Writings & Remarks

Sept. 2024 Families Newsletter: From the Dean's Desk

September 18, 2024

Tags Note to Parents

Dear Parents and Families,

I want to begin with a warm welcome to the new academic year and to a renewed partnership for your students' success. A special welcome is given to those families who are new to the College. I look forward to building deep connections over the course of your students' journeys at Hamilton. 

As Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs at Hamilton, I'm excited to draw your attention to the latest edition of our Families & Parents Newsletter. Last year, I promised that you would hear from my team and me a few times each year with information and updates about student life on our campus. Importantly, I hope this communication will keep you informed and generate ideas and opportunities for conversations with your students.

In this edition, we focus broadly on student engagement. By now, most students have finalized their course selections for the semester and are familiarizing themselves with the coursework and the pace of academic life at Hamilton. It is also the time when many students assess how they want to engage in the co-curricular life of the College (i.e., life outside the classroom). Our students engage broadly – from athletics to student clubs and organizations to campus employment, to name a few. And balanced engagement is important! Ample research on student engagement points to a strong correlation between engagement and one's sense of belonging, success, and social development.  Furthermore, we believe that learning isn't restricted to the classroom alone but occurs in the residence halls, on the athletic fields, in club meetings, and even in our dining halls.

Included here are perspectives from various colleagues on student engagement. I hope you take a few minutes to review the information and then have a discussion with your students about how they are choosing to engage. As always, my staff and I are ready to discuss these issues with students directly. Please feel free to share your opinions and concerns with us and let us know if there is other information you would like to see. Thank you for your support and partnership!

Warmly,

Christopher D. Card
Vice President and Dean of Students