Hobart and William Smith Colleges

A New Era

Dr. Joyce P. Jacobsen Begins Presidency on July 1, 2019

Contributors to this story include Bethany Snyder, Andrew Wickenden '09 and Catherine Williams.

As a child making weekly trips to the library with her parents, Joyce P. Jacobsen devoured biographies, and found herself drawn again and again to one in particular: a story about the life of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States who graduated from Geneva Medical College in 1849. On Feb. 8, 2019, in her first remarks to the HWS community, which included a standing-room-only crowd in the L. Thomas Melly '52 Lobby of the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts as well as thousands more watching online via livestream, Jacobsen spoke of how "deeply meaningful" it is to follow in Blackwell's history-making footsteps as she becomes the first woman president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Earlier that month, the Board of Trustees unanimously and enthusiastically elected Jacobsen as the 29th President of Hobart College and the 18th of William Smith College. Currently serving as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Wesleyan University where she holds an endowed professorship in economics, "President-Elect Jacobsen is a prominent scholar and an esteemed educator with a deep understanding of the interdisciplinary inquiry so vital to our mission here at Hobart and William Smith," says Chair of the Board of Trustees Thomas S. Bozzuto '68, L.H.D. '18. "In her work with students and colleagues in the academy, and with preeminent national and international organizations, she has distinguished herself as a remarkable leader with the experience, values and vision to pilot the Colleges to new heights."

In his remarks at the announcement, Co-Chair of the Presidential Search Committee and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Andrew G. McMaster Jr. '75, P'09 noted that the committee sought to find "someone who could envision and enact a bold plan for the future of our Colleges while nurturing our academic programs."

Trustee Aileen Diviney Gleason '85, who also served on the search committee, said the group was "united with one goal: to find an innovative, strategic thinker with energy, passion and integrity to lead Hobart and William Smith Colleges into the future with confidence."

They found that person in Jacobson, who received the unanimous recommendation of the committee.

Jacobsen earned her Ph.D. from Stanford University and M.Sc. from the London School of Economics, and graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with her A.B. in economics as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She began her academic career as an assistant professor at Rhodes College before going to Wesleyan University in 1993. She earned full professor at Wesleyan and was awarded an endowed chair as Andrews Professor of Economics. She was the recipient of the University's prestigious Binswanger Prize for Excellence in Teaching. She began her work as an administrator in 2013 when she was appointed Dean of Social Sciences and Director of Global Initiatives at Wesleyan, and then Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs in 2015. She is currently Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Wesleyan University.

Described by her colleagues as an accomplished scholar and "a person of deep character," Jacobsen has broad responsibility at Wesleyan where she oversees the entire academic enterprise, including athletics, institutional research and community partnerships. At Wesleyan, she has been a thoughtful contributor to student affairs, and equity and inclusion, while also helping to create fundraising and stewardship plans and collaborating on admissions and enrollment strategies. With a deep understanding of the complexities of higher education infrastructure and finances, Jacobsen is involved in planning Wesleyan University's budget, including supervision of a considerable annual portfolio.

"Joyce Jacobsen has made myriad contributions to Wesleyan University as a teacher, scholar, colleague, faculty leader and, for the last several years, as Provost," says President of Wesleyan University Michael S. Roth. "Our university has benefitted immeasurably from her many years of innovative thinking and caring practice, and I have every confidence that she will bring these qualities to her new position as president of Hobart and William Smith. We will miss her."

An expert on labor economics, particularly the economics of gender, Jacobsen is the author of scores of journal articles, book chapters and book reviews exploring sex segregation, migration and the effects of labor force intermittency on women's earnings, as well as the economics of wine and other collectibles. Her books include The Economics of Gender, Queer Economics: A Reader (co-edited with her former student, Adam Zeller, who started the project as a senior essay) and the textbook Labor Markets and Employment Relationships (with Gilbert L. Skillman).

Jacobsen has been a visiting professor at Colorado College and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, where she held the Jantina Tammes Chair in Gender Studies. She has consulted for the World Bank, the ACLU and other nonprofit organizations. She served as editor of Eastern Economic Journal (2005-10) and on the editorial boards of a number of professional journals. Jacobsen was president of the International Association for Feminist Economics from 2016-17, served as a member of the American Economic Association Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession and is currently an elected board member of the Eastern Economic Association. During the past 20 years, she has been a member of several projects and working groups for the Institute for Women's Policy Research.

Jacobsen is married to Bill Boyd, Visiting Scholar in the Quantitative Analysis Center at Wesleyan, who holds a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, an M.S. in computer science from the University of Memphis, and a B.S. in physics from Rhodes College. Jacobsen and Boyd have two adult children, Catherine Boyd and Kenneth Boyd. Jacobsen has two adult stepchildren, Will Boyd and Kara Boyd Nunn, and five step-grandchildren. Originally from Reno, Nev., Jacobsen is the only child of the late William Jacobsen, Professor Emeritus of English at University of Nevada, Reno, an expert on North American Indian languages, and Virginia Chan, a retired academic administrator who worked for the Basque Studies program at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Her parents instilled in Jacobsen a love of reading at an early age. The family spent Sundays walking to the library to read and checkout books; it was there that Jacobsen discovered Elizabeth Blackwell's biography. During the presidential announcement in the Gearan Center, Jacobsen named Blackwell as one of her childhood heroes, and noted that she is well aware of the "momentousness of getting to be the first woman president of Hobart and William Smith."

