Hobart and William Smith Colleges

17 August 2026 Cohen '67 Invests in Psychological Science Faculty

The Stephen L. Cohen '67 Psychological Science Faculty Suite strengthens collaboration, scholarship and student support.

When Dr. Stephen Cohen '67 told his psychology professor he wanted to study the intersection of psychology and business, he was met with a puzzled look.

"What is that?" Professor Sanford Katz, an experimental psychologist, asked.

At the time, HWS didn't offer coursework in industrial-organizational psychology. Rather than steer Cohen in a different direction, however, Katz did his homework. He researched graduate programs across the country and helped Cohen chart a path in the field that would shape the rest of his career.

Nearly six decades later, Cohen is a champion of Psychological Science studies on campus, making sure the department’s faculty have the resources they need to support students.

Through a $500,000 gift, Cohen has established the Stephen L. Cohen '67 Psychological Science Faculty Suite in Gulick Hall: a dedicated hub for collaboration, student mentoring and departmental coordination. The suite brings together eight faculty offices in close proxmity to the department's dedicated research space. The intentional proximity is designed to make faculty accessible to students for advising, research and academic support.

The suite is part of the ongoing renovation of Gulick Hall and HWS’ broader investment in science facilities alongside the new Fish Center for the Sciences, a significant pillar of Further Together: the Campaign for our Third Century.

After graduating from HWS, Cohen earned a M.S. and Ph.D. in industrial-organizational psychology from the University of Tennessee before building a distinguished career helping organizations develop talent, strengthen leadership and improve workplace performance. 

Cohen has a deep appreciation for the needs and perspectives of faculty, shaped by his own experience in the classroom. His first job after graduate school, Cohen was a professor at the University of South Florida. 

Throughout his career, he has remained closely connected to HWS. He served on the Board of Trustees for 13 years, as President of the Alumni Council, mentored students and has returned to campus to speak with classes and lend career advice.

In 2022, in support of the Department of Psychology, he established the Dr. Stephen L. Cohen ’67 Endowed Psychology Research Fund to provide support for one or more students each year to work on a research project with the department. He also established the Dr. Stephen L. Cohen '67 Prize in Psychology, awarded to a graduating major who has shown special aptitude and continued interest in graduate education; and the Cohen Fellowship, which supports a student leadership role in the Centennial Center or Bozzuto Center for Entrepreneurship. Beyond funding the opportunity, Cohen makes a point of connecting personally with the students who hold the fellowship.

"I've spent my career investing in people because I believe they're every organization's greatest asset,” Cohen says. “That's why supporting the Department of Psychological Science feels so meaningful to me. The faculty inspire students, challenge them to think differently and help them discover what's possible. Supporting them is one of the best ways I know to invest in future generations of HWS students."

Today, Psychological Science is one of the five most popular majors on campus. Since Cohen graduated in 1967, the department has grown from three tenured faculty members to seven, with a curriculum spanning cognitive neuroscience and clinical psychology to social behavior and developmental science. Students regularly engage in undergraduate research and are often cited as HWS faculty’s co-authors.

Professor of Psychological Science Julie Kingery says the new suite reflects both the department's collaborative culture and Cohen's longstanding commitment to its faculty and students.

"Having faculty offices in close proximity to one another promotes further collaboration around teaching, scholarship and student support, which the department faculty have always valued," Kingery says. "We deeply appreciate Dr. Cohen's support and mentoring over the past several decades. He has fostered close relationships with students and faculty, shared his expertise and career advice and showed a genuine interest in the teaching and scholarly endeavors of department faculty.”

For Cohen, the new faculty suite recognizes the department's evolution while strengthening its future.

"The whole motivation was to enhance the faculty experience, which would by definition ultimately enhance the student experience," he says. "That's the bottom line."

In the photo above, Cohen talks to psychology and entrepreneurial studies students about his career path.