Hobart and William Smith Colleges will welcome one of higher education’s most prominent international leaders to Geneva this weekend as Dame Louise Richardson delivers the commencement address for the Class of 2026.
Richardson, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York and former vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford, will speak during Sunday’s commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. She will also receive an honorary degree and the Elizabeth Blackwell Award, which recognizes women whose work has expanded opportunities for others through leadership and service.
College officials said Richardson was selected for her leadership in higher education and internationally recognized scholarship on terrorism and foreign policy. Before joining Carnegie Corporation in 2023, she became the first woman to lead Oxford University and previously served as principal and vice-chancellor at the University of St Andrews.
HWS President Mark Gearan said Richardson’s career reflects the type of thoughtful leadership and service the colleges hope graduates will pursue after leaving Geneva.
Richardson is also known for her academic work on terrorism and counterterrorism, authoring several books including “What Terrorists Want: Understanding the Enemy, Containing the Threat.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, she helped broker Oxford’s partnership with AstraZeneca to develop and distribute the university’s coronavirus vaccine globally without profit to participating countries.
The colleges will also award honorary degrees to longtime Geneva community advocate Lillian Elizabeth Williams Collins, Our Lady of Peace Parish pastor Father Thomas P. Mull and retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John “Jack” L. Woodward Jr., a 1968 Hobart graduate.
Collins was recognized for decades of work supporting students and community organizations in Geneva, while Mull was honored for nearly 50 years of priesthood and service throughout the Rochester Diocese. Woodward was recognized for a 35-year military career that included senior leadership roles overseeing Air Force communications and information systems.
The commencement ceremony will be held Sunday morning on the HWS campus in Geneva.
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