President Wippman’s Writings & Remarks

We, the presidents of the New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium member institutions, write to request your support for doubling the Pell Grant through the budget reconciliation process this fall and before the program’s 50th anniversary in June 2022. Doubling the Pell Grant is of vital importance to our communities, state, and nation, for several reasons.

Dear Students, Faculty, Staff, and Parents,

I hope everyone has had an opportunity this summer to rest and recharge. While we are not out of the COVID-19 woods, the vaccines have given us a path forward free of many, though not yet all, of the challenges and constraints of the recent past.

Dear Members of the Hamilton Community,

Last month, I summarized for you some of the significant work we accomplished together to address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Hamilton, and I highlighted the proposals from the Advisory Council to make the College a more inclusive and equitable community. We are continuing to work on those proposals, including the recommendation that Hamilton establish a full-time chief diversity officer position, reporting to the president.

Dear Hamilton Community Members,

Although July has just begun, we are already looking forward to welcoming all community members back to campus this fall for in-person classes, residential living, and on-campus work. Hamilton is taking certain precautions to make our hope of returning to near-normal conditions a reality, so please read this entire message. It contains critical information about health and safety requirements for this fall.

Today we join with others throughout the country to observe Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day. This day, which Congress and President Biden just designated a federal holiday, commemorates the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Of course, the end of slavery did not mean the end of racism, or the violence, oppression, and loss that go with it.

We can be proud of what we have accomplished during the past 15 months, but we should also recognize that the strains of pandemic life have left many of us exhausted. I plan to take some vacation this summer, and I hope you also will be able to find time to rest and recharge.

One year ago, I announced a renewed and more comprehensive plan of action to address diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Hamilton, and I identified three steps we would take: host listening sessions and form an Advisory Council; expedite a new equity and inclusion plan; and increase resources. These steps were intended to accelerate the work already being done to create a more welcoming and inclusive campus community. I am writing to update you on some of the progress we have made.

As we approach the end of the spring semester, we can take great pride in the way our community has responded to the challenges of the past year. While the pandemic is far from over, we are looking forward to a resumption this fall of full in-person learning and most if not all of the co-curricular and extracurricular activities that make the Hamilton residential experience so vibrant.

The presidents of the New York Six Liberal Arts Consortium member institutions have issued a statement following the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial in Minnesota.

Late this afternoon, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. While the jury’s decision provides a measure of accountability in this case, the problem of racialized policing remains.