Hobart and William Smith Colleges

The Hobartones a cappella group performs during Orientation 2018.

Rock-paper-scissors champions Kate Hughes '22 and Najem Naj Johnson '22 battle for victory during a teambuilding session on Saturday.

Meagan Bailey '22, Jack Amsterdam '22, Tanner Bissonette '22, Heidi Aversa '22 and Kian Dart-Snouffer '22 celebrate successfully breaking out of an escape room.

The Koshare Dance Collective performs at the Variety Show on Saturday night.

Members of the Classes of 2022 cheer during the Variety Show at the Smith Opera House on Seneca Street.

Associate Professor of English Rob Carson, Associate Professor of Education Mary Kelly, Associate Professor of Political Science Vikash Yadav and Associate Professor of Political Science Stacey Philbrick Yadav process before Convocation 2018.

Student Trustee Gavin Gross '19, who studied abroad in Nanjing, China and completed an internship with Citibank, reflects on the opportunities that fear and failure offer. Citing a piece of advice he received at HWS, Gross said, “There is no better place to fail than here….People will often tell you failure is important but neglect to tell you that the most important time in your life to fail is right [now]….”

Student Trustee Caitlin Lasher '19, who studied abroad in New Zealand and in the Netherlands, tells students: “You will all have your respective successes, losses and moments in between. You will have challenges that you will face, and ultimately, only you can conquer these problems with the skills you have learned here.”

Bookended by selfies and yogic breathing, Associate Professor of Media and Society Leah Shafer offered a stirring call to seize the moments and opportunities available at HWS. “Your primary responsibility here is to utilize these magnificent resources so that you can improve your ability to live a life of consequence and expand your ability to be a just and intelligent person in the world,” Shafer said.

Students listen during Convocation on Monday.

HWS Trustee Dr. Jeremy T. Cushman ’96 tells students that being “a member of the Hobart and William Smith family is all about choices. Choices that will reflect upon you, your community and this family. Choices that will engage talents and abilities you never thought within yourself. Choices that will forever alter your life in the way tens of thousands of other HWS students have borne witness to.”

Members of the faculty enjoy the addresses of the speakers during the Convocation 2018 ceremony on Monday.

During her keynote address, Margarita Ramos '85, Global Head of Human Resource Compliance for Bank of America Merrill Lynch and former HWS Trustee, says her HWS experience gave her the freedom to explore who I was, to take appropriate risks, and to test my voice. Here, I was empowered to interact — to challenge and become my best self.”

Hobart College Head Football Coach Kevin DeWall '00 leads a preseason practice on Boswell Field on Tuesday.

During Convocation 2018, Interim President Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. ’12 reflects on his time as a student at St. Peter’s College in the 1960s. Noting a refrain of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., McGuire quoted: “The time to take risks is always now. The time to find your voice is always now. The time to question what you’re hearing and seeing and thinking and doing is always now…”

Commencing the Convocation ceremony, members of the Mohawk Valley Frasers Pipe Band perform in the Vandervort Room. The event marked the beginning of the 2018-2019 academic year.