Dr. Gregory Vincent officially assumed his duties as president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges Monday. I spoke with President Vincent in his office yesterday. As is often the case in a radio interview, I asked him to give me his name and his title at the beginning of the recording. I could not help but ask how it felt to introduce himself as the 27th president of Hobart College and 16th president of William Smith College.
President Gearan’s photos and mementos have been removed from the walls and the shelves of the office, leaving the room a bit bare at the moment. Most of President Vincent’s personal items have not yet arrived from Texas. And, he’s been out of the office a great deal. One of his first meetings Monday was off campus with a visit to Geneva’s City Hall. That pleased City Manager Matt Horn.
President Vincent returned to campus for a lunchtime barbecue for the few faculty, staff, and students who are on campus over the summer. He took the opportunity to introduce his family, to thank everybody for their welcome, and to talk a bit about his vision for the Colleges.
Back in his office, I asked President Vincent to expand on those remarks.
The majority of Hobart and William Smith students are away over the summer, so President Vincent spent part of Monday afternoon with a visit to another group of young people at the Geneva Boys and Girls Club. He spoke about the importance of mentors and he brought a mentor of his own, Ed Wright, who was one of his basketball coaches when he was a student athlete at Hobart.
New student orientation is a little over a month away at the Colleges. President Vincent is looking forward to welcoming all of the students back to campus.
You can hear more from Hobart and William Smith Colleges President Gregory Vincent when he is our guest today from Noon to 1 on Connections with Evan Dawson.
