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Hamilton Announces Spring Common Ground Speaker Series

As part of its continuing Common Ground speaker series, Hamilton will present three programs this semester that address significant issues in the news and in our daily conversations. All programs are free and open to the public.

The January and February events will take place in the College Chapel at 7 p.m., and the March 12 Common Ground program will take place in Wellin Hall at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 29

Affirmative Action Panel
Julie Park, University of Maryland; Richard Banks, Stanford Law School; Genevieve Bonadies Torres, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights; Jason Riley, The Wall Street Journal; moderator Julie Vultaggio, Harvard University
Panel discussion: “Affirmative Action: Support, Critiques, and What’s Lost in the Discussion”
Chapel, 7 p.m. 
Also webcast live on the College Facebook page.

Panelists will include:

  • Rick Banks (professor of law at Stanford Law School and author of Is Marriage for White People? How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone)
  • Julie Park (associate professor of education at the University of Maryland and author of  Race on Campus: Debunking Myths with Data
  • Jason Riley (member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board)
  • Genevieve Bonadies Torres (counsel for the Educational Opportunities Project of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights)
  • Moderator: Julie Vultaggio (associate dean for strategic academic initiatives at Harvard University)

Tuesday, Feb. 11

John Vecchione ’86 and Philip Klinkner
John Vecchione ’86, principal and member of John J. Vecchione, PLLC; and Philip Klinkner, Hamilton College
Panel discussion: “Impeachment Pro and Con”
Chapel, 7 p.m.

Hamilton will present a discussion of the merits of the current impeachment efforts and possible ramifications for American politics.

  • Philip Klinkner (James S. Sherman Professor of Government at Hamilton College)
  • John Vecchione ’86

Thursday, March 12

Christine Romer, Greg Mankiw, and Ann Owen
Christina Romer, University of California, Berkeley; Greg Mankiw, Harvard University; and moderator Ann Owen, Hamilton College
Panel discussion: “Income Inequality: Causes, Consequences, and Policy Responses”
Wellin Hall, 7 p.m. 
  • Greg Mankiw (professor of economics at Harvard University and former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the George W. Bush administration)
  • Christina Romer (professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley, and former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration)
  • Moderator: Ann Owen (Henry Platt Bristol Professor of Economics at Hamilton College and former economist for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors)

The Hamilton College Common Ground program brings nationally known figures to campus to discuss contemporary issues from different perspectives. The goal is for the speakers to model the kind of respectful dialogue that should occur throughout our communities. Programs are free and open to the public.

Contact Information


Joe Medina

Associate Vice President for Advancement
315-859-4902 jmmedina@hamilton.edu