applauded Curry’s work as “an inclusive, authentic way to Evangelism and a commitment to racial reconciliation in our culture and our world” in the spirit of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, an enduring inspiration to Curry.
“The real way of faith is a way of self-sacrificial service, and witness, and giving, and living, and that way, is our hope,” Curry said, referring to the common values of religions like Islam and Christianity. “Those religious traditions are pointing us beyond the self and toward the other.” photo by kevin colton
110 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
Alumna Achievement Award
Botanical Success
The Scales of Justice
For his extraordinary contributions to his community and environmental learning, award-winning author and horticulturist William G. Cullina ’86 was honored with the Hobart Medal of Excellence last year. The executive director of the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Cullina is renowned for his extensive knowledge of native North American plants, and is credited for the park’s distinction as Trip Advisor’s No. 1 botanical garden in America.
The Honorable Laura G. Douglas ’79 received the Alumna Achievement Award on Feb. 11 as part of events planned for the Multicultural Networking and Career Conference. The Justice of the Bronx County Supreme Court and Supervising Judge of the Bronx County Civil Court, Douglas has spent her life in service to justice. After graduating from William Smith, Douglas earned her J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and was admitted to the New York State bar.
“In his professional and personal accomplishments, Bill Cullina exemplifies the curiosity, creativity and innovation that we value at Hobart and William Smith,” said President Mark D. Gearan, who was one of the many guests who attended the Coastal Maine gathering and presentation ceremony. “Bill’s successes ripple outward, touching the lives of his family and friends, improving his community and the environment, and strengthening his professional field and his alma mater.”
“It’s amazing to me that a little over 40 years ago, this shy 16-year-old freshman from the Bronx, New York, embarked on a wonderful journey here at Hobart and William Smith Colleges,” Douglas said in her address on campus. “I knew that William Smith would prepare me for the things I would encounter along the way and its truly a humbling experience to receive this award.”
Did you know?
HWS alums live in all 50 states
111 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
HWS COMMUNITY
Hobart Medal of Excellence
fanatics BOSTON Herons, Statesmen and friends toasted President Mark D. Gearan and the Colleges at The Exchange in Boston’s Seaport District.
Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Carolyn Carr McGuire ’78
Sheila Peabody P’04 Denise Patmon P’18
Terry McGuire ’78 Rodney Patmon P’18
Brittany Thurman ’15
Kara DoyleDuMouchelle ’06
Camille Gunderson ’14
Maddie Waters ’14
Devyn LaCamera ’14
Becky Simmons Cooke ’02
Adele Huffine ’14 Alex Jundanian ’14 Lukas Mead
Conor Sullivan ’14
Ernest Greppin Jr. ’60
Tom Hamilton ’63
Trustee Cynthia Gelsthorpe Fish ’82 Nancy Buck P’12
Trustee Pete Buck ’81, P’12
Paul Wasmund ’07
Jane Erickson ’07
“My husband Paul and I look forward to the HWS Boston holiday party every year. It’s always wonderful to catch up with old friends and meet new HWS friends and family that are in the area.” –Jane Erickson ’07, President of the William Smith Alumnae Association
112 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
Serena Holtsinger ’12
Rafe Mattingly ’08
Joel Savits ’56, P’82, P’87, P’90, GP’16
Jacquie Wrubel Savits ’57, P’82, P’87, P’90, GP’16
Dorothy Rosenberg
“It was an honor to be able to gather with my fellow alums to wish President Gearan well in his future endeavors. He will be missed by us all.” –Alex Kahn ’09
Daniel E. Kohn ’70
Chair of the Board of Trustees Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68
Honorary Trustee Henry A. Rosenberg ’52, L.H.D. ’02
Barbara Bozzuto Trustee Sana Naylor Brooks ’89
Alex Kahn ’09 Fiver Soraruf ’04
Rob Reinheimer ’07
Whitney A.N. Burton ’07
G.W. Burton P’07
President Mark D. Gearan
Paula Darden P’17
Skip A. Darden III ’87, P’17
Lara Brito
HWS COMMUNITY
“I value every opportunity to reconnect with the HWS community. Not only did the Farewell event give me a chance to meet both old and new alums and share HWS stories, but I was able to personally thank President Gearan for all he did for the Colleges and wish him the best for the future.” –Rob Reinheimer ‘07 BALTIMORE HWS alums, friends and family gathered at the Maryland Club to celebrate the Gearan legacy and the future of the Colleges.
