Hobart and William Smith Colleges

31 August 2023HWS Ranked 5th in the Nation for Service, 32nd Overall

For the seventh year in a row, Hobart and William Smith Colleges are among the top five U.S. liberal arts institutions for service, according to Washington Monthly. The annual rankings also put the Colleges at 32nd overall for liberal arts schools.

29 August 202322,000 Hours of Service and Counting

HWS Summer of Service interns make an impact in Geneva. Since the program’s inception in 2011, 81 interns have contributed more than 22,000 hours of work.

10 August 2023A New Generation of Civic Leaders

Samuel Barnard ’23 and Hugh Bator ’23 join a growing list of HWS alums in the City Year program.

12 July 2023Deutschlander Receives Klamm Service Award

Professor of Biology Mark Deutschlander was honored for his service to the Wilson Ornithological Society and the birding community.

10 July 2023HWS Welcomed Second-Graders to Campus

Through the Geneva 2030 partnership, second graders imagine bright futures.

16 June 2023Flowers to Receive Agnes Slosson Lewis Award

Director of the Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning Katie Flowers to be honored for contributions to community.

13 June 2023Community Donation Effort Makes an Impact

This year’s Community Donation Effort made waste diversion and community assistance possible, bringing school supplies, furniture and other items to local organizations.

24 May 2023Brachfeld '23 Joins Peace Corps

Emma Brachfeld ’23, an Environmental Studies major and a Biology and Spanish & Hispanic Studies minor, is the fifth Hobart and William Smith senior this year to be accepted into the Peace Corps.

1 May 2023City Year Cofounder Khazei to Deliver HWS Commencement Address

Social entrepreneur Alan Khazei L.H.D. ’15 will give the keynote address at Commencement 2023. HWS will recognize four members of the Colleges’ community with honorary degrees.

27 April 2023Students Spend Spring Break Giving Back

The Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning led civic work at three sites through the HWS Alternative Spring Break program.

11 April 2023Four Seniors Join Peace Corps

Four Hobart and William Smith seniors have accepted two-year positions to serve abroad with the Peace Corps.

9 March 2023Márquez ’23 Interns with U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

Marce Márquez ’23 reflects on international relations, squash, volunteerism and her internship at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.

1 March 2023Media & Society Joins 125th Anniversary of Geneva Celebration

The documentary “Geneva, Then and Now” will be the finale of the “Celebrate Geneva!” program at the Smith Opera House, 4:00 p.m. Saturday, March 4, 2023. The community-wide birthday tribute will feature music, dance, and song.

28 February 2023Geneva 2030 Announces New Leadership

Hobart and William Smith join with Geneva in welcoming Heather Schwilk as Director of Geneva 2030.

25 January 2023Meaningful Mentorship

HWS Corps is recruiting! The tutoring and mentorship program is looking to swell its numbers with more than 85 paid work-study positions available.

16 January 2023HWS Joins MLK March

As an annual tradition, the campus joined Geneva’s march and memorial service in commemoration of the work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

15 December 2022Bilingual Community

Research project combines historic play translation and outreach with local Spanish-speakers.

13 December 2022Holiday Giving

Annual student food drive to provide 40 ham roasts to Geneva Center of Concern.

7 December 2022Alternative Spring Break Applications Open

The 2023 programs include service-learning trips to tutor in North Carolina, learning about life of migrant workers in New York and performing service work in Virginia.

30 November 2022Increasing the Vote

Hobart and William Smith Colleges have been named one of nearly 400 colleges and universities across the country for increasing student voter participation in the 2022 midterm elections as part of ALL IN’s Campus Democracy Challenge.

3 November 2022“You are Here” Day Empowers College and Career Journeys

Every year, Hobart and William Smith welcomes students from the Geneva City School District to visit campus as second-graders, sixth-graders and again during the ninth grade as part of the Geneva 2030 Initiative. After a two-year pause due to the pandemic, ninth graders recently returned to campus as part of the initiative’s commitment to college and career preparedness.

1 November 2022President Gearan on National Service in the 21st Century

President Mark D. Gearan will join the Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Rochester’s Fall Forum series, delivering a guest presentation on the state of public service in the U.S. and possibilities for its future.

28 October 2022Military Service Celebrated

During Bicentennial Weekend, HWS honored the military service of alums with the release of a book about veteran-alums and a panel discussion and book signing with its authors.

14 October 2022Geneva 2030 Aims “Back to the Future”

During the annual meeting for Geneva 2030 and Success for Geneva’s Children, program highlights celebrated the engaged citizenship and philanthropy that have had an impact on literacy, high school graduation rates, school, college and career readiness.

4 October 2022Day of Service Joins with San Francisco Alums

On campus, the fall Day of Service will bring students into the FLX community for a day of volunteerism. In conjunction with the event, alums in the San Francisco Bay Area will work at a food pantry.

23 September 2022HWS Aquatic Science Joins Geneva High School

Geneva High School students will dive into aquatic science under a new program based at Hobart and William Smith.

22 September 2022Dobkowski Gives Talk at Jewish Book Festival

Professor of Religious Studies Michael Dobkowski spoke on mortality and the Holocaust in conversation with author Dara Horn at the Rochester’s Jewish Book Festival.

19 August 2022Summer of Service 2022

This summer, six Hobart and William Smith students gained valuable real-world experience interning at Geneva community organizations during the 12th annual Summer of Service program.

18 July 2022Equinozzi ’23 Named to “ALL IN” Honor Roll for Voter Registration

For her impassioned efforts to increase voter turnout, Kate Equinozzi ’23 has been named to the ALL IN: Campus Democracy Challenge Honor Roll.

15 July 2022The Grassroots Initiative that Grew into America Reads

Grounded in a rich culture of student initiative at HWS, the founders of America Reads made a lasting impact at HWS.

23 May 2022Labyrinth Funded, Construction Underway

During the most recent Day of Service, students began work on a new labyrinth for spiritual restoration.

20 May 2022Civic Engagement Celebrated

The outstanding work of students, faculty and community members was showcased at this year’s Community Engagement Scholarship Forum.

5 May 2022Time Capsule Brings Together Alums and Mariam Boyd Elementary

Twenty years ago, HWS students on Alternative Spring Break buried a time capsule. In March, a Zoom gathering celebrated the relationship between HWS and Mariam Boyd Elementary that has flourished ever since.

3 May 2022HWS Community Donation Effort Underway

The Colleges have begun collecting donations of gently used items from students as they prepare to leave campus. Local non-profit organizations are encouraged to sign up now to receive those donations.

5 January 2022HWS Students Aid College Bound High School Students

The FLX College Leader Program is a 10-week course coordinated by HWS students who work remotely with high school juniors and seniors in Wayne County guiding them through the college search and application process. The program prepares HWS students to be peer leaders while providing direct support to high school students currently applying to college.

21 September 2021HWS Ranked No. 3 in Nation for Service

For the fifth year in a row, Hobart and William Smith Colleges are among the top five U.S. liberal arts institutions for service, according to Washington Monthly.

3 September 2021HWS Grads Land AmeriCorps VISTA Positions

Based in Geneva, three recent graduates will join an impressive cohort of alums serving AmeriCorps.

3 September 202110 Years of Building Community

Thanks to the support of Thomas J. Patchett '88, Trustee Dr. Marguerite S. Murphy and Dr. Brian Cooper, Summer of Service celebrates its 10th anniversary.

22 July 2021Biking 353 Miles Home

Thomas Perich '23 sheds the pandemic year and embraces freedom, cycling from campus to his home in Laurel, Maryland.

19 May 2021France '11 Reflects on Peace Corps Service

In conjunction with the 60th anniversary of the Peace Corps, Shanelle France '11 reflects on her service in Lesotho and her journey to becoming a teacher.

26 March 2021Newman Civic Fellowship Awarded to Martinez '22

Gabriela Martinez '22 named a 2021 Newman Civic Fellow by Campus Compact, which honors student leaders who have worked to find solutions for challenges facing their communities. 

11 March 2021Virtual Symposium for Scholarly Publishing

A recent HWS workshop and symposium brought international scholars together to share publishing insights and develop their scholarly programs.

26 February 2021Gearan Celebrates 60 Years of the Peace Corps

HWS President Emeritus Mark D. Gearan, L.H.D. 17, P21 will join other former Peace Corps directors in celebration of the international service programs 60th anniversary. In celebration of the 60

20 April 2020Albreski '23 Earns Newman Civic Fellowship

Campus Compact, a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purpose of higher education, has named Ian Albreski ’23 as one of only 290 students nationwide who make up the 2019-2020 cohort of national Newman Civic Fellows.

21 January 2019Life, Death, Meaning and Service

For 10 weeks last fall, students in Associate Professor of Religious Studies John Krummel's Death and Dying course drove to Seneca Lake Terrace, a nearby assisted living facility, to meet with residents and hear their life stories.

26 May 2017Gearan Appointed to National Commission on Military, National and Public Service

Hobart and William Smith Colleges President Mark D. Gearan has been appointed to a newly formed National Commission on Military, National and Public Service.

1 July 2016Community Engaged Scholarship Forum

27 April 2016Scott ’19 Named 2016 Newman Fellow

25 March 2015Aquadro ’15 Named Newman Civic Fellow

25 April 2014Budmen ’15 Newman Civic Fellow

9 April 2013Gove ’14 Named Newman Civic Fellow

30 March 2012Durand ’13 named Civic Fellow