Located on 320 acres in the heart of New York State's Finger Lakes Region, Hobart and William Smith are independent liberal arts colleges distinctive for providing highly individualized educations. Guided by a curriculum grounded in exploration and rigor, the Colleges prepare students to think critically. In partnership with the Geneva and global communities and through robust programs in career development, study-abroad, service, leadership, and athletics, the Colleges foster an environment that values global citizenship, teamwork, ethics, inclusive excellence, and cultural competence.
Under the mentorship of faculty, Hobart and William Smith students gain the necessary clarity to be competitive when seeking employment. They win prestigious fellowships like the Rhodes, Gates Cambridge, Udall, Fulbright, and Goldwater. They gain admittance to the best graduate programs in the country. They go on to lead lives of consequence. The Colleges enjoy a rich heritage based on a two-college system rooted in interdisciplinary teaching and research. Originally founded as two separate colleges (Hobart for men in 1822 and William Smith for women in 1908), HWS now operates under a coordinate college system. All students share the same campus, faculty, administration, and curriculum. Each College maintains its traditions, deans, student government, and athletic department, giving students additional leadership opportunities.
The Colleges are defined by a longstanding focus on educating and thinking across academic disciplines and the close work of research and creativity that connects faculty and students.' Explore, Collaborate, Act,' the animating principle that unifies the HWS curriculum, embodies the transformational purpose of our education: to develop each student's capacity for analytical, expressive, empathetic, critical, and practical reasoning and communication, which can be carried forward into life, work and the world.
Students live and learn on campus in a vibrant environment that celebrates difference, values collaboration, and builds community. The advancement of this community rests in a shared series of signature experiences that encourage the formation of connections between faculty and students, transcending the traditional borders of the classroom and residence hall. These experiences include the First-Year Seminar, study abroad, service-learning, the guaranteed internship, and the capstone project.
At HWS, there exists a widespread and compelling commitment to learning through service, educating students who are civically engaged, and graduates who are active citizens. Geneva's size, location, diversity, and opportunities make it big enough for students to examine the real-world applications of various fields of study yet small enough to propose solutions and put them in action. Under the guidance of faculty and community partners, students create meaningful change and learn how to scale that change to advance the common good in other communities around the nation and the world.
Students are pushed beyond the familiar and the narratives of experience to understand and embrace multiple identities and experiences. The result is a culture of respect on campus, one grounded in all people's inherent dignity and that students carry with them when they graduate. The families of our students play an essential role in the HWS community. The Office of Parent Relations supports special family programming for events, including new student Orientation in August, Homecoming and Family Weekend in September, and Commencement in May.
To provide safety, security, essential services, and other personalized assistance to the Hobart and William Smith Community in a manner that exceeds expectations. We are dedicated to the vision of service and putting people first. Students, parents, faculty, staff, visitors, and the Geneva community members are our priority. We will always make ourselves available to serve their needs, go above and beyond, and exceed expectations.
We value the differences in people as individuals and the richness that diversity brings to our institution. At all times, we will display an attitude of respect for and protect the dignity, worth, and rights of all we serve. We will maintain a work environment grounded in respect, support, acceptance, and personal accountability. We will actively strive to respond to all situations and all persons in a fair, unbiased, open-minded, and objective manner. We shall maintain an atmosphere of openness and transparency as our responsibility and commitment to the campus community.
We value the trust placed in our organization and its members by our campus community. We will earn that trust by being responsible for our actions, willing to acknowledge our mistakes, and recognizing them as opportunities to learn, grow, and improve. We will demonstrate integrity by maintaining a sound moral compass and engaging in ethical practices in our interactions with all persons. We take pride in being members of the Hobart and William Smith community and the Office of Campus Safety. We demonstrate this pride by exhibiting a unified and professional presence in our community. We understand that working cooperatively and collaboratively with all campus community segments enhances our efficiency and ability to deliver the highest quality campus safety services.
Founded as two separate colleges (Hobart for men in 1822 and William Smith for women in 1908), Hobart and William Smith students share the same campus, faculty, administration, and curriculum. Each College maintains its traditions, deans, student government, and athletic department, providing students with a new, 21st century construct to interrogate gender and difference. Through a sophisticated career development program and under the mentorship of faculty, students gain the necessary clarity to be competitive when seeking employment, win prestigious fellowships, and gain admittance to the country's best graduate programs.
Originally founded as two separate colleges – Hobart College in 1822 and William Smith College in 1908 – Hobart and William Smith Colleges enjoy a rich and unique history that spans nearly 200 years on Seneca Lake. Below is a timeline of the Colleges' significant milestones and events from its foundation until the present day.
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