Hobart and William Smith Colleges

April 15, 2024

Dear Colleagues and Students,

It became clear over the weekend that it would be helpful to provide the community with a more expansive explanation of the actions taken last week.

Let me be clear: Professor Dean has the right to express her views just as President Gearan has the right to find those views reprehensible and to condemn them. It is also true that Hobart and William Smith has the obligation under federal anti-discrimination laws, including Title VI, to investigate and take prompt action where the possibility exists that there is a hostile environment based on national origin, shared ancestry, or other protected classes that may interfere with a student’s ability to learn and enjoy the benefits of an education.

In the Department of Education’s Dear Colleague letter last November, the Biden Administration was very clear that colleges and universities must act swiftly to investigate when they know or should know of a hostile environment based on national origin and take prompt actions to address the situation.

I want to assure you that Academic Freedom is one of our core values, as is the obligation to create an environment where all of our students can thrive. We are committed to a fair and expeditious process to vet all of these issues.

As HWS investigates, the institution has taken an interim step and relieved Professor Dean of her teaching duties for the remainder of the semester. She is continuing to be paid and the Colleges have not limited Professor Dean’s ability to continue her scholarship, publishing and writing or to speak her mind.

Sincerely,