“Whether it’s your time, talent or treasure, there are ways to be active in the HWS community. Those who truly got the most from their HWS experience must pay it forward – when they are able – and return their love of the Colleges.” –Edward Cooper ‘86, P’16
Trustee Edward Cooper ’86, P’16
ORIOLES GAME Hosted by Trustee Edward Cooper ’86, P’16 and Robin Savits Cooper ’87, P’16, HWS alums, family and friends cheer on the Orioles at Camden Yards in Baltimore.
113 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
CHICAGO Jay Crawford, Lynne Friedlander ’80, P’10; John Roberts, Jr. ’75; Mary Collins ’78; Mary Brush ’88; and President Mark D. Gearan celebrate the Colleges at the Tortoise Supper Club.
“We have been so fortunate to have had President Gearan at the helm of HWS for the past 18 years. Although I didn’t get to enjoy his presidency as a student, my son Chris Jenco ’10 was lucky to have doneso. As a parent and as an engaged alum, I have enjoyed getting to know Mark and Mary and so appreciate all they have done for the Colleges. We will miss the Gearans dearly, but are excited for them as they move on to their next chapter.” – Lynne Friedlander ’80, P’10
PHILADELPHIA Peggy Bokan Greenawalt ’66 welcomed alums, friends and family to her home in Wyndmoor for an evening of joy and reflection on the Colleges’ success. Laura Valdmanis ’10
Dan Mahaney ’15
Anna Grimes ’12
“There is something magical about being an HWS alum. While we have a common bond to the Colleges, we each have had our own set of unique experiences while there; and when we have the opportunity to come together and reconnect with one another, it galvanizes you in new ways.”
Peggy Bokan Greenawalt ’66
– Trustee Linda Arrington ’88
Alex Hamilton ’81 Patti Stewart P’18
Becca Splain ’04 and her daughter Madeleine ’38
NYC (Top) Dan McCooey ’90, Trustee Linda Arrington ’88, Dave Hoyt ’88 and Peter McGlynn ’90. (Bottom): Graduates of the Last Decade gather around President Mark D. Gearan, the guest of honor at the Park Avenue affair.
Bill Stewart III P’18
“Mark has made an indelible mark on HWS, enhancing life for its students and faculty, improving the campus and physical plant, and elevating the profile of the Colleges in innumerable ways. For me, a toast to Mark Gearan is a very small token of appreciation for a job more than well done. Really, we can’t thank him enough.” – Alex Hamilton ’81
114 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
“It was an honor to intimately toast President Gearan. I left feeling confident that, even in their absence, our community will benefit greatly from the Gearan family legacy of civic engagement for years to come.” –Henry Smith ’15
NEW JERSEY An evening with friends, the HWS family gathered at the Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield to honor President Mark D. Gearan following 18 years of service.
