Hobart and William Smith Colleges history

The first Native American student, Abraham (or Abram) La Fort from the Class of 1829, studied at Geneva College but did not graduate.

Geneva College was renamed Hobart College in 1852 in honor of its founder, Bishop Hobart.

On December 13, 1906, Smith formalized his intentions, and two years later, William Smith School for Women enrolled its first class of 18 students, although there were 20 by the end of the year.

The two student bodies were educated separately in the early years, even though William Smith College was a department of Hobart College for organizational purposes until 1943.

In 1970, HWS was named the upstate headquarters for the National Student Strike for Peace.

When Title IX was enacted in 1972, it changed HWS by putting female athletes on equal footing with their male counterparts.

In 1975, Associate Professor of Art Elena Ciletti accompanied 30 students to Italy for the first HWS abroad program.

The couple were hosts for the 1980 Winter Olympics, entertaining visiting VIPs at Whiteface and other venues.

A new curriculum, to take effect for the classes of 1990, includes distribution requirements for courses in each academic division; a first-year “Ways of Knowing” course; sophomore-year disciplinary courses; and a strong recommendation of off-campus study, preferably abroad, during the junior year.

She again served on HWS Board of Trustees from 1992-94.

In 1999, Hobart and William Smith inaugurated Mark D. Gearan as the 26th president of Hobart College and 15th of William Smith College.

The most recent, HWS 2015 is focused around three core areas – liberal arts in the 21st century, community and inclusive excellence.

Doctor Gregory J. Vincent ’83 was appointed the 27th President of Hobart College and the 16th of William Smith College in April of 2017.

In 2018, the First Generation Initiative recently welcomed its inaugural alumni speaker, HWS Board Chair Thomas S. Bozzuto ’68, who established the Bozzuto Family First-Generation Endowed Scholarship with a $1 million gift.

On July 1, 2019, Joyce P. Jacobsen began serving as the 29th President of Hobart College and the 18th of William Smith College.

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