What makes a college a dream school? According to higher education expert and New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Selingo, it's a place where students feel supported, challenged and prepared for what comes next. In his recent book Dream School: Finding the College That's Right for You, he identifies just 75 institutions that embody that ideal. Hobart and William Smith is honored to be among them.
While every student's dream is unique, the common thread is opportunity — the chance to explore ideas, develop talents and discover a path forward. At HWS, that opportunity is made possible by a community of graduates and parents who believes deeply in the promise of our students.
Nowhere is that commitment more evident than in Further Together: The Campaign for Our Third Century, which continues to gain momentum. Already, alumni, parents and friends have raised nearly $345 million toward our $400 million goal.
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Carnegie's new Research College designation recognizes how HWS faculty and students collaborate to advance knowledge — one of just 216 institutions nationwide, and only 38 primarily undergraduate institutions.
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Why HWS belongs on Jeffrey Selingo's short list of 75 institutions that embody the dream-school ideal.
Read the storylbs of food distributed by the HWS Food Recovery Network during the 2024–25 academic year.
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Inside Professor Jim Sutton's office — the stories, artifacts and questions that shape a life studying crime and justice.
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HWS students explore the stories that shape communities — from Geneva to Washington, D.C., supported by a $500,000 Mellon Foundation grant.
Read the storyStudents gain hands-on internship experience across Europe and Latin America.
Read moreHWS ranks No. 3 among small schools on the Peace Corps' 2025 list.
Read moreHobart hockey remains undefeated, chasing a fourth consecutive national championship.
Go StatesmenHobart tennis breaks new ground at the ITA Cup; Hobart soccer secures its fifth Liberty League title.
Read the storyFlag football joins William Smith Athletics in 2027 as the department's 31st sport.
Read moreWilliam Smith volleyball captures its first NCAA tournament win in just its fourth varsity season.
Read the storyThe Mellys' historic $70 million gift offers a transformative opportunity to prepare HWS students with a liberal arts and sciences education while expanding experiential learning, leadership and career pathways.
Longtime Trustee L. Thomas Melly '52, L.H.D. '02 was a Wall Street icon, a leader and proud graduate of Hobart and William Smith. His vision launched The Melly Institute for Business, Innovation and Leadership to prepare a new generation of bold thinkers and trailblazers.
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Each week, HWS students sit across from the leaders shaping tech, culture and global business. It's the course where the future comes to office hours.
A key example of the Melly Institute's impact is MGMT 305: Leadership and Learning in Entrepreneurial Ventures — co-taught by Professor Tom Drennen and Dan Rosensweig '83, CEO of Chegg and former COO of Yahoo.
As the workforce evolves at AI speed, the course positions HWS students in direct conversation with the leaders navigating that change. Through rigorous research, meaningful dialogue and a culminating team consulting pitch, students build the judgment and confidence required to lead in complex, fast-moving environments.
Twenty-three leaders from tech, finance, sports, media and the arts — meeting with students each week, in a classroom in Geneva.
Faculty-led collaboration shapes a new hub for interdisciplinary research and learning — transforming how science happens at HWS.
Powered by a $25 million gift from Cynthia Gelsthorpe Fish '82, L.H.D. '23 and John Fish, the four-story glass-and-brick structure will merge instruction, experimentation and collaboration across disciplines when it opens in Fall 2027.
Tour the Fish CenterIn this special series, we meet 23 alumni whose journeys reveal what happens when support meets ambition. From hospitals and laboratories to start-ups and embassies, they are doctors, scientists, diplomats and dreamers — each living proof that when the door to opportunity opens, the world can change.
For Joseph C. Stein III '86 — Partner and Head of Financing Advisory at Solomon Partners, and Chair of the HWS Board of Trustees — the throughline is clear: scholarships don't just close a financial gap, they power the future. Stein knows this because he lived it. As a sophomore, his father lost his job; without the William C. Stiles '43 Memorial Award and the Lewis H. Elliott Memorial Scholarship, he would have left Hobart.
Thanks to the generosity of alumni, parents and friends, an HWS education remains within reach for students of exceptional promise — ensuring that access and opportunity continue to drive achievement.
Read Joe Stein's full storyWe believe in staying actively involved in an institution that was transformational for us. It's important to stay engaged and give back.
Joseph C. Stein III '86 · Board Chair
Over the past two fiscal years alone, HWS has secured $216 million in gifts and commitments — including a record-setting $113 million in Fiscal Year 2025. The momentum reflects an unprecedented era of philanthropic support for HWS students and faculty.
After a 24-year hiatus, a beloved campus classic returns to Bristol Lawn — louder, bigger and full of joy.
Folk Fest returned to Hobart and William Smith last spring, transforming Bristol Lawn into a vibrant celebration of music, memory and campus spirit.
First launched in 1976 by Matt Stamell '78 along with a group of classmates, faculty and local musicians, Folk Fest quickly became a cornerstone of HWS life — a grassroots experiment that grew into a beloved tradition. Through its original run, which lasted until 2001, the festival drew national artists like Béla Fleck and Doc Watson, uniting students, alumni and the Geneva community in a shared love of live music.
The idea to relaunch Folk Fest began when Sophia Mughal '25, then president of student government, unearthed the festival's history in the HWS Archives while researching her Media and Society Capstone. Her vision quickly became a movement led by the HWS Student Government Folk Fest Committee — nearly 30 students who spent months planning an event that blended heritage with discovery.
Fifty years after he took them, Andy Satter '75 rediscovered a box of photographs from Russ' Kitchenette Diner in East Cambridge. The images are now a book, Walk-ins Welcome, and an exhibition that has come full circle — back to the very site where the diner once stood.
Read the Full Storyresilience, football and an indefatigable entrepreneurial drive
Founder & CEO, Rescription
Founder, The Wave
Interned at Farm Credit Financial Partners
2026 Winner of The Todd Feldman '89 and Family Pitch
I knew before I landed my first job that I wanted to "do my own thing."
Since birth. I have been watching "Shark Tank" since I can remember.
Non-stop creativity, a refusal to accept "no" as the final answer, and the resilience to get knocked down and rise again — lessons I learned playing football at Hobart, where three of my four seasons ended in losses.
Prioritizing the 5 Ps: Product, Price, Promotion, Place and People.
Both, but I enjoy late nights better.
Late night, for sure.
Kiteboarding and skiing with my family and friends.
I love running my business, Back2Baggy, where I sell secondhand clothes.
Laying eyes on my future wife Andrea. [Andrea Gove Martin '89]
Stressing and late nights in the computer lab, and more importantly, the lifelong friends I made.
Having the opposing head coach come find me after the game to shake my hand and tell me that I played a great game.
I had a scoop-and-score touchdown for almost 70 yards, and they called it back. I'm still sick about it.
NY Giants but I am a huge Dan Campbell fan, so the Lions when the Giants stink, which has been a lot lately.
The Kansas City Chiefs. I know people are going to scream "bandwagon," but I have the baby pictures to prove I'm a real fan!
Arby's next to the football field.
100% a cafe bowl: chicken and steak, guac and sour cream, and chips on the side.
Wake up! and take advantage of the day.
Keep God first. The work is the prize, and failing is simply a learning experience.
"Poetry" with Professor Stephen A. Kuusisto '78.
"Organizational Management" with Associate Professor Craig Talmage.
Loyalty, kindness and humor. A true friend is a hard thing to find but worth a lifetime to look for.
Authenticity and honesty.