HWS News
9 April 2026 Dame Louise Richardson to Deliver Commencement Address
The Carnegie Corporation president, who led Oxford and is a prominent scholar of foreign policy, will also receive the prestigious Elizabeth Blackwell Award and an Honorary degree.
Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York, an accomplished higher education leader and internationally recognized expert on terrorism, will deliver the keynote address at Commencement on Sunday, May 17 at 9 a.m. She will also receive an honorary degree and the Elizabeth Blackwell Award in recognition for her distinguished service to expanding access to higher education and her contributions to the study and understanding of terrorism and foreign policy. Three additional individuals will also receive honorary degrees: community advocate Lillian Elizabeth Williams Collins, Father Thomas P. Mull and Lt. General John “Jack” L. Woodward Jr. ’68.
Richardson became the first woman to serve as president of Carnegie in 2023, following nearly a decade as a member of its board of trustees. Established in 1911 by Andrew Carnegie, the foundation supports work that reduces political polarization. Previously, she made history as the first woman to lead the University of Oxford as vice-chancellor and the first woman to serve as principal and vice-chancellor of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. At both institutions, she championed initiatives aimed at expanding access to higher education and increasing socioeconomic diversity among undergraduate students.
An internationally recognized scholar of terrorism and counterterrorism, Richardson is the author of several influential books, including the widely acclaimed What Terrorists Want: Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat (2006), praised by the New York Times Book Review. Her research and teaching began at Harvard University, where she was a professor of government before becoming executive dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.
“We are honored to welcome Dame Louise Richardson as our Commencement speaker and as a recipient of the Elizabeth Blackwell Award,” says President Mark D. Gearan. “Throughout her distinguished career, she has combined rigorous scholarship with principled leadership, deepening our understanding of global conflict while championing broader access to education. Her life and work embody the spirit of thoughtful inquiry and service that we hope will guide our graduates to lead lives of consequence.”
Richardson has received numerous international honors. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 for her service to higher education, named a Chevalier in France’s Order of Arts and Letters in 2024 and selected in 2023 to chair Ireland’s Consultative Forum on International Security Policy. Richardson’s research has earned distinguished recognition, including the Sumner Prize from Harvard University for contributions to the prevention of war and the advancement of universal peace, as well as the Centennial Medal from Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for vision and leadership. She holds 11 honorary degrees.
During her tenure at Oxford, Richardson secured funding in partnership with philanthropic, corporate and government sources to allow for improvements in humanities and natural science research, creating a new graduate college, adding a major science park and housing for students and staff. During the Covid 19 pandemic, she negotiated a partnership with AstraZeneca to develop, manufacture and distribute Oxford’s coronavirus vaccine ChAdOx for no financial gain to countries across the globe.
At St. Andrews, Richardson broadened academic offerings and oversaw major investments in a new library, music center, medical school and campus expansion, while recruiting more American students and increasing opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Along with What Terrorists Want, Richardson has authored several books including Democracy and Counterterrorism: Lessons from the Past (2007),The Roots of Terrorism (2006) and When Allies Differ: Anglo-American Relations during the Suez and Falklands Crises (1996). She has written numerous articles on international terrorism, British foreign and defense policy, security institutions and international relations; lectured to public, professional, media and education groups; and served on editorial boards for several journals and presses.
Richardson was born in Ireland and, as a first-generation student, earned a degree in history from Trinity College Dublin. She later earned a master’s degree in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and master’s and doctorate degrees in government from Harvard University. She currently sits on numerous advisory boards, while serving as a trustee of the Booker Prize Foundation, National Theatre in America and the nonprofit Inter Mediate.
The Elizabeth Blackwell Award is named in honor of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in America to receive a medical degree and who graduated from Geneva Medical College, now Hobart and William Smith. It is conferred by HWS to women whose lives exemplify outstanding service to humanity, with two aspects of Dr. Blackwell’s own story guiding the selection of honorees: first, Blackwell was a woman whose life opened doors to other women by conspicuous professional achievement in a previously male-dominated occupation; second, she lived a life of service, in which her talents and skills were offered to aid and benefit others. Past recipients include Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
Fellow Honorary Degree Recipients include:
Collins started her career at HWS in 1967 as a secretary in the Office of Publications and spent most of her more than 40-year tenure serving as Assistant to the Vice President of Advancement. Throughout her career, she became a trusted colleague and a vital presence within the institution, known for her dedication and institutional knowledge. In retirement, she helped raise funds to fully endow the Dean James L. Henderson ’75 Award of Merit and for the construction of the Alger L. Adams ’32 Intercultural Center.
