Centennial Center for Leadership
2013-2014 Annual Report
Letter From The Staff
I
t is 4:30 p.m. on a Monday during the spring semester. Downstairs in the seminar classroom, Hobart and William Smith students in the HWS Leads certificate program are finishing up a session in their Leadership Theory I class. Outside in the front entry room, students on the CCL advisory board gather and wait for their meeting to start. Soon, student finalists in this year’s The Pitch contest will arrive for their pitch practice session with the CCL staff. Upstairs, a student preps for her interview with a Leadership Café guest. It is a typically busy day at 603 South Main Street. The Centennial Center for Leadership continues to be a rapidly growing office at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Early initiators wanted the office to offer opportunities designed to foster leadership within HWS students and the surrounding community. “Since William Smith College began and Hobart and William Smith became coordinate Colleges, our alumni and alumnae have pioneered in everything from English to economics to history,” said HWS Trustee Cynthia Fish ’82, during the building’s dedication in November 2008. “Now, as we cut the ribbon on the Centennial Center, we will become leaders among leadership programs across the United States.” Since that time, the CCL has evolved into a dual center with a compelling future. First, it provides leadership development for student leaders. Second, it engages in the study of leaders and leadership. Grown out of the interests of HWS students, the
CCL continues to expand its focus into entrepreneurial leadership, community leadership and global leadership with strong support and intentional progress. Moving forward, these distinct but intersecting specialty areas will guide our work as we remain steadfast that today’s leaders must be capable of innovative problem-solving in local and global communities. It’s been a wonderful year. We welcomed 43 new students into our HWS Leads certificate program. We worked with more than 85 HWS and Geneva High School students at January’s Leadership Institute. We provided leadership development for more than 30 second graders from Geneva’s West Street School within the Youth Leadership College program. We named another The Pitch winner. We funded our first global leadership fellow. As we take a look back over the year, we’d like to thank our generous donors, supporters, colleagues and friends who have helped us meet our 2013-2014 goals. We celebrate these milestones with you. Sincerely, Centennial Center for Leadership Susan M. Pliner, Associate Dean, Director Amy Forbes, Associate Director Kaylyn O’Brien ’12, Coordinator of Leadership Programs Solomé Rose, Global and Community Leadership Fellow