Lauren Shallish ’05 and daughter Piper Roth
Honorary Trustee Herbert J. Stern ’58, P’03, LL.D. ’74
Jerimiah Booream ’12 Bill Hosking ’74
Former Trustee Jay Hellstrom Jr. ’64
Marsha Stern P’03 John Bodnar III ’80
Linda L. Hellstrom Henry Smith ’15 Jennifer Cytryn ’16
Trustee Craig R. Stine ’81, P’17 Kathy Hay Stine P’17
Honorary Trustee Beth Yingling ’76
Lisa Tucker ’88 John Tucker P’88
Marc Krieger ’76 Cameron A. Lochhead ’82
Cynthia Fults Burke ’87
Honorary Trustee Bruce N. Bensley ’51, P’98, L.H.D. ’01
Stewart R. Massey P’12, P’15
Trustee Meghan D. Massey P’12, P’15
FLORIDA President Mark D. Gearan joins Jim Caird ’56, L.H.D. ’12 and Cindy Caird L.H.D. ’12 for an HWS gathering at their home in Ft. Lauderdale. Kappa Alpha Fraternity alumni Jack Slattery ’16, John Hoff ’77, Christopher McDonald ’77, L.H.D. ’13, Connor May ’16 and Ed Mooney ’77 gather for a group photo at Sardi’s in New York, N.Y., to celebrate McDonald’s Broadway comedy The Front Page. 115 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
HWS COMMUNITY
Anne DeLaney
Trustee Chip Carver ’81
Dan Gilbert ’06
Stephanie Wells ’10
Sean Kipperman ’06
Eric Lax ’66, L.H.D. ’93
David S. Pullano ’84
Colleen Carpinella ’09
Charlie Hale ’12
Connor Widenmeyer ’14 Karen Sulzberger
Andrew Mason ’14
Daniel Webb ’13
Dr. Mark Mapstone ‘89
Tripp Aquadro ’14
Edward Belden ’01
Rebecca Butler
Carolyn Lluberes Kimm ’04
Ellen Levine Opell ’60
LOS ANGELES Eric Lax ’66, L.H.D. ’93 and Karen Sulzberger welcomed guests to their Beverly Hills home, proving that 2,600 miles can’t separate West Coast alums from HWS.
“Toasting to President Gearan is a chance to remember the energy and sense of community spirit that he and his family brought to the Colleges. He challenged all students to strive for bigger and better things for ourselves, for each other, for HWS, for Geneva, and for the larger world community.” –Edward Belden ‘01
Corey McClintock ’12
Ben Carr ’16
Nick Schmidt ’14
Aloysius Kolubah ’15
Taylor Jones ’13
Geoff Wood ’64 Margot Southerland ’83
Will Weinstein ‘60, L.H.D. ‘04
Mohamed Anas Mounir ’13 Jen Leshnower ’00
Cara Walden ’11
Laura Dominic Delfino Batchelor ’07 Theresa Mooney ’12
Danielle Bates ’12
Delaney Kidd ’12
Katie Berlin ’13
“I learned so much about leadership, listening and nurturing small ideas into big ones from President Gearan. Nearly 20 years later, I join in toasting, celebrating and honoring an individual we have all come to love as our own.”-Jennifer O. Leshnower ’00 SAN FRANCISCO Bay Area alums gathered at The Olympic Club, hosted by Geoff Wood ’67, to honor President Mark D. Gearan.
“President Gearan will be missed. His easy communication style with all segments of the college community I think, is the secret to his immensely successful and popular presidency. He related to students as well as their parents, to 50 year alums as well as to college staff. Yes, we’ll all miss him and his family very much.” – Geoff Wood ‘64 116 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
Trustee Katherine D. Elliott ‘66, L.H.D. ‘08 Lyn Cook P’99, P’05 Trustee Will Margiloff ’92
Trustee Thomas B. Poole ’61, P’91, L.H.D. ’06
Alan Kalter ’64
Thomas ’81 and Kathleen Connor MaryJane Poole P’91
Peggy Kalter
Jeanine Cryan ’15
John May P’11, P’16
Mary Cryan P’15, P’16
Eric Stein ’89 Demetrius Grampus
Diane May P’11, P’16
Joseph Stein III ’86
Kara SorrentinoSieja ’97
“There’s a joy and spirit President Gearan exudes, a love for his work and for the Colleges that he invites all to appreciate and share. He has always been a fine ambassador and standard bearer, for which we owe him our gratitude and our heartfelt wishes for a bright and fulfilling future.” –Alan Kalter ’64
Monica Wolf Gaines ’84 and Trustee Andrew L. Gaines ’83
HWS COMMUNITY
WESTCHESTER Alums, family and friends celebrate President Mark D. Gearan and the Colleges at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y.
