Hobart and William Smith Colleges
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Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are liberal arts institution. The Colleges are unique in the United States for adhering to a "coordinate system" which retains some elements of the original single-sex institutions even though the student experience is largely co-ed.
History
Hobart College traces its roots to Geneva Medical College, founded in 1789. Hobart College proper was founded in 1822 as Geneva College and renamed in honor of its founder, Episcopal bishop John Henry Hobart, in 1852. Technically, the legal name of the combined corporation is "The Colleges of the Seneca.”
Geneva at the time was a bustling Upstate New York city, with access to the Erie Canal via Seneca Lake. The college branched out to include studies in literature, letters, and the humanities. In 1822, Reverend John Henry Hobart, the Episcopal Bishop of Western New York helped to expand the college, and the college was renamed Hobart Free College (and later, Hobart College).
Toward the end of nineteenth century, Hobart College was on the brink of bankruptcy and suffering through a period of financial uncertainty. It was through the presidency of Langdon Stewardson that the college obtained a new donor, nurseryman William Smith. Smith was not interested in directly giving money to Hobart, however when Stewardson proposed the idea of a coordinate women's college, Smith decided to lend his support to the endeavor.
William Smith College was founded in 1908 as a women's college sharing certain facilities and faculty with Hobart College but self-identifying not as a single college but as two “coordinate” institutions.
The Coordinate System
Unique to the Colleges is the concept of the “Coordinate System.” In the 1960s and ‘70s, when many single-sex institutions became co-ed, (i.e. two of the The Seven Sisters) both Hobart and William Smith retained their separate identities while integrating many aspects of student life.
This tradition remains strong to this day. While the Colleges’ share most administrative offices (there is only one President’s Office, for example) they maintain separate dean’s offices, athletics programs, student governments and until recently, admissions offices. Even some regulations about student life vary. Hobart College allows fraternities and Greek organizations while William Smith does not allow sororities.
A male graduate receives a degree from “Hobart College” and a female graduate from “William Smith College.” Alums are always referred to in the single-sex sense of the word, as “alumnae and alumni” and any reference to the institution is always in the plural. (“colleges”)
Athletics
Hobart's archrival in athletics is Union College in Schenectady, New York.
Hobart and William Smith Colleges compete in NCAA Division III athletics, with the exception of men's lacrosse, which competes in the NCAA Division I.
Notable alumni
- Lauren Bessette, prominent New York City investment banker and sister-in law of John F. Kennedy Jr.
- Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman awarded a Doctor of Medicine degree in the United States, graduated from the medical school of Geneva College in 1849.
- Harry Coover, the inventor of "super glue".
- Rodney Frelinghuysen, United States Congressman representing New Jersey's 11th congressional district.
- Holman W. Jenkins Jr, Wall Street Journal editorial board member, policy commentator
- Abigail Johnson, heir apparent to Fidelity Investments
- Alan Kalter, actor (notable for being the announcer from The Late Show with David Letterman)
- Matt Lamanna, palentologist responsible for several major discoveries.
- Christopher McDonald, actor (Happy Gilmore, Requiem for a Dream, The Perfect Storm)
- Brock Yates, screenwriter of the film Cannonball Run and editor in chief of Car and Driver magazine
Notable faculty
- H. Wesley Perkins, Professor of Sociology and the "Father of Social Norms Marketing."
- Michael Dobkowski, Professor of Religious Studies, author of multiple works including "The Tarnished Dream". [Official Faculty Bio]
- David Weiss, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, author of "The Mensch" and noted poet
- Deborah Tall, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, noted poet and editor of "The Seneca Review". [Official Website]
- Jack Harris, Professor of Sociology, Researcher on Vietnam and masculinity studies. [Official College Bio]
- David Ost, Professor of Political Science, author of multiple works, including ". [Official College Bio]
- Mark Gearan, President of Colleges, former White House Chief of Staff for President William Jefferson Clinton as well as former President of the Peace Corps.
External links
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