Hobart and William Smith Colleges

1 August 2025 • Alums Melly Gift Leads $113M Fundraising Year

Support for Hobart and William Smith students, programs and facilities reaches historic levels during a remarkable start of capital campaign.   

Hobart and William Smith’s Further Together: the Campaign for Our Third Century continues its fundraising momentum during the 2024-2025 fiscal year, raising a record-setting total of $113 million during the 12-month period between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. 

"As we move forward with our historic Further Together Campaign, I am moved by the deep support of our community," says President Mark D. Gearan. "My sincere thanks go to our alumni, parents and friends for their confidence. Their enthusiastic investment shows a powerful belief in our mission and has strengthened our ability to equip students with the experiences and knowledge necessary to lead lives of consequence."

Hobart and William Smith is celebrating an unprecedented period of philanthropic success that places the institution among the elite liberal arts colleges nationwide. With new gifts and commitments raised during Fiscal Year 2025, coupled with a previous record of $103 million raised in Fiscal Year 2024, HWS has achieved a remarkable $216 million in fundraising over the past two years. This achievement propels HWS’ ongoing capital campaign to a stunning $324 million. Historic $70 Million Gift from L. Thomas Melly ’52 and Judith Hershey Melly, one of the largest contributions nationally to a college or university in 2024, catapulted this year’s progress toward the Campaign’s $400 million goal. 

Chair of the Board of Trustees Joseph Stein III ’86 says that this year's results serve as a strong endorsement of HWS’ institutional strategy. "The collective investment from our community is a clear indicator of support for our direction and provides important momentum toward executing the Campaign’s objectives of Academic Excellence, Financial Aid, Scholarship Support, the Student Experience and Annual Support. The Board is deeply grateful."

In addition to major donor support, the HWS community came together in multiple ways to demonstrate confidence. In a “three-peat” of generosity, the 2025 Annual Athletics Day of Donors rallied 3,230 alumni, parents and friends to contribute more than $1 million for the third year in a row. The 24-hour fundraising competition raised 161% more than the initial goal set for the day. 

The 2025 Scholarship Day of Donors saw more than 525 HWS community members come together to contribute more than $270,000. Their generosity makes an immediate impact, as each $25,000 raised establishes a new scholarship ready to be distributed in the upcoming academic year.

“I'm grateful to our alumni, parents and friends, whose incredible generosity is a direct reflection of the energy and passion we see in our students and faculty every day,” says Vice President for Advancement Steve Caraher. "While the financial milestones are truly remarkable, the surge in alumni engagement is equally exciting. We are committed to innovation and to creating new avenues for alumni to contribute their talent and passion. Their involvement is invaluable to our continued success.”   

In the coming months, the Advancement division plans a comprehensive outreach to all alumni, with the goal of engaging 50% of the alumni base during the Further Together Campaign.