MULTI-CULTURAL CAREER NETWORK The Honorable Laura Douglas ‘79 (middle row, center) celebrates her Alumna Achievement Award with alums and staff following the campus ceremony. As Justice of the Bronx County Supreme Court, Douglas also delivered the keynote address at the second annual Multicultural Networking and Career Conference. The weekend conference included several panel discussions and workshops hosted by alums of color and promoted empowerment in professional development.
117 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
SPOTLIGHT Alums in the News
From Seneca to the Stage After playing to rave reviews and capacity crowds in London and Edinburgh, Love for Sale, a cabaret-play devised and performed by Kelly Burke ’05, ran at the Off-Broadway Soho Playhouse in New York early this year. The play was directed by HWS Professor Emeritus of Theatre Robert F. Gross, with Broadway music director Charlie Alterman (Pippin, Next to Normal) on the piano. Time Out New York also named the show on their list of Top 10 Things to Do in February.
Cohen ’67 Publishes Debut Book Trustee Stephen L. Cohen ’67 shares his more than 40 years of experience in The Complete Guide to Building and Growing a Talent Development Firm, which offers practical strategies for establishing and growing a successful consultancy. Cohen is the founder and principal of Strategic Leadership Collaborative, Inc., a private consulting practice focused on business strategy and leader development.
The (Top) Doctor Is In Medical magazine The Pathologist named Dr. Rashna Clubwala Meunier ’07 as a rising star on their Power List. Nominated by her peers and honored by an esteemed judge panel, Meunier practices pathology at Glens Falls Hospital in Glens Falls, N.Y., and served as the vice chair of the College of American Pathologists Residents Forum.
Decoding Intelligence During the past few months, former CIA officer John Sipher ’83, P’19 has been called on frequently by news shows like PBS NewsHour, CNBC and CNN to offer his expertise on relations between U.S. and Russia. Retiring from the CIA in 2014, Sipher was stationed in Moscow in the 1990s and served as the Deputy of the CIA’s worldwide Russia program for three years.
118 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
In the latest chapter of their illustrious careers, Brad Falchuk ’93, L.H.D. ’14, Trustee William T. Whitaker, Jr. ’73, L.H.D. ’97 and Warren Littlefield ’74 were recognized for their exceptional contributions to entertainment. Falchuk ’93, L.H.D. ’14 won the Emmy for “Outstanding Limited Series” and the Golden Globe for “Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television” for The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. Whitaker ’73 won an Emmy for “Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting in a News Magazine” for his work on 60 Minutes. Littlefield ’74’s series Fargo won Emmys for “Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie” and “Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited Series, Movie or a Special.”
Mathai ’94 Shines in Kenya Wanjira Mathai ’94 was recently featured as the “Personality of the Week” by The Daily Nation, one of Kenya’s most popular newspapers. An international steward of environmental sustainability and women’s equality, Mathai is the chair of the Greenbelt Movement, co-chair of the Global Restoration Council, chair of the Wangari Maathai Foundation and director of the Women Entrepreneurship in Renewables Hub.
DangerTV
Javier Saralegui ’80 leads the new venture, DangerTV, which is quickly expanding as the latest tech venture to catch fire. The over-the-top channel streams extreme sport content and short videos, featuring wildlife, speed. weather and disaster as well as professions like search and rescue team members, and adventures like extreme paragliding.
119 / PULTENEY STREET SURVEY | Spring 2017
HWS COMMUNITY
Joshua Horowitz ’98 and Reynold Levy ’66, L.H.D. ’14 appeared on back-toback episodes of Charlie Rose to discuss their respective fields: Horowitz weighed in on this year’s Oscar nominations while Levy, former president of Lincoln Center and current president of the Robin Hood Foundation, discussed his efforts to help New Yorkers receive illegally blocked benefits. Horowitz, who got his start in the entertainment industry at Charlie Rose, described the homecoming as a “surreal and wonderful honor. To come back in this capacity wasn’t something I ever seriously thought might happen.”