Jacobsen's father was a linguist by training, dedicating himself to the preservation of Native American languages, including the Washoe people of the Great Basin and the Makah Tribe of the upper Olympic Peninsula. The family often spent summers embedded with the communities. Witnessing her father's commitment to his work allowed Jacobsen to understand "what it was like to dedicate your life to something larger than you. I've always taken that model for what I do with my own work and my own life."

That dedication was evident to the Presidential Search Committee. Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees and Search Committee Co-Chair Cynthia Gelsthrope Fish '82 remarked on Jacobsen's "profound passion for liberal arts education, a commitment to cultivating rigorous scholarship with consequential impacts, and a deep understanding of the necessity for diverse, inclusive learning environments."

As president of Hobart and William Smith, Jacobsen plans to spend her first months on campus "listening, learning and studying the environment." She's looking forward to meeting with students, alums, faculty and staff to "hear their narrative about what the Colleges mean to them."

Jacobsen sees alumni and alumnae as key to the Colleges' growth. "If they are proud of the campus and proud of the Colleges, and they feel a part of the community, then they will serve the Colleges as well," she says. "They will be there for our students when our students want career advice or an internship. They will recommend to young people coming out of high schools across the country and across the world that they should come to the Colleges. They will serve in many ways, whether it's financial contributions, time contributions or literally just spreading the good word about what a wonderful place this is."

Jacobsen begins her presidency on July 1, 2019, succeeding Interim President Patrick A. McGuire L.H.D. '12.

ACCOLADES

Thomas S. Bozzuto '68, L.H.D. '18, Chair of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Board of Trustees

"President Jacobsen comes to Hobart and William Smith from a first-rate institution where she cultivated an accomplished career as a scholar, educator and administrator. She is an agile and thoughtful decision-maker who approaches every challenge with compassion, wit and keen intelligence."

Donna Morea, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Wesleyan University

"Joyce Jacobsen is the total package - an authentic scholar revered by her faculty colleagues, a popular teacher and a fantastic administrative leader. A person of deep character, she is someone you want to work with and someone you trust."

Cynthia Gelsthorpe Fish '82, Vice Chair of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Board of Trustees, Co-Chair of the Presidential Search Committee

"President Jacobsen's impressive career as a scholar, educator and administrator is distinguished by a sense of leadership, engagement and pragmatism that will support the Colleges' mission and help our community thrive."

Edens Fleurizard '20, Hobart College Student Trustee, Member of the Presidential Search Committee

"In our extensive interviews and referencing, we found her to be thoughtful and precise, interested in the opportunities and challenges facing the Colleges, an expert capable of re-envisioning the value of the liberal arts and ready to take on the HWS presidency."

Andrew G. McMaster Jr. '74, P'09, Vice Chair of the Hobart and William Smith Colleges Board of Trustees, Co-Chair of the Presidential Search Committee

"Joyce Jacobsen's understanding of and experience addressing the opportunities and challenges facing liberal arts institutions today is unparalleled. She is uniquely qualified to lead Hobart and William Smith Colleges to even greater levels of achievement."

Cecilia A. Conrad, Managing Director, MacArthur Foundation

"Joyce is an impactful leader who combines an economist's analytical thinking with a dedication to engaging diverse voices in reimagining and reinvigorating the meaning of a liberal arts education."

Justin Rose, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Hobart and William Smith Colleges Member of the Presidential Search Committee

"...the search committee heard consistently from the faculty that they wanted a strong, academic leader who would raise the profile of our institution. Furthermore, they stressed the need for the committee to find a leader who listens deeply, values diversity and inclusion, and one that would work tirelessly to foster an environment of collaboration between all of HWS' stakeholders. In Joyce, we have found the rare leader who checks all of those boxes."

Deb Steward, Director of Athletics at William Smith College, Member of the Presidential Search Committee

"Her values, leadership style and experience make her a perfect fit for us. In addition, with direct oversight of Wesleyan athletics, Dr. Jacobsen has an understanding of the value of athletics and the student experience outside of the classroom. I look forward to supporting her vision and introducing her to our coaches, student-athletes and community."

Cynthia Williams, Professor of Dance, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Member of the Presidential Search Committee

"...I was impressed with what I see as a rare combination of qualities: she is pragmatic and data-driven, believes in teaching as an act from the heart and has a deep understanding of the intersectionality of issues that face not only Hobart and William Smith Colleges, but all liberal arts institutions."

Caitlin E. Lasher '19, William Smith College Student Trustee, Member of the Presidential Search Committee

"Dr. Joyce Jacobsen has an unparalleled commitment to the liberal arts, a keen eye for detail and an obvious commitment to all students, faculty and staff with whom she has worked. I have no doubt that she will guide the Colleges toward continued success as our new President."

Donald Spector, Professor of Physics, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Member of the Presidential Search Committee

"When I first encountered Joyce Jacobsen, I wrote the following notes: "deep understanding of liberal arts colleges, sharply analytical, confident yet flexible." As I've come to know her, not only would I dial those initial assessments up to 11, but I'd add to them warm, funny and unflappable."