Hobart and William Smith Colleges

18 November 2006 Campaign for the Colleges Celebrated in Boston

Momentum builds at host city

An enthusiastic and committed group of alums and parents joined forces tonight to host the Boston Launch celebration of Campaign for the Colleges, which seeks to raise $160 million to fulfill priorities established in the Colleges strategic planning initiatives.

Held at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the evening celebration was kicked off as Board Chair David H. Deming 75 welcomed the gathering of alumni, alumnae, parents, faculty, staff, students, and supporters of the Colleges.

Theres universal agreement among those close to the Colleges that our momentum has brought us to the threshold of a new level of possibility, said Deming, praising the $94 million that has already been committed and the success of recent celebrations on campus and in New York City.

For more images of the Campaign for the Colleges Celebrated in Boston, click here.

The Campaign has a facilities goal of $65 million for on-campus improvements, including creating a Performing Arts Center, refurbishing and expanding the Scandling Center, renovating and expanding athletics facilities, and renewing a commitment to cutting-edge Information Technology Services.

Another $65 million will be sought for the Colleges endowment to provide scholarships and internships for students and endowed professorships for faculty members, and to ensure the future of distinctive programs, such as global education. In addition, the campaign will recognize the first 100 years of William Smith College, 1908-2008.

Mara OLaughlin 66, assistant vice president for the William Smith Centennial, extolled the merits of the Centennial Center for Leadership, a component of the Campaign. To be established and endowed by a $7 million commitment from the women of William Smith, the Center will support scholarships and fellowships for students, and will establish a leadership chair to bring a distinguished woman to be in residence on campus as a resource to all of our students and faculty.

The program was highlighted by reflections from Boston area alums Joseph Corcoran Jr. 79, president and CEO of Impact Performance Group Inc.; Deborah Piltch 83, compliance officer and attorney for Maloney Properties; Wayne Lawrence 77, director, investment banking for Barclays Capital; and Cynthia Gelsthorpe Fish 82, member of the William Smith Centennial Fund Committee. Current students Adam Chaput 07 and Maggi Sliwinski 07 also shared stories of how the Colleges have transformed their lives.

Concluding the event, Hobart and William Smith President Mark D. Gearan offered his vision for the future and thanked the impressive group of alums from the Boston area who shared their stories.

As I start my eighth year as President, I have seen the power of a Hobart and William Smith education. Joe Corcoran, Debbie Piltch, Adam Chaput, Cyndy Gelsthorpe Fish, Wayne Lawrence and Maggi Sliwinski all spoke forcefully about their experiences at the Colleges. Their success and lives of consequence is first and foremost a reflection on their hard work, engaged minds and strong character and integrity, Gearan said. But it also says a great deal about Hobart and William Smith Colleges. It says that were a community committed to excellence in the liberal arts.

The 18-member committee that organized the event includes three Trustees of the CollegesSusan Albert Athas 75, Carolyn Carr McGuire 78 and Barbara Tornow 65and Eric Hall Anderson 59, Daniel Beckman 84, Christian Coffin 83, Worth Douglas 67, Cynthia Gelsthorpe Fish 82, Christopher Flanagan 67 and Mary Flanagan 69, Abigail Johnson 84, Terrance McGuire 78, Gail Carpenter Palmer 91, Craig Stevens 85, Joseph Tully 88, Susan Rock Tully 88, Christopher Welles 84 and Catherine Whitney Welles 83.