Horowitz
Charlie Rose
LEVY
WHITAKER FALCHUK
LITTLEFIELD
Red Carpet Regulars
THE LAST WORD 2017: A Time to Say So Long. Goodbye. Salut. by Betty M. Bayer, Professor of Women’s Studies
2017 brings with it a closing chapter for Mark Gearan’s time as president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges. His has been a long span of leadership in the world of college presidencies. Mark joined us at the turn of the last millennium – that’s 18 years ago, or five USA presidential election cycles. Eighteen is also coincident with the legal voting age in the States, and with the age at which one is said to come into one’s own. But what’s in an age? As one historian reminds us, time (linear and chronological) makes of age an all too one-dimensional concept – it’s all about the numbers. To read an age, numbers need more dimensions, in space, place and time. Still, to what dimensions do we turn to speak of an age of a college presidency or, to be more precise, the age of Mark’s presidency? To honor an age of leadership and its attendant ritual of saying thanks and farewell is tricky. Steer too far one way and one encounters the prospect of dabbling in the uncanny, as one writer put it about that ritual genre of Festschrifts and their penchant for burial or revival. Move too far in other directions, such as Washington-style presidential roasts, and one risks a certain mix of politics and liberal arts. Head off in another and one finds oneself in the land of nostalgia or oversentimentality. Something else is surely needed, something, shall we say, a little more outside the box, as we like to say about our hiring of Mark. This brings me to Mark’s out-of-the-box sense of timing. Almost prescient, was it not, for Mark to enter the candidate pool in the same year faculty agreed to step outside the box on a presidential search? Makes one wonder about Mark’s choice of 2017 to leave. Is it something about the number 17, a prime number, no less? Is it the number’s allure, as it has drawn in mathematicians or numerologists? Did all these years of strategic planning, projections and admissions numbers bring out this side of Mark? Or is it his inner garage-band-rocker self, as those 60s rockers, who, for whatever reason, sensed songs of 17 minutes would break the mold and make history. Numbers, we know, hold the
Professor of Women’s Studies Betty Bayer at a recent convocation.
120 / HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
power to enchant rites of passage and even life with a sense of mystery. Consider the tarot card “17.” As writer Jessa Crispin depicts it, this card may offer us interpretive guides to Mark, a way to see Mark’s balancing acts, those pushes and pulls of reason and his unconscious wishes, the art of presidents who walk the tightrope of stepping forward and stepping back, the mapping of miles to go and how to get there. This card, called the Star card, lends narrative drive to the story of Mark’s presidency. Crispin says to think of this “Star” card as more Ziggy Stardust than not, for it signals things out of the ordinary, more “out there” collaborators, letting you see, at some point, one’s risk of embarking on something outside the box. Like embarking on a presidency of these liberal arts colleges, like building towngown relations, like all that makes up Hobart and William Smith as we too engage the dance of life outside the box as one about being more not less. One does not have to be a tarot reader, as Crispin became for her own literary experiments, to open up plotlines. I am not a reader of the tarot. But were I one, a tarot reader, that is, I might have been inclined to add some Jimmy Fallon to Mark’s card “17,” his Star Card. Who can forget Mark’s surprise dancing on stage at the recent Koshare concert, or his full Gorilla costume one Hallowe’en afternoon some years ago – much to feminist theory students’ surprise when he swung into our seminar “guerilla” style – or the extraordinary capacity he has to conjure pianos whenever and wherever he happens to be. His presidency has endured multiple presidencies (from George W. to Barack to Donald) and transformations in curriculum and digital worlds reorganizing higher education, from Facebook to Twitter and Snapchat. It takes a lot of talent to navigate the times and their respective troubling of the questions of life and higher education – even for someone holding card “17.” For many of us, Mark was the second president with whom we worked. For others, number three or maybe even four. And, for still others, Mark is the only HWS president they have known. Mark has welcomed 18 new classes and will have bid adieu 18 times, too. He has charted constellations of convocations and commencements. He has engaged the ages of tipping points, lives of consequence, and transformative education. We have engaged him in interdisciplinary thinking, intersectional feminism and black lives matter. These are balancing acts in the academic year and cycles to its multidimensional ages, as they are to rituals of endings and moving on. On leaving one place for another, Joan Didion’s signature essay “Goodbye To All That,” opens with “It is easier to see the beginnings of things, and harder to see the ends.” She is not alone in puzzling out beginnings and endings. Poet and essayist Mary Ruefle does so too. But for Ruefle, neither beginnings nor endings are so definable or knowable. To her the riddle is in the pattern of communication, in what we hear, in how so much of it whittles down, in the end, to relations, to how to inhabit this world by finding more not fewer ways to move outside convention. Moving outside convention might well be one tradition of liberal arts education. It is what we did at the beginning of our time together and what we hope you – Mark – take with you as we bid so long and salut to you, President Mark Gearan. So, to Mark: while we like to imagine how HWS “really had a hold on you,” or how we may wish for this whole ritual to move to the beat of “Hello, Goodbye” or “Leaving on a Jet Plane” or “[President] on a road,” what it seems to me we are all saying is that while we know you like to say to graduating students “objects in mirror are closer than they appear” we ask you to remember to channel “hello from the other side.”
