The first woman to ever serve as Editor in Chief of TIME magazine is next month’s commencement speaker at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. In recognition of her influential contributions to media and public discourse, the Colleges have announced that Nancy Gibbs will also receive the Elizabeth Blackwell Award at the Commencement exercises.
Gibbs currently serves as the Director of the Shorenstein Center and the Edward R. Murrow Professor of Practice at Harvard Kennedy School. Her teaching and research focus on the evolving media landscape and its impact on democracy and public policy. Gibbs spent more than three decades at TIME, covering presidential campaigns and writing more cover stories than any other journalist in the magazine’s history. A best-selling author and sought-after commentator, she has interviewed five U.S. presidents, world leaders and top industry executives, offering unparalleled insight into the forces shaping our world today.
“We are honored to welcome Nancy Gibbs as our 2025 Commencement speaker and Elizabeth Blackwell Award recipient,” says President Mark D. Gearan. “Her extraordinary career in journalism, public policy and academia embodies the values of critical inquiry, leadership and global engagement that we strive to instill in our students. As a trailblazer in media and a distinguished historian, her insights will undoubtedly inspire our graduates as they embark on their own journeys.”
The HWS Commencement ceremony for the Class of 2025 will begin at 9 a.m. on the Quad. In addition, the HWS Board of Trustees unanimously voted to recognize the achievements of Gibbs and five distinguished community advocates with honorary degrees. Along with Gibbs, Honorary Degree Recipients include:
- Patrisha Blue ’77, director of the Martin Luther King Memorial Choir and a longtime Geneva community leader
- Geoffrey Herd, world-renowned musician and founder of the Geneva Music Festival
- Mary Jane M. Poole P’91, a steadfast supporter of Hobart and William Smith whose engagement and philanthropy has shaped our campus and the lives of HWS students
- Stephen Wyckoff and Janet Wyckoff, dedicated philanthropists with a special focus on Geneva’s children
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