 Meanwhile, president of Hobart College, Langdon C. Stewardson learned of his interest and tried to persuade Smith to become a donor to the financially struggling college.Unable to convince Smith to provide direct assistance to Hobart, Stewardson redirected the negotiations toward founding a coordinate institution for women, a plan that appealed to the philanthropist.On December 13, 1906, he formalized his intentions; two years later William Smith School for Women - a coordinate, nonsectarian women's college - enrolled its first class of 18 students.