Your alma mater is celebrating a monumental birthday! William Smith College is currently preparing for its Centennial celebration in November 2008. As a senior, I will be honored to graduate from William Smith in 2008, and I have thus far enjoyed a year full of pride in both the rich history and potential of the place I’ve come to call home.   

Blackwell Scholar Meaghan McCarthy '08, hard at work in the lab.

Perhaps what is most unique about William Smith College is its early commitment to student excellence in the Sciences. As uncommon as it was for women to receive a formal education in 1908, it was even more rare for a woman to be educated in scientific principles and practices.  That tradition has continued for 100 years, making William Smith the alma mater of hundreds of biologists, chemists, physicists, psychologists, geologists, ecologists, mathematicians, computer scientists and beyond.

I am writing today to ask for your help in continuing the tradition of scientific excellence at William Smith. The William Smith Science Centennial Committee is looking to gather information regarding the career paths and lives of its alums. Please fill out our brief questionnaire. We are very interested in your career path since leaving your undergraduate home on the shores of Seneca Lake. We hope to gain a better understanding of your careers and the influence that William Smith has had on your choices.  We’re interested not only in the story of science at our College, but in your story of science at this College.  We invite you to share any memories, perhaps of unforgettable moments, helpful professors, supportive classmates, advice, or things you have learned after leaving college that you’d like our current students to know. 

Of course, we know that some of these stories have taken many twists and turns along the way.  We appreciate any information that you are comfortable sharing with the growing William Smith community, as well as the time you’re taking out of your busy schedule to share with us.  If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our Committee Coordinator, Chair of Chemistry Christine de Denus (dedenus@hws.edu).

Very sincerely,

Meaghan McCarthy '08 
WS Science Centennial Committee