Gearan 2.0

Yesterday, the Finger Lakes Times reported that Mark Gearan, former president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges (1999-2017), will return to succeed President Joyce Jacobsen, who "resigned" on Monday, July 25th to become a faculty member in the Economics department. Having gone through the "reassignment" process myself, I can empathize with President Jacobsen. This was a decision foisted on her by the Board of Trustees who think we are credulous enough to swallow wholeheartedly the "she resigned" spiel they are spoon-feeding us. She was "resigned" to the position of faculty member. I doubt this was entirely her own decision. 

There have been rumors about the state of the Colleges and the appointment of Mr. Gearan makes sense. He is adept at fostering strong relations with the community (a building and a street were named after him), he excels at fundraising and he can hobnob with the best of them, having enticed former President Bill Clinton to visit the campus years ago. Although it has only been five years since he left the campus, Gearan will find that the landscape has changed. Using Finger Lakes vernacular, the Colleges are like a sailboat that has become rudderless amidst the changing political winds. It appears that Hobart and William Smith Colleges does not know what direction to take. Gearan built up the administration at the Colleges, but will he now do the same for academics? 

More importantly, Gearan is going to have to be very proactive in repairing the relationship with the community of Geneva. Two Hobart and William Smith professors, Jody Dean and Hannah Dickinson have assumed antagonistic roles within the community. Dean openly called for the burning down of all police departments while Dickinson has been very vocal in her support of an inflammatory Geneva City Council member. Dean is no stranger to controversy. She made an appearance in Kurt Anderson's book Fantasyland in which the author chastises her for her promotion of a fantasy industrial complex. Dean, especially, has antagonized the community and one of the first things Gearan will have to do is to remind her of her obligation to teach students, conduct research and form part of the Geneva community. 

New York Times columnist Bret Stephens spoke at HWS in April 2022

Many small colleges these days are struggling with enrollment and Gearan will find this to be at the top of his list of priorities. It has been said that HWS has seen a drastic decrease in the number of applicants and Jacobsen herself, when we spoke to her last summer, acknowledged the severity of the issue. 

It would be devastating to see Hobart and William Smith Colleges close down. I doubt that would happen, but Mark Gearan would only be returning if the situation at the Colleges is much more dire than has been let on. 

In the three years that Jacobsen was at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, she never seemed to make an effort to become acquainted with the community and it was not clear what exactly her academic vision for the Colleges was.  Mark Gearan has a track record of success at the Colleges and established and maintained cordial if not solid relationships with the community of Geneva. He has a very tall order in front of him, but I believe he is the person that Hobart and William Smith Colleges need right now.