For more information, please contact: Cathy Williams cwilliams@hws.edu Director of Communications 315-781-3696 Website: http://www.hws.edu Since Hobart’s founding in 1822 and William Smith’s founding in 1908, Hobart and William Smith Colleges have stayed true to the mission of providing a student-centered, residential learning environment, globally focused, and grounded in the values of equity and service. Located on 188 acres on the shore of Seneca Lake in a setting of incomparable beauty, Hobart and William Smith Colleges enjoy a rich heritage based on a two-college coordinate system now unique in higher education. As an institution of higher education, we are dedicated to educating young men and women to lead lives of consequence. In all our work, the Colleges are bolstered by the dedication and philanthropy of loyal alumni, alumnae, parents, faculty, staff, students and friends. Through a challenging interdisciplinary, liberal arts curriculum, the Colleges prepare students to think critically and make astute connections. In partnership with the Geneva and global communities and through robust programs in career development, study abroad, service, leadership and athletics, the Colleges foster an environment that values global citizenship, teamwork, ethics, inclusive excellence, social justice, and cultural competence. The Colleges offer three degrees – Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching. The Master of Arts is designed exclusively for HWS graduates enrolled in the Teacher Education Program. Our student body includes 2,025 undergraduate students and eight graduate students. We have 178 full-time faculty members and a student-faculty ratio of 11:1. The average class size is 17 students. Nearly 60 percent of HWS students study abroad on six continents and we rank in the top 15 nationally among liberal arts colleges for the percentage of students participating in off-campus study. With nearly every student taking part in community service projects, the Colleges have been named in Colleges with a Conscience: An Engaged Student’s Guide to College. In 2007, President Mark D. Gearan signed the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, making HWS a charter member of a national effort to reduce emissions of the gases responsible for global warming. The Colleges have nearly 20,000 alumni and alumnae with distinguished careers around the globe. Since 2004, our students have been awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, Gates Cambridge Scholarship, eight Fulbrights and two Morris K. Udall Scholarships. Recent graduates are teaching English in Japan, working for NGOs, and have accepted assignments in the Peace Corps and Teach for America. Others are working on Wall Street, Capitol Hill, or attending prestigious graduate and professional schools. Through two strategic planning initiatives instituted by President Gearan, the Colleges have benefited from a clear road map to achieve academic excellence, intensify student engagement, advance financial stability and expand access. The HWS Board of Trustees is currently planning the third multiyear strategic plan.