Outside of her professional duties, Collins was instrumental in shaping the student experience — especially for multicultural and underrepresented students — through her involvement with the Office of Intercultural Affairs, and she remained a steadfast supporter of graduates as an advocate for HWS’ Afro Latino Alumni and Alumnae Association (ALAA). For many students, she became a “mother away from home,” offering guidance, encouragement and her signature care packages — thoughtful gestures that became a symbol of her kindness and attentiveness.
Collins has been a dedicated leader and advocate within the Geneva community, contributing her time and expertise to numerous organizations. She currently serves on the board of the Geneva Center of Concern and has served on the Geneva Historical Society and the Geneva Human Rights Commission. She is a member of the Martin Luther King and Molly Lydenberg Scholarship Committees, as well as St. Paul’s Full Gospel Baptist Church.
In recognition of her contributions, Collins has received numerous honors. These include the NAACP Geneva Chapter’s inaugural Mary Ann Mallard Community Service Award in 1995, the Martin Luther King Committee Community Service Award in 2006, and the Hobart and William Smith Trustee Community Service Award in 2009. She was also featured in the 2018 Finger Lakes Times article, “Let’s Honor Geneva’s Notable Women.” Recently, she received Historic Geneva’s Storytellers Award in 2023 and the African American Men’s Association’s Humanitarian Award in 2024.
Her legacy continues through the Lillian E. Collins Endowed Scholarship Fund, initiated by ALAA, established to support underrepresented students who reflect her passion for service and community engagement.
A native of Waterloo, N.Y., Father Mull grew up in a large Catholic family with eight siblings. He attended St. Mary School through eighth grade and graduated from DeSales High School in Geneva in 1967. He went on to study at St. John Fisher College before entering St. Bernard’s Seminary, where he earned his Master of Divinity. He later completed graduate studies in liturgy at the University of Notre Dame.
Ordained to the priesthood on March 19, 1976, by Bishop Joseph L. Hogan, Father Mull has spent nearly five decades serving parishes across the Diocese of Rochester. His assignments have included St. Andrew, St. Ambrose, and Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester, as well as St. Benedict Parish in Canandaigua and Bloomfield. From 2000 to 2013, he served as pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Canandaigua.
In 1982, Father Mull was appointed director of the Diocese of Rochester’s Office of Liturgy, a role he held for 12 years, helping shape liturgical practice throughout the diocese. His dedication to the sacraments and worship has remained a defining feature of his ministry.
Beyond parish life, Father Mull has contributed significantly to education, healthcare ethics and community service. He has served on the board of trustees at Aquinas Institute and spent 15 years on the board of Thompson Health, where he chaired the ethics committee. He has also served as chaplain for several law enforcement agencies, including the Canandaigua and Geneva Police Departments, the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police.
He is also well known as the long-time celebrant of the televised Sunday Mass on MeTV and WHEC.com, extending his ministry to a broader audience.
In 2026, marking 50 years of priesthood, Father Mull received the Geneva Rotary Club’s Ralph Springstead Service Above Self Award, honoring his decades of dedicated service and lasting impact on the community.
As Deputy Chief of Staff for Communication and Information and Deputy Chief Information Officer in the U.S. Air Force in Washington, D.C., Woodward was directly responsible for strategic plans, policy and architecture for C4 systems across the entire Air Force, managing a force of nearly 100,000 communications and information professionals.
His extensive assignments included leadership posts at NORAD and U.S. Space Command, Air Force Space Command and tours of duty across five major commands, the Pentagon, and overseas in Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines.
For his distinguished service, Woodward is decorated with numerous military honors, including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Legion of Merit.
Following his retirement from the Air Force, Woodward leveraged his expertise in the private sector, serving as an Executive Vice President at Accenture and later establishing his own consulting firm, Information Stronghold Inc: Woodward Enterprises. He has served on multiple corporate and non-profit boards.
Woodward has been a dedicated volunteer and supporter of HWS for many years. He received an Alumni Citation in 2023 and is an active Career Services volunteer and a member of the Veterans Memorial Committee. He has participated in many campus events, including the recent Veterans Day Panel and Campus Volunteer Leadership Summit. For Hobart’s Bicentennial celebration in 2022, Woodward contributed the foreword to the book 200 Years Hobart and William Smith Colleges Legacy of Military Service.
As a student, Woodward majored in biology and minored in mathematics. He was a member of the soccer, squash and golf teams, receiving the Blazer Award for Golf in 1968. He served as class treasurer, was involved in the Board of Control, the Arnold Air Society, ROTC and was a member of Delta Chi fraternity.
