GENEVA, NY — The president of Hobart and William Smith Colleges has resigned.
According to a news release from the colleges, Gregory J. Vincent announced to the Board of Trustees that he is "resigning his position of president effective immediately." The move comes less than a month after an anonymous email to several publications accused Vincent of plagiarizing part of his doctorate dissertation at the University of Pennsylvania. Vincent has denied the claims.
“After a great deal of thought and consideration, in the best interests of my family and myself, and for the love of Hobart and William Smith, I have decided to tender my resignation in order to explore new opportunities,” Vincent said in a news release issued Friday.
“This has been a difficult decision because I believe strongly in the value of a Hobart and William Smith education and the trajectory that we have been mapping during the past year," he said in a printed statement. "Given the anonymous allegations leveled against my scholarship, however, and the distraction they have caused, I believe this is the best decision for the Colleges and for me. My primary concern is to avoid any further stress to the campus community. I remain grateful for the partnership of the community and wish the Colleges well.”
Board of Trustees Chairman Thomas S. Bozzuto said the board accepted Vincent's resignation.
Patrick A. McGuire, professor emeritus of economics, will serve as HWS interim president while the colleges conduct a national search for a new leader, Bozzuto said. A longtime faculty member, McGuire has served HWS in a variety of roles for more than 40 years.
Vincent, a 1983 graduate of Hobart, started his tenure as the Geneva-based colleges' president in July. Known as a national expert on civil rights, social justice and campus culture, Vincent came to Geneva after 12 years as a vice-president at the University of Texas at Austin.
Vincent was the 27th president of Hobart College and 16th of William Smith College.
Originally founded as two separate colleges, they are now administered jointly. The students share the same campus, faculty, administration and curriculum.
