President Wippman’s Writings & Remarks

Board of Trustees Meeting

March 11, 2021

Tags Board