Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Life and Light

Anniversaries bring the past and the future into focus, allowing us to glimpse both at the same time. This special Bicentennial issue of the magazine looks back to Bishop John Henry Hobart and the vision that animated his desire to establish a college on the shores of Seneca Lake. On the heels of the largest fundraising year in HWS history, this issue also looks ahead — to new academic developments, the outlook for our third century, and the future we are all working to build. Starting on page 46, we asked some of our alums who are leaders in a variety of !elds — like Abby Johnson ’84, Jamey Mulligan ’07, Peter Luchetti ’77 and Kanchana Ruwanpura ’93 — to share how they think about the future. Their meditations are imaginative and thought-provoking, and underline again the extraordinary contributions of our graduates who are working with ingenuity and perseverance to create a better world.

From my position in this anniversary moment, it’s clear that those terms — ingenuity and perseverance — have been the watchwords of our 200-year history. From the Civil War to the Vietnam era, the 1918 pandemic to COVID-19 — whatever the challenge, the Colleges have adapted and thrived. Our institutional identity has evolved at critical points in our history, such as with the founding of William Smith, and our curriculum has been revised, even overhauled, to equip students with a timely and timeless education, no matter the era. Through all these changes, our goal remains, as it has always been, to prepare graduates to engage with the world in all its complexities, mysteries and joys. Our alums meet the future head-on and, like the Colleges themselves, adapt, persevere and "ourish.

At the center of Hobart College’s seal is the school motto, disce, the Latin word for “learn.” On a scroll below the motto, the seal also includes the phrase vita lux hominum, Latin for “life is the light of humankind.” Together, these phrases evoke the historical emphasis of a Hobart and William Smith education, and they orient our mission for the future: the imperative to learn not simply to start a career but to illuminate an entire life — and not just one’s own life but the life of humanity. We can’t predict the future, but with a Hobart and William Smith education lighting the way, we can certainly be prepared for it.

Finally, as we were going to press with this issue of the magazine, we learned that James F. Caird ’56, L.H.D ’12 passed away. Although we will do a full remembrance in the next issue of the magazine, I cannot let this moment pass without recognizing Jim and his wife Cynthia L. Caird L.H.D. ’12. From scholarships to athletics facilities to student housing, the Colleges have made significant leaps forward thanks to their vision, generosity and lifelong a#ection for Hobart and William Smith. In Jim’s exemplary career as an entrepreneur and in his commitment to perpetuating meaningful, well-rounded educational experiences at Hobart and William Smith, he set a high bar. Jim was a Statesman through and through, and he will be missed.

Hip Hobart, forever!

JOYCE P. JACOBSEN
President