Mark Gearan
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Mark Daniel Gearan (born September 19, 1956) is an American lawyer and the president of
Hobart and William Smith Colleges Hobart and William Smith Colleges is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Geneva, New York. They trace their origins to Geneva Academy established in 1797. Students can choose from ove ...
in
Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...
. He previously served as a director at the
Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics The Institute of Politics (IOP) is an institute of Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University that was created to serve as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy and to inspire Harvard undergraduates to consider careers in politics and p ...
from 1995 to 1999 and as the director of the
Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...
. He is the longest-serving president in the history of HWS, serving from 1999 to 2017 and again since 2022. The HWS Board of Trustees awarded him an honorary degree in 2017 and named him President Emeritus of the Colleges. In 2018, Gearan joined Harvard University as 'President in Residence'. Gearan has served as Chair of the National Campus Compact, the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Annapolis Group of selective liberal arts colleges, and the Talloires Network Steering Committee, an organization of college and university presidents.


Early life and education

Gearan was born in
Gardner, Massachusetts Gardner is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,287 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Gardner is home of such sites as the Blue Moon D ...
, and graduated from
Gardner High School Gardner High School is a public high school in Gardner, Massachusetts. History Gardner High School was established in 1872, with the first graduating class being the Class of 1876. In 1897, a school building was designed by the architecture fir ...
in 1974. Gearan earned his A.B. in government ''
cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
'' at
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
in 1978 and his J.D. degree from the
Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...
in 1991."Political Theorist, Veteran Journalist, World War II Ace, Peace Corps Director, and more to Speak at Yale this Week."
Yale News Release. April 19, 1996.
At Harvard, he was the college roommate of future lawyer and conservative talk show host
Hugh Hewitt Hugh Hewitt (born February 22, 1956) is an American conservative political commentator, radio talk show host with the Salem Radio Network, attorney, academic, and author. He writes about law, society, politics, and media bias in the United States ...
. His cousin is Anne Gearan, a political correspondent at ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
''.


Career in politics and government

Gearan's early interest in politics began when he helped distribute leaflets in Jesuit priest Robert F. Drinan's campaign for Congress on a strong anti-Vietnam War platform in 1970. While an undergraduate at Harvard, Gearan interned in Drinan's Washington office and worked on Drinan's re-election campaign in 1978. It was there that Gearan met his future wife, Mary Herlihy, a fellow staffer in Drinan's office. Gearan worked as a newspaper reporter for the
Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fitchburg State University is located here. History ...
, ''
Sentinel & Enterprise The ''Sentinel & Enterprise'' is a morning daily newspaper published in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, with a satellite news bureau in Leominster, Massachusetts. The newspaper covers local news in Fitchburg, Leominster and several nearby towns in nor ...
'' for one year. After leaving the newspaper, Gearan was chief of staff for U.S. Representative
Berkley Bedell Berkley Warren Bedell (March 5, 1921 – December 7, 2019) was an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician and businessman who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Iowa's 6th ...
of Iowa for three years. In 1983, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis appointed Gearan Director of Federal-State Relations for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a post he held until 1988, when Gearan joined Dukakis' campaign for the Presidency.


