New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd and Republican political strategist Karl Rove will discuss politics, media and civil discourse at a free Hobart and William Smith college event in Geneva on Friday, Oct. 2.
The 2026 Stern Family Forum begins at 7 p.m. at the Smith Opera House in downtown Geneva. CBS “60 Minutes” correspondent and HWS trustee Bill Whitaker will moderate the public program.
Organizers said the conversation will examine the political landscape, the state of public discourse and the stakes in the November elections. Dowd and Rove are also expected to discuss how modern politics and the courts interpret a Constitution written for an agrarian society as the country marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed.
The forum was created to bring nationally recognized speakers with differing perspectives into public conversations about consequential and controversial issues. It was founded through support from HWS honorary trustee Herbert J. Stern and trustee Samuel A. Stern.
Speakers bring experience in media and politics
Dowd has written a New York Times column since 1995 and won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for commentary for her coverage of the Clinton presidency. Before joining the newspaper's opinion section, she was a White House correspondent and covered presidential campaigns from Washington.
Over more than four decades at the Times, Dowd has become a prominent commentator on politics and culture. She has also written several books about American politics and public life.
Rove served as a senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2007. He was a chief strategist for Bush's presidential campaigns and has written a Wall Street Journal column since 2007 while working as an author and political analyst.
Whitaker, a 1973 Hobart graduate, has reported internationally for CBS and won three Emmy Awards. His investigation into the origins of the opioid crisis also received a duPont-Columbia Award, a Peabody Award and an RTDNA Edward R. Murrow Award.
HWS awarded Whitaker an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 1997. He has returned to campus several times, including to speak at the 1997 and 2008 commencement ceremonies.
Forum has hosted national political voices
Since the Stern Family Forum began in 2022, its guests have included columnist Bret Stephens, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Democratic strategist James Carville, New York Times opinion writer Frank Bruni and conservative communications strategist Lee Carter.
Herbert Stern, a 1958 Hobart graduate, became a federal judge at age 36 and later served on the U.S. District Court for New Jersey and the United States Court for Berlin. He presided over a hijacking trial in the American sector of occupied West Berlin and wrote “Judgment in Berlin,” which was later adapted into a film.
Before becoming a judge, Herbert Stern served as a federal prosecutor and prosecuted public corruption cases involving the mayors of Jersey City, Newark and Atlantic City. HWS awarded him an honorary degree in 1974 and the Hobart Medal of Excellence in 1990, and Stern Hall bears his name.
Samuel Stern, a 2003 Hobart graduate and HWS trustee, practices law with Stern, Kilcullen and Rufolo. He previously worked as a federal and state prosecutor and teaches trial advocacy and cross-examination.
Admission to the Oct. 2 program is free. Attendees seeking accommodations may contact the Smith Opera House in advance at 315-781-5483 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday or email boxoffice@thesmith.org. Event questions may be directed to Cathy Williams at HWS at 315-781-3696 or cwilliams@hws.edu.
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