Hamilton 101: President Tepper’s First Days

“We had a wonderful conversation about the practical, theoretical, and philosophical questions posed by such technology,” the psychology concentrator from Enterprise, Ala., said. “It felt as though he was genuinely interested in me as a person, which was a welcoming feeling.”

Steven Tepper

21st President, Hamilton College

Bio & CV

Since becoming the College’s 21st president on July 1, Tepper has met hundreds of Hamiltonians and quickly become known for asking thought-provoking questions like “What project have you worked on here that you felt energized by?” and “When do your best ideas come to you?”

The conversations that ensued have left a big impression on the new president, which he shared in a recent message to campus, while his creative inquiries and his ability to listen have illuminated the energy he is bringing to his work at Hamilton.

Here’s a glimpse into who Tepper met during these jam-packed first few days, what he learned about his new home, and a few of the anecdotes that inspired him along the way.

Anika Amann ’27 is spending the summer in the Taylor Science Center as part of Assistant Professor of Chemistry Ryan Martinie’s biochemistry lab, where students are working with Martinie to understand the chemical process that bacteria use to make an antibiotic called pantocin A. She was thrilled when Tepper came by the lab to learn about their work.

“President Tepper not only asked us about the overall goals of the project, but also about our experiences as researchers and student scientists,” the chemistry major from Norwalk, Conn., said. “Everything from his attentiveness and interest in our work to his fun Hamilton bow tie gave me the impression that he is excited and committed to knowing and loving this institution as much as I do. I am excited to see what President Tepper does as a member of the Hamilton community, and so glad that I had the opportunity to share one of my favorite parts of being a Continental: the opportunity to engage in research.”

The lab was one of many stops Tepper made so he could meet with faculty and students in the spaces where they brainstorm and create. He’s met students who are conducting research with local farmers about their opinions regarding alternative energy, how COVID relief dollars did or didn’t alleviate poverty in the region, and how gender may affect who stays on the pre-med track and who doesn’t.

As Tepper made his way through the Kennedy Center for Theatre and the Studio Arts, a group of students working with Assistant Professor of Theater Emily Harrison performed a scene from a play they will soon present at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Discussions there enabled the new president to hear about the “the bold history of the faculty’s decision to vote for an open curriculum in 2000;”  Costume Shop Manager Sarah McCullough’s passion for “taking a basic [costume] concept or design or fabric and adding the element – like the perfect trim – that makes it interesting and visually compelling;” and Assistant Professor of Theatre Tobin Ost’s enthusiasm about teaching at an institution “where [students] can let the class take on the personality of the students.”

“It’s very exciting and personally affirming to me that President Tepper comes to Hamilton with an impressive history of integrating creativity and cultural engagement with higher education,” Ost said. “It strikes me that the value of his expertise for our students and campus is that it directly and indirectly highlights the arts part of 'liberal arts,’ and an investment in creative ways of engaging with all majors and disciplines.”

In Burke Library, Director of Academic Technology, Teaching, and Research Services Nhora Serrano had the chance to tell Tepper about how she gets students to see differently through the digital and interactive projects.    

“I very much appreciate how President Tepper is posing questions and talking about using imagination, creativity, democracy, economic innovation, and sustainability within the Hamilton community,” Serrano noted. “[He]  is a storyteller and a design thinker. I am excited for the future.”

How many first-year students get to be among the first people to interview a new college president? And how many of those interviews reveal that the new president can break dance? Aminata Camara ’28 may be able to say she’s the first.

Camara, who is on the Hill this summer taking part in the Opportunity Programs’ Summer Program, met Tepper at a luncheon with other program participants. A few days later, she found herself interviewing him for a project. Despite some natural initial jitters (“I was initially nervous because he's the president”), Camara said it quickly felt like she was having “an easy conversation with a mentor who was genuinely interested in answering my questions.”

“I briefly introduced myself [to President Tepper] at the student lunch, and when he walked in for the interview he remembered my face and where I'm from,” she said. “He mentioned multiple times that he wants to be connected to students and wants to make Hamilton a welcoming place for [them]. In his words, ‘Hamilton students come here because they don't want to be restricted in a box. The students are outside-the-box thinkers. Being in an environment like that is so inspiring.’”

Camara’s soon-to-be-published interview will also reveal several fun facts about Tepper, including the one about his dancing skills. “He used to break dance in his younger years of high school. He would pop and lock while his best friend at the time would do the cool trick and flips,” she says. “I was not expecting that from him. Just imagine him saying ‘pop and lock’!”

That luncheon was one of many opportunities where Tepper was able to meet many students, faculty, and staff. (It helped that he positioned himself strategically near the ice cream at his first Community Lunch so he “could meet as many people as possible.”) During his walks around campus, he's also met painters, carpenters, custodians, engineers, and safety officers. “The care that everyone puts into this place – every detail – is remarkable, creating the environment that inspires the research, learning, and ideas that animate life on the Hill.”

Sustainability interns Marcela Rondon ’27, Austin Cipriano ’25, and Shey Sanges ’26, as well as Environmental Health & Safety Specialist Sara Soika took Tepper on a whirlwind tour of key sustainability initiatives on campus that are critical components for Hamilton meeting its goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. Rondon, who is from Miami, Florida, was thrilled to share the reforestation and other efforts her intern cohort and those before them had taken on.

“[President Tepper] was enthusiastic and engaged in learning about our progress thus far,” she said. “He was very excited about the Green Attributes project started by the sustainability interns a few years ago. We took him down to the pollinator garden by Minor Field, and his eyes lit up when he saw all the black-eyed Susans, thistles and wild grasses growing in the space. He shared various ideas on how he hopes to work with the Sustainability Office and even touched upon his background as a sociologist, pointing out the cultural significance of the way we approach the growth of native grasses and shrubs and how it varies by culture.”

Rondon’s interactions with Tepper prompted her to see the work she is doing this summer in a different way. “He asked how my coworkers and I would feel 20 years from now coming for our class reunions and starting to see the fruits of our labor from the reforestation efforts. This struck me because when I am working at the sites, I am mostly thinking about how we, as an institution, approach sustainability and how we can ensure our goals are met, rather than thinking of the legacy we will leave behind. It made me realize that the impact the interns and I will leave at Hamilton will last a lifetime.”