Hartwick college

Leslie G. Rude was an outstanding Hartwick College faculty member and administrator. Following his death in 1998, Professor Emeritus Norma Hutman and Marion Rude established the Leslie G. Rude Memorial Lecture Series to reflect his passionate interest in political science and public speaking and his commitment to public life.

The purpose of the Leslie G. Rude Memorial Lecture is to bring a prominent speaker with political expertise to the Hartwick campus each year, to share ideas with students, faculty, and community members about issues pertinent to the current political climate.

Maria Sirois '82 Psy.D. presented "The Authentic Voice, The Authentic Life," for the 2013 Leslie Rude Memorial Lecture. Sirois is an inspirational speaker, licensed psychologist, author and consultant who has worked at the intersection of positive psychology, spirituality, health, and wellness for more than 20 years. She trained at the New England Deaconness Mind/Body Institute and began her clinical career in the pediatric oncology unit at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Her first book, Every Day Counts: Lessons in Love, Faith and Resilience From Children Facing Illness was published in 2006. She currently teaches around the continent on topics that enable us to thrive even in the presence of stress or loss, and has been called a "true teacher" and an "orator of great power and beauty".

Sirois graduated from Hartwick in 1982. She majored in political science, played field hockey, was a John Christopher Hartwick Scholar and was honored to be one of the first young graduates to serve on the Board of Trustees.

Rude Memorial Lecture Presenters
2011: Francis ‘Buck' Rodgers H'82 - "The Essence of Leadership"