University President
On June 1, 1999, President Clinton announced that Gearan would be leaving the administration to accept the position of President of Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. "One of the best personnel decisions I have made as President was to appoint Mark Gearan as the Director of the Peace Corps," Clinton said. "I believe he has been one of the most successful Directors since President Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961. He has rejuvenated the Peace Corps, and demonstrated a deep commitment to its legacy of service and the women and men who serve as Peace Corps volunteers. He can be proud that the Peace Corps will soon have more volunteers serving overseas than at any time in a generation."
Gearan explained why he left government to come to Hobart and William Smith. "College administration generally and, in particular, small, residential, liberal arts colleges have always been things I thought I would like to be a part of, because of their importance, because they are mission-oriented, because they are value-centered," Gearan said. "I came up here and was enormously impressed with the students and their capacity and their love for the place and their yearning for learning," Gearan added. As President of Hobart and William Smith, Gearan began the development of a five-year strategic planning initiative and a $160 million capital campaign to greatly expanding the Colleges’ facilities for academic, athletic and residential life.
Gearan established a lecture series, the President’s Forum, to bring national and international speakers to the University. Making use of personal contacts made during his thirty years in politics, speakers in the series have included Hillary Rodham Clinton, Robert Drinan, Sam Donaldson, Ralph Nader, Donna Shalala, Michael Dukakis, George Stephanopoulos, Barney Frank, George McGovern, and Helen Thomas. "These speakers will enrich the campus life, while at the same time giving our visiting speakers a better sense of the dynamic community we have here," said Gearan, at the time of the series' creation.
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