HWS News
15 September 2026 Maureen Dowd, Karl Rove and Bill Whitaker to Headline 2026 Stern Family Forum
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd and Republican political strategist Karl Rove will discuss American politics, media and civil discourse in a conversation moderated by 60 Minutes Correspondent and Trustee Bill Whitaker ’73, L.H.D. ’97.
On Friday, Oct. 2, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd and Republican political strategist Karl Rove will discuss the political landscape, the state of public discourse and what’s at stake in the November elections. As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, Dowd and Rove will also consider how contemporary politics and the courts interpret a constitution written for a fundamentally different, agrarian society. HWS Trustee Bill Whitaker ’73, L.H.D. ’97, who has won three Emmys, most recently as a correspondent for 60 Minutes, will serve as moderator.
The 2026 Stern Family Forum will be held at the Smith Opera House in downtown Geneva at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Founded through the generosity of Honorary Trustee Herbert J. Stern ’58, P’03, LL.D. ’74 and Trustee Samuel A. Stern ’03, the Stern Family Forum brings nationally recognized voices with differing perspectives to campus for thoughtful conversations on the issues shaping public life. The forum encourages civil discourse and meaningful dialogue on topics that are often complex, consequential and controversial.
Dowd has been a columnist for The New York Times since 1995 and won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for her incisive coverage of the Clinton presidency. Before joining the newspaper's Opinion section, she served as a White House correspondent and covered presidential campaigns from Washington. Over more than four decades at The New York Times, she has become one of the nation's most recognizable political commentators and is the author of several bestselling books examining politics, culture and public life.
Rove is one of the Republican Party's best-known political strategists, having served as Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2007. Often credited as the chief strategist behind Bush's successful presidential campaigns, he continues to write and comment on American politics as a columnist for The Wall Street Journal starting in 2007 and as an author and political analyst.
Together, Dowd and Rove will bring decades of experience from journalism, government and national politics to a conversation exploring the current political landscape, the role of the media and the challenges and opportunities facing American democracy.
As a CBS 60 Minutes correspondent, Whitaker has reported stories from across the world on a wide range of issues. His investigation into the origins of the opioid crisis won more awards than any other 60 Minutes work, among them the DuPont Columbia University award, the Peabody, an Emmy and an RTDNA Murrow award. Whitaker has spoken on campus on a number of occasions, including the 1997 and 2008 Commencement ceremonies. In 1997, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters for his service to HWS.
Since its founding in 2022, the Stern Family Forum has welcomed distinguished journalists, elected officials and political commentators to Hobart and William Smith, including Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Bret Stephens, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Democratic strategist James Carville, New York Times opinion writer Frank Bruni and conservative communications strategist Lee Carter.
Nominated to the federal bench at age 36, Herbert J. Stern '58, P'03, LL.D. '74 served as judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and as judge of the United States Court for Berlin, where he presided over a hijacking trial in the occupied American Sector of West Berlin. His book about the case, Judgment in Berlin, won the 1974 Freedom Foundation Award and became a film starring Sean Penn and Martin Sheen, who portrayed Stern. A former trial lawyer, Stern prosecuted the mayors of Jersey City, Newark and Atlantic City, N.J. as well as the U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey. He is the author of Diary of a DA: The True Story of the Prosecutor Who Took on the Mob, Fought Corruption, and Won, the multi-volume legal work Trying Cases to Win, and two historical novels Wolf and Sins of the Father. He earned a B.A. in history from Hobart and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School. He was awarded an honorary degree from HWS in 1974 and the Hobart Medal of Excellence in 1990. Stern Hall is named in honor of his generosity.
Samuel A. Stern Esq. ’03 practices law at Stern, Kilcullen and Rufolo LLC, based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He previously worked at Kobre & Kim LLP, as well as in the U.S. Department for Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney and as a state prosecutor both in Florida and New Jersey. In addition to his experience as a trial lawyer, Stern is an accomplished teacher of cross-examination techniques and serves as a member of the faculty at the University of Miami School of Law and at the University of Virginia School of
Law’s Trial Advocacy College. Stern's first book, The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Cross-Examination, explores famous movie court cases through the lens of fundamental principles of cross-examination. A history major at HWS, Stern went on to earn his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. In 2019, he was elected to the HWS Board of Trustees.
Attendees with special needs should contact The Smith Opera House in advance at 315-781-5483 Tues.-Fri. from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. or email boxoffice@thesmith.org.
Questions about the event should be directed to Cathy Williams at HWS, at cwilliams@hws.edu or 315-781-3696.
