The Leslie G. Rude Memorial Lecture
Leslie G. Rude was an outstanding Hartwick College faculty member and administrator. Following his death in 1998, Professor Emerita 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.
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The Leslie G. Rude Memorial Lecture features a prominent speaker with expertise to share ideas with students, faculty, and community members about issues pertinent to the current political climate.
2025 Leslie G. Rude Memorial Lecture
New York’s Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado
“Public Service in New York”
Tuesday, March 11
5-6 p.m.
Anderson Theatre
Lt. Governor Delgado spoke about his work inspiring and supporting a new generation of public servants in NY.
Lt. Governor Delgado
Lt. Governor Delgado was born and raised in Schenectady, New York. A member of the Upstate NY Basketball Hall of Fame, Mr. Delgado attended Colgate University, where he continued his basketball career. While at Colgate, Mr. Delgado earned a Rhodes Scholarship, and then went on to study Philosophy and Political theory at Oxford University.
When he returned home, Mr. Delgado earned a law degree from Harvard Law School. After law school, and prior to serving as Lt. Governor, Mr. Delgado had a diverse professional career, from performing as a Hip Hop artist, to practicing complex commercial law, to eventually becoming a Member of Congress.
Elected in 2018, Mr. Delgado represented NY’s 19th Congressional District in Upstate NY – becoming the first person of color to represent Upstate NY in Congress. Lt. Governor Delgado was frequently recognized as one of the most active and bi-partisan representatives. During his time in congress, 18 of his bills were signed into law.
Mr. Delgado was appointed in May of 2022 to serve as Lt. Governor and was elected to a full term in November of 2022. As Lieutenant Governor, he serves as chair of the Hate and Bias Prevention Unit, Council on Community Justice, the Regional Economic Development Council, and is proud to lead the first-ever New York State Office of Service and Civic Engagement.
Lt. Governor Delgado has visited Hartwick on several occasions to speak with students about public service.
These events have been part of the work of the Hartwick College Institute of Public Service to educate the next generation of public servants.
Past Lectures Include:
- Mike Mike McIntire ’85, P’13, P’21, “Investigative Journalism and Democracy”
- Zoe Oxley, “This One’s for the Boys: How Gendered Political Socialization Limits Girls’ Political Ambition and Interest”
- Caitlin (Dwyer) Jewitt ’06, Ph.D., “Primary Rules and the 2020 Presidential Nomination”
- Charles S. Crow ’72, J.D., “Justice, Philanthropy, and Luck: Fighting to Free “The Convicted Innocent”
- Michael Young ’83, “Mid-Century Resilience in the Face of Climate Extremes and Population Growth: How Lessons From the Lone Star State Can Benefit the Nation”
- James L. Seward ’73, H’99, “Politics, Protests and PR: Public service in the age of fake news, alt-left vs. alt-right, and Twitter wars”
- Mark Green, “The New Progressive Majority vs. The Fringe Fourth: Dems and Trends”
- Kira Sanbonmatsu, “More Women Can Run”
- John Zogby, “The First Globals and the Changing Demographics of America”
- Maria Sirois ’82, “The Authentic Voice, The Authentic Life”
- Francis ‘Buck’ Rodgers H’82, “The Essence of Leadership”
Questions?
For more information, contact Professor of Political Science, Laurel Elder, [email protected].