Join the Conversation! Follow the Colleges on
Use #HWSColleges
HWS Community Members to Follow: Sabrina Horn ‘83
Twitter: @sabrinahorn Managing Partner at Finn Partners, Founder, CEO of Horn Group, Inc.
Ali Marpet ’15
Instagram: @alimarpet Tampa Bay Buccaneer. Hobart Class of 2015. Proud to represent D3Nation and the 914.
Betty M. Bayer
Twitter:@BettyMBayer Women’s Studies Professor | History & Theory | All things cognitive dissonance...including revolutions | Views are my own
Dan de Nose
Twitter: @DMDINSPIREME Motivational and Inspirational Speaker, Life Coach & Mentor. LET’S CHANGE THE WOLRD Instagram: @dmdenose
William Smith Soccer
Twitter: @HeronSoccer Heron Soccer players. Made in Geneva. Found all over the world.
Mark D. Gearan Twitter: @MarkDGearan Instagram: markdgearan
Mary H. Gearan
Instagram: @maryhgearan
300 Pulteney Street Geneva, New York 14456 .
THOMAS RAMAGE ’16 • At HWS, majored in history with a minor in Asian studies
PARALLELS
• Studied abroad in South Korea • Peace Corps Volunteer: Teaches English in China
ALAN FRISHMAN • Professor of Economics, will retire this year after 41 years at HWS • Peace Corps Volunteer: Taught Math in Nigeria • Expert on economic challenges of developing nations and urbanization with emphasis on Nigeria
1. One place everyone should see: The Demilitarized Zone in South Korea. 2. Last book you read: A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn.
1. One place everyone should see? The Amazon in Peru. 2. Last book you read: The Bottom Billion by Paul Collier. 3. City you weren’t born in that you call home: Rochester, New York. 4. Window or aisle seat? Aisle. 5. Favorite unessential item for plane rides: Earphones. 6. When I return from a trip, the first thing I do is… Unpack. 7. How do you define a life of consequence? Doing things that help other people and not just yourself. 8. Most important thing you’ve learned: Patience and tolerance. 9. You can only eat one dish from your travels for the rest of your life. What is it? Any kind of Italian pasta dish. 10. One food from your travels you’d never eat again? Snake. 11. Where to next? Greece, then Hungary. 12. What makes a great teacher? Someone who can communicate ideas in straightforward way. 13. Classic or mechanical pencil? Classic.
3. City you weren’t born in that you call home: Seoul, South Korea. 4. Window or aisle seat? Aisle. 5. Favorite unessential item for plane rides: A good book. 6. When I return from a trip, the first thing I do is… Lie down in bed. 7. How do you define a life of consequence? One where you have no regrets and make the biggest impact possible in your community. 8. Most important thing you’ve learned: Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell. 9. You can only eat one dish from your travels for the rest of your life. What is it? Cinnamon Toast Crunch. 10. One food from your travels you’d never eat again? Live octopus. 11. Where to next? Mongolia. 12. What makes a great teacher? Someone who is patient with their students’ learning and does not let ego get in the way. 13. Classic or mechanical pencil? Classic.