Hobart and William Smith Colleges

February 7, 2025

Dear Members of the HWS Community,

Since the beginning of the semester and political changes in Washington, I have had numerous conversations with students, faculty, staff and alumni as we learn more about the plans of the new Administration and the work of the new Congress. Having served in staff roles in the White House and Congress, I am familiar with the inevitable reassessment that typically marks the post-election and transition period. But the current volume of Executive Orders and announcements understandably presents members of our community with a range of reactions, concerns and questions. 

I want to commend the thoughtful letter to the community last week authored by Chevy DeVaney, Becca Barile and Nita Byrd, in which they reaffirmed the Colleges' commitment to our values and to supporting all members of the community through multiple available resources. This is a time of uncertainty and one in which definitive answers to hypothetical questions cannot be answered with any confidence. But we can continue to definitively live our values with confidence, and I thank Chevy, Becca and Nita for doing so. 

As we closely follow the changes, our Senior Staff is carefully studying where shifts to federal regulations or policies may affect Hobart and William Smith. We benefit from being able to tap into a national network of colleagues as well as professional organizations and higher education partners at the regional, state and national levels. As a sector, our collective voice and perspective will be of tremendous importance in the months ahead and we are actively engaging with these resources.

We will keep the campus community apprised as we continue to assess and monitor the impact of various developments. To that end and in response to some of the questions and concerns expressed, I would like to share the following background information:

• Provost Kirk has been in communication with faculty regarding federal funding and grants while Vice President and General Counsel Lou Guard and Director of Sponsored Research Tania Johnson are monitoring related litigation. New York is among the states covered by a temporary restraining order issued by the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island temporarily halting the application of this policy to New York. A second court has also issued a stay.
• Certain proposed policies and actions have impacted research and publicly available data nationwide. Librarian Chuck Vesei and his team have been monitoring these developments. Warren Hunting Smith Library has a longstanding policy, posted on our website, affirming intellectual freedom and privacy. Library staff follow the guiding principles established by the Association of College & Research Libraries in interpreting the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights for academic libraries.
• While our campus is porous, it has always been the case that not all areas are open to the public. Specific examples include private offices, classrooms and residence halls. If you are approached by anyone purporting to serve legal documents such as a subpoena or warrant, there are only two individuals on campus permitted to review and accept service of these documents: Vice President and General Counsel Lou Guard and Associate Vice President for Campus Safety Marty Corbett. If you are approached by someone seeking to gain access to a private space, purporting to serve legal papers, or requesting information about any member of our community, please immediately reach out to Lou or Marty.
• Offices across campus are available to support students who may be personally or directly impacted and have been doing so. I am grateful to many campus colleagues including those in Campus Life, the Office for International Student Success, Spiritual Engagement, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Counseling Center, the LGBTQ+ Resource Center, and many others.

With an institutional mission to prepare students to lead lives of consequence and with our aspiration to do so in a relationship-rich environment, we reaffirm our values and community standards. From conversations I have had with students and members of the community in the past few weeks, I take this opportunity to remind us all of the importance of empathic understanding during these times. We are privileged to live in a small, residential community with various perspectives and strongly held beliefs. But all of us must evidence our humanity and our kindness toward others across any spectrum of difference and live out a commitment to respect and belonging for all. That is what can make this special place even more special, more just and more distinctive.

Sincerely,

Mark D. Gearan
President