1988 Presidential campaign

When Dukakis ran for the presidency in 1988, Gearan originally had the job of managing Dukakis' campaign during the crucial Iowa caucuses. When
Gary Hart Gary Warren Hart (''né'' Hartpence; born November 28, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and lawyer. He was the front-runner for the 1984 and 1988 Democratic presidential nominations, until in 1988, he dropped out amid revelations of ex ...
dropped out, the Dukakis campaign replaced Gearan with Hart's Iowa coordinator and sent Gearan back to Boston to be the campaign's national headquarters Press Secretary. Gearan accepted it. When Bush announced on August 17, 1988, that he was selecting Dan Quayle as his running mate after previously saying he planned to keep his choice secret until later during the convention, Gearan stated, "We learned something about George Bush today. He can't keep a secret," and "he can't stand up to the pressure of the right wing." Gearan added that Bush had falsely accused Dukakis of opposing the
Stealth bomber Stealth aircraft are designed to avoid detection using a variety of technologies that reduce reflection/emission of radar, infrared, visible light, radio frequency (RF) spectrum, and audio, collectively known as stealth technology. The F-117 N ...
and the D-5, a nuclear missile used on the Trident submarine. After the election, Gearan said that one of the mistakes Dukakis made after winning the Democratic nomination was not re-introducing himself to the American people. "One of the big mistakes we made in 1988 was we assumed people knew who Michael Dukakis was," said Gearan. After Dukakis' defeat, Mr. Gearan returned to run the Massachusetts Office of Federal Relations until 1989. Gearan was executive director of the
Democratic Governors Association The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) is a Washington, D.C.–based 527 organization founded in 1983, consisting of U.S. state and territorial List of current United States governors, governors affiliated with the Democratic Party (United St ...
from 1989 to 1992. As executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, Gearan offered George Bush a slogan for his 1992 re-election campaign with a double-entendre: "Bush in '92. You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet."


1992 Presidential campaign

In 1991, Gearan was offered the job of Clinton's campaign communications chief while Clinton was seeking the Democratic nomination for president. Gearan was unable to accept because his wife was in a difficult pregnancy that confined her to bed for much of the time. When Clinton was accused of extramarital affairs and draft dodging, Gearan flew to New Hampshire to try to salvage Clinton's candidacy. After Clinton won the nomination, Gearan became
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
's campaign manager during his run for the vice presidency. Gearan was named deputy director of the Clinton/Gore Transition Team in 1992, in charge of Washington operations for Transition Director
Warren Christopher Warren Minor Christopher (October 27, 1925March 18, 2011) was an American attorney, diplomat and statesman who served as the 63rd United States secretary of state from 1993 to 1997. Born in Scranton, North Dakota, Christopher clerked for Supre ...
.''New York Times''. "No Headlines." January 3, 1993.


Clinton Administration

During the
Clinton Administration Bill Clinton's tenure as the 42nd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1993, and ended on January 20, 2001. Clinton, a Democrat from Arkansas, took office following his victory over Republican in ...
, Gearan served in several roles. He began as the
White House Deputy Chief of Staff The White House Deputy Chief of Staff is officially the top aide to the White House Chief of Staff, White House chief of staff, who is the senior aide to the president of the United States. The deputy chief of staff usually has an office in the Wh ...
. He was then promoted to
Assistant to the President The Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP) comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president at the center of the executive branch of the United States federal government. The office consists o ...
of the United States and Director of Communications and Strategic Planning. Gearan traveled extensively with the president on overseas trips to Russia, Japan, the Middle East, Germany, Italy, and Ireland.Turner Learning. "Mark D. Gearan"
.
Gearan helped shepherd Supreme Court Justice
Stephen Breyer Stephen Gerald Breyer ( ; born August 15, 1938) is an American lawyer and retired jurist who served as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1994 until his retirement in 2022. He was nominated by President Bill Clinton, and r ...
through his confirmation hearings in 1994.


Peace Corps

On June 22, 1995, President Clinton announced his nomination of Gearan to head the Peace Corps.


Controversy over nomination

There was some controversy over Gearan's appointment as Peace Corps Director since he had not served in the Peace Corps himself and was succeeding Carol Bellamy, who was the first Peace Corps Director to have served as a volunteer. The National Peace Corps Association (NPCA), an organization made up of returned volunteers, had urged President Clinton to appoint a former volunteer to the position rather than Gearan. However, Gearan was supported by other returned volunteers, including
Donna Shalala Donna Edna Shalala ( ; born February 14, 1941) is an American politician and academic who served in the Carter and Clinton administrations, as well as in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. Shalala is a recipient of the Preside ...
, Clinton of
Secretary of Health and Human Services The United States secretary of health and human services is the head of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all health matters. The secretary is ...
, who had served in the Peace Corps in Iran and who addressed the NPCA at their annual meeting on August 4, 1995, in Austin, Texas.


