Dear Alumni, Parents and Friends,
As you may be aware, it has been a difficult time on College Hill because of a controversy surrounding Susan Rosenberg, who was scheduled to teach a half-credit course this spring. Last week, she withdrew from the appointment, citing the best interests of all parties concerned, but the events leading to that resolution have brought considerable attention to the College. Let me provide some background and information about the process and the debate that has taken place.
Ms. Rosenberg, who was imprisoned for 16 years for possession of explosives, weapons and false identification papers before her sentence was commuted by President Clinton in 2001, was invited by the Kirkland Project for a month-long residency next semester to teach a short course titled "Resistance Memoirs: Writing, Identity and Change." In issuing the invitation, the Kirkland Project gave consideration to reports (central to the clemency appeal) that Susan Rosenberg had undergone transformation in prison, where she earned a master's degree, developed curricula for inmates and won awards for her writing. Following her release, she lectured without incident at several respected colleges and universities (including Hamilton last February) and taught as an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the City of New York. The invitation for this ad hoc appointment was extended by the Kirkland Project in a manner consistent with longstanding College practice. In the future, however, the College dean will review and approve all temporary teaching appointments.
With the announcement of Ms. Rosenberg's planned visit to Hamilton, my colleagues and I found ourselves fielding hundreds of messages. Law enforcement officers were particularly vocal in their opposition, including two or three dozen members of the Rockland County Police Department who demonstrated outside the kickoff of the Excelsior capital campaign in New York City on December 3rd. They and many others were especially troubled by another aspect of Ms. Rosenberg's history: a different crime for which she was indicted but not tried, namely the 1981 Brink's armored car robbery that left two Rockland County policemen and one security guard dead. Many of those who objected to her appointment believe that these charges were dropped because of the long sentence she had already received for the weapons violation.
For numerous thoughtful alumni and friends who wrote to me, the tipping point in their opposition was the distinction between giving a lecture and teaching a credit-bearing course. Hamilton found itself in a dilemma: on the one hand, many assumed that Susan Rosenberg's past disqualified her from any future contribution to society, let alone a teaching post, even if she had renounced that past, was a legally freed woman, and by all accounts had begun to lead a productive life while in prison. On the other hand, would it make sense for Hamilton, an institution committed to the free exchange of ideas, to rescind the Kirkland Project's offer on that basis? Although painful, this emotionally charged situation was a reminder of important issues about freedom of speech, intellectual freedom, the possibility of rehabilitation and the criteria for teaching at Hamilton -- issues that were vigorously debated within the administration, among our trustees and by the faculty. And throughout, our students have engaged the controversy with earnestness and clarity, doing credit to themselves and to their teachers.
At its regularly scheduled meeting in New York on December 3rd, the Board of Trustees discussed fully the issues surrounding the Rosenberg appointment. Hamilton is fortunate to have the principled and committed leadership represented by the men and women who comprise the Board. I affirmed my steadfast belief in intellectual freedom and in the prerogative of the Hamilton faculty to determine the educational program of Hamilton students. Along with its concern about the reputation of the College, the Board expressed its support of me, for which I am grateful.
Last week, I brought this issue, with all of its attendant consequences, to a meeting of the Hamilton faculty. Discussion was as robust, articulate and respectful as any I have witnessed in my long experience in higher education. I was -- and am -- proud of my faculty colleagues. In a telephone conversation on the morning following the December 7th faculty meeting, Susan Rosenberg informed Kirkland Project Director Nancy Rabinowitz that she was withdrawing.
This outcome notwithstanding, our relationship with many of you, our most valued constituents, has doubtless suffered harm that will take time to repair. In the eyes of some, our reputation may have been tarnished. But the College has stood firm for academic freedom, a principle that we could never afford to abandon.
Prior to the kickoff of the capital campaign at the New-York Historical Society, I assured the 375 guests that conversations on campus would be constructive and that students would have the opportunity to hear points of view on all sides of an issue. I will stand by that promise. Hamilton will remain appropriately sensitive to the concerns of its friends and alumni and will continue to adhere to the highest and best principles of the academy. If a college such as ours is committed to the free interchange of ideas, it is essential to have a campus open to opinions that are controversial or with which we do not agree. I believe that we must draw the line, of course, at speakers who intend to cause harm or where there is a serious risk of confrontation; at speech that openly advocates violence; at language that is libelous or slanderous, or that degrades the listener. But we must otherwise provide a safe haven for free speech and thought; we must not become an isolated ivory tower where the ugly is suppressed and students are denied the opportunity to encounter and respond to people from the real world in their intensity and their immediacy.
The deeply felt points that were made during last week's faculty meeting testified both to a strong sense of principle and to an abiding love of this College and all that it stands for, along with the determination to keep it safe and whole. Hamilton College will endure another 200 years. Indeed, it will thrive. I trust that the recent turmoil is behind us; Hamilton will emerge stronger and surer. Thank you for your loyalty.
Sincerely yours,
Joan Hinde Stewart
