Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Students in the Tibetan Mandala Painting course and members of the local Buddhist community gather with the Venerable Tenzin Yignyen before he conducts the traditional dismantling ceremony.

The Venerable Tenzin Yignyen begins the traditional mandala dismantling ceremony in the William A. Baron Jr. 51 Multimedia Lab.

Students read their classmates reflections on the choices in color and shape behind their mandala and the experience of creating the piece.

Ordained as a Buddhist monk by Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Yignyen is a member of the Dalai Lamas personal monastery. Yignyen has been invited to construct and lecture on mandalas across the country and holds a Master of Sutra and Tantra degree with highest honors, which is equivalent to a Ph.D.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Spanish and Hispanic Studies Juan Manuel Portillo (right) introduces Associate Professor of Spanish and Hispanic Studies Fernando Rodriguez-Mansilla and Director of Intercultural Affairs Alejandra Molina during Beginning Spanish I. The pair observed students' creative final projects written and performed in Spanish.

Autumn Bierce '22 and Daniel Shulga ’22 prepare mashed potatoes during the Eat Like a Slav dinner and celebration of Russian cuisine at Fribolin Farm.

On behalf of faculty and staff guests, Interim Provost and Dean of Faculty DeWayne Lucas applauds students in Eat Like a Slav for their semester of research on Russian cuisine and cultural traditions.

Coxe Hall is illuminated at sunrise.

Aaron Tsuchitori '22 cuts into a homemade medovik, a traditional Russian honey cake, during a dinner and presentation on Russian cuisine hosted by the First Year Seminar Eat Like a Slav, taught by Associate Professor of Russian Area Studies and Associate Dean for Curricular Initiatives and Development David Galloway (right).

HWS Eco Reps and Director of Sustainability Michael Amadori tour the Geneva Water Treatment Plant.

An aerial view of the ice crystals on Odell's Pond.

For centuries the ceremony was shared only among Buddhist practitioners. The 14th Dalai Lama helped promote Buddhism by allowing the creation of mandalas to be experienced around the world. The Venerable Tenzin Yignyen has been part of the HWS community since 1999.

At the Geneva Water Treatment Plant, HWS Eco Reps and Director of Sustainability Michael Amadori learn how water is processed to remove pollutants before it reenters streams and rivers.

HWS Eco Reps and Director of Sustainability Michael Amadori pose for a group photo at the Geneva Water Treatment Plant.

As part of a conference coordinated by the Rural Migrant Ministry, Swellar Zhuo '19 co-leads a workshop for children in Lyons, N.Y. on revolutionary women in Central America and Mexico.

Conducted by the Venerable Tenzin Yignyen, the lakeside ceremony is a consequential moment that captures the essence of the Tibetan-born monks important educational work at the Colleges.