Director

Gearan was confirmed by the United States Senate and sworn in as the 14th Director of the Peace Corps in September 1995. He was director of the
Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an Independent agency of the U.S. government, independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to communities in partner countries around the world. It was established in Marc ...
from 1995 to 1999. During Gearan's tenure as Peace Corps Director, the Peace Corps opened programs in South Africa, Jordan, Mozambique, and Bangladesh and returned its volunteers to Haiti after a five-year absence. On June 29, 1998, the United States and China formalized the Peace Corps program in China, signing an agreement that established a formal framework for a Peace Corps program in China. Twenty-one volunteers arrived to begin their assignments in
Sichuan Province Sichuan is a Provinces of China, province in Southwestern China, occupying the Sichuan Basin and Tibetan Plateau—between the Jinsha River to the west, the Daba Mountains to the north, and the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau to the south. Its capita ...
, where the Peace Corps has operated since 1993. President Clinton, in China for a state visit, said, "This agreement represents an important step forward in building the bonds of friendship between the American and Chinese people. As in the other 80 countries where they work, Peace Corps Volunteers in China reflect the finest traditions of Americans' idealism and pragmatic approach to assisting others."


Crisis Corps

Gearan's initiatives the Crisis Corps would later send former Peace Corps volunteers into crisis areas for six months or less to help during emergencies. However, Gearan later stated that he regretted that he had not moved faster in creating the corps. On January 3, 1998, President Clinton proposed to expand the Peace Corps from about 6,500 volunteers to 10,000 volunteers by the year 2000. "President Clinton's initiative to put the Peace Corps on the path to have 10,000 volunteers serving overseas by the year 2000 is one of the most important developments in the history of the Peace Corps," Gearan said. "The President's initiative would result in a 50 percent increase in the number of Peace Corps volunteers. This is a strong affirmation of the contributions of 6,500 volunteers currently serving in 85 countries, as well as the work of more than 150,000 Americans who have joined the Peace Corps since 1961." However, the initiative failed to gain political traction or substantially increased funding in Congress and by the end of Clinton's term in office, the number of volunteers had made it to about 7,100.


College 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 Hobart and William Smith Colleges is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Geneva, New York. They trace their origins to Geneva Academy established in 1797. Students can choose from ove ...
in
Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...
."Statement by the President."
The White House. June 1, 1999.
"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. 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.


President's Forum

Gearan established a lecture series, the President's Forum, to bring international speakers to the university."President's Forum."
Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Making use of personal contacts made during his thirty years in politics, speakers in the series have included
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
,
Robert Drinan Robert Frederick Drinan (November 15, 1920 – January 28, 2007) was an American Jesuit priest, lawyer, activist, and Democratic U.S. Representative from Massachusetts. He left office in 1981 to obey Pope John Paul II's prohibition on priests h ...
,
Sam Donaldson Samuel Andrew Donaldson Jr. (born March 11, 1934) is a retired television reporter, and also news anchor. He broadcast with ABC News from 1967 to 2009. He was well known as the White House Correspondent (1977–1989 and 1998–99) with a boomin ...
,
Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American lawyer and political activist involved in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. He is a Perennial candidate, perennial presidential candidate. His 1965 book '' ...
,
Donna Shalala Donna Edna Shalala ( ; born February 14, 1941) is an American politician and academic who served in the Carter and Clinton administrations, as well as in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021. Shalala is a recipient of the Preside ...
,
Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis ( ; born November 3, 1933) is an American politician and lawyer who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history and only the s ...
,
George Stephanopoulos George Robert Stephanopoulos (born February 10, 1961) is an American television host, political commentator, and former Democratic advisor. Stephanopoulos currently is a news presenter, coanchor with Robin Roberts (newscaster), Robin Roberts and M ...
,
Barney Frank Barnett Frank (born March 31, 1940) is a retired American politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Frank served as chairman of th ...
,
George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American politician, diplomat, and historian who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, and the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...
, Gloria Steinem, and
Helen Thomas Helen Amelia Thomas (August 4, 1920 – July 20, 2013) was an American reporter and author, and a long-serving member of the White House press corps. She covered the White House during the administrations of ten U.S. presidents—from th ...
.


Projects

During Gearan's tenure, more than 80 capital projects were completed, including the construction of six new buildings namely the Bozzuto Boathouse (2003), Stern Hall (2003), Caird Hall (2005), de Cordova Hall (2005), The Katherine D. Elliott Studio Arts Center (2006), and the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts (2016). In January 2016, the Colleges celebrated the grand opening of the Gearan Center, a 65,000-square-foot facility. The board of trustees unanimously voted to name the building in honor of Mark D. and Mary Herlihy Gearan. At the close of his first year at Hobart and William Smith, Gearan began the development of a five-year planning initiative called HWS 2005. He subsequently led the next two phases, HWS 2010 and HWS 2015, as well as Campaign for the Colleges, which raised more than $205 million to support facilities, endowment, and annual giving.


''New York Times'' sexual assault story

A July 13, 2014, ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' article detailed a case in which a Hobart and William Smith freshman reported a sexual assault by three students two weeks into her first year. Within two weeks, the college's investigation cleared the two men accused, despite medical evidence and a corroborating witness to one of the incidents and discrepancies in the alleged perpetrators' accounts of the evening. The story also alleged the members of the disciplinary panel that heard the case were uninformed about sexual assault and frequently changed the subject rather than hear the victim's account of events. Gearan issued a response on July 13, 2014, stating that "even though we believe we handled the circumstances fairly and within the constraints of the law, and that we made decisions based on the evidence, there is no sense of satisfaction other than the knowledge that we treated everyone with compassion, kindness and respect." He went on to state that "HWS officials met with the Times reporter for two lengthy interviews and answered numerous questions via e-mail and phone, all in an effort to fully explain our approach and philosophy regarding sexual assault cases" and stated that "information that was provided to the Times reporter aslargely missing from the article" and that transcripts of the hearings "were quoted out of context". On July 16, 2014, he issued a second response, stating that "A group of faculty, staff, students and alums are working on a thorough review of our processes for sexual misconduct cases".


Other activities and honors

Gearan is the recipient of 12 honorary degrees. Gearan serves on the boards of the
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) located in Washington D.C. It is an organization of private American colleges and universities. Founded in 1976, it is made up of over 1,000 indepe ...
, the
Points of Light Foundation Points of Light is an international nonprofit, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Georgia, United States dedicated to engaging more people and resources in solving serious social problems through voluntary service. Each year, Points ...
, the
Annapolis Group The Annapolis Group (officially, the Annapolis Group of Liberal Arts Colleges) is an American organization of independent liberal arts colleges. It represents approximately 130 liberal arts colleges in the United States. These colleges work toge ...
, the
Corporation for National and Community Service AmeriCorps ( ; officially the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS) is an independent agency of the United States government that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipended volunteer wor ...
, and The Partnership of Public Service. On April 28, 2003, the ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' reported that Gearan's re-appointment to the board of the
Corporation for National and Community Service AmeriCorps ( ; officially the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS) is an independent agency of the United States government that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipended volunteer wor ...
had been kicked back by the Bush White House. On November 23, 2004, Gearan was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the board of the
Corporation for National and Community Service AmeriCorps ( ; officially the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS) is an independent agency of the United States government that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipended volunteer wor ...
. On November 30, 2007, the ''Rochester Democrat and Chronicle'' reported that Gearan was confirmed on November 16 to another three-year term on the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service. An article by the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...
on September 17, 2004, said that in the event of a Kerry win in the 2004 campaign for the presidency, Gearan would be a possible nominee for the post of Secretary of the Interior.


References


External links


Biography from Hobart & William Smith Colleges Site
* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Gearan, Mark 1956 births Presidents of Hobart and William Smith Colleges Georgetown University Law Center alumni Harvard College alumni Living people Massachusetts Democrats Peace Corps directors People from Gardner, Massachusetts Politicians from Geneva, New York White House deputy chiefs of staff White House communications directors Clinton administration personnel Members of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service