Hartwick Institute of Public Service Raises over $100,000 in Year Two of Fundraising Drive

The Hartwick Institute of Public Service has achieved a significant fundraising goal, raising over $100,000 during the second year of a five-year, quarter-million-dollar match challenge made by Hartwick College Trustee Raymond “Larry” Miller ’73. This remarkable feat was made possible thanks to more than 100 individual gifts, many of which came from first-time donors. Miller has pledged to match every dollar the institute raises up to $50,000 each year for five years.

Miller made his investment in the Hartwick Institute of Public Service as a way of honoring his late wife, Judith Day, who was a committed public leader, serving in both local and state government in New Hampshire. He also sees it as an investment in Hartwick’s liberal arts education, which serves as vital preparation for informed citizenship.

The non-partisan Hartwick Institute of Public Service is run by three faculty co-directors, Professors Matt Chick, Laurel Elder and Zachary McKenney, who will use these funds to carry out the mission of the institute, which is to engage young people in democracy, work with local government to strengthen the region and prepare the next generation of public servants.

Since its launch in September 2023, the institute has helped register more than 300 Hartwick students to vote in Oneonta, resulting in Hartwick having its own polling place for the first time in the College’s history. The institute is also using its funds to invest in local news, providing all students with a free digital copy of Oneonta’s local newspaper, The Daily Star, on their phones.

This year, the institute welcomed high-profile speakers to campus, including nationally known pollster John Zogby, three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Mike McIntire ’85, P’13, P’21 and New York’s Lieutenant Governor, Antonio Delgado.

The Hartwick Institute of Public Service has hosted candidate forums for local, county, state and congressional offices, providing students and the community with the opportunity to hear from those vying to represent them. The institute is also working with the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce and SUNY Oneonta to host a mayoral debate this fall.

The institute is now kicking off year three of the match and welcomes all those interested in strengthening our region and our democracy to make a gift and have. Thanks to Miller’s quarter-million dollar matching gift, any amount given will be doubled. Click here to make a gift to support the work of the Hartwick Institute of Public Service.

For more info about the institute, visit the webpage.