HWS Named 2011 Business of the Year!

December 9th, 2011

 

The Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Hobart and William Smith Colleges will be honored as the 2011 Business of the Year at the Chamber's 109th Annual Dinner.

The Business of the Year is the highest honor a business can receive locally. It is awarded annually to one business and will be presented at the Chamber's Annual Dinner on Friday, January 27, 2012. The Annual Dinner is sponsored by The Lyons National Bank.

"Hobart and William Smith Colleges is an undeniable asset to the Geneva community. The contributions of the faculty, staff and students are intricately woven into the Geneva fabric, and Geneva is an infinitely richer place to live and work as a result," stated Kelly Mittiga, Chair of the Geneva Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges are a student-centered learning environment, globally focused, grounded in the values of equity and service, developing citizens who will lead in the 21st century. Originally founded as two separate colleges (Hobart for men in 1822 and William Smith for women in 1908) HWS now functions under a coordinate college system, meaning all students share the same campus, faculty, administration and curriculum, while each college still maintains its own traditions, deans, student government and athletic department.

With more than 200 full-time faculty members, and a comparable number of administrative staff, Hobart and William Smith Colleges are one of the largest employers in the Geneva area. The Colleges also recruit and welcome more than 2,000 students to live in Geneva each year, bringing additional economic benefits to the region. Last year, HWS students, faculty and staff provided more than 139,000 hours of community service in the Geneva area and raised about $112,000 to support local non-profit agencies. In January, The Boys and Girls Club honored HWS as the "Community Partner of the Year."

Nationally, the Colleges have been honored for its commitment to community engagement. In 2010, the Colleges were named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction by the Corporation for National and Community Service. HWS also received the 2010 Community Engagement Classification designation by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

The Colleges dedication to Geneva has been solidified through the Geneva Partnership, an initiative to forge the strongest possible ties with the community and enhance life for all who work, study and live here.  Through this partnership, the Colleges have worked with community members to identify challenges and brainstorm specific ways that they can partner with local residents to overcome obstacles. One significant venture has been the Geneva 2020 plan with the Geneva City School District which seeks to harness the resources of the Colleges and the Geneva community to provide assistance in four key areas identified by GCSD as being critical to the future of Geneva's children: graduation rate, career and college preparedness, literacy, and communications.

The Annual Dinner will be held at Club 86 in Geneva. Tickets to the dinner are $55 for members and $65 for non-members. Varied size corporate tables are also available. Tickets may be purchased by calling the Chamber at 315-789-1776.