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Five recipients received honorary degrees at Hobart & William Smith’s 2011 commencement ceremony

New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) Director Thomas Burr and his predecessor, James Hunter, were awarded honorary degrees at Hobart and William Smith Colleges during commencement ceremonies in Geneva on May 15.

Professor Hunter served as chair of the Department of Plant Pathology in 1972 before becoming associate director and then director of NYSAES, a position he held for 13 years.

Professor Burr joined the Cornell faculty in 1977, chaired the Department of Plant Pathology from 2001 to 2005, and currently serves as NYSAES director and CALS associate dean.

Both Burr and Hunter noted that the academic honors call welcome attention to the strong, 40-year relationship between the two Geneva institutions.

“The partnership broadens the undergraduate experience at Hobart & William Smith, but also enhances the professional experience of Cornell faculty and staff, who relish the opportunity to encourage young people in their scientific pursuits,” Hunter said.

They also acknowledged the leadership of HWS faculty member Thomas Glover for making the student program such a success.

“The agreement melds the institutions together in ways that are often subtle, but always helpful,” Glover said. “Open-ended research is so different from classroom labs. It’s a really great experience. Students can end up doing some very sophisticated work, much of which becomes published in scientific journals.”

In 2007, the two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding to formalize the undergraduate research program at NYSAES.  More than 100 HWS students have had placements at NYSAES. Five more will work with Cornell faculty in entomology, plant pathology and horticulture this summer.

James Hunter and Tom Burr are hooded during the Hobart & WIlliam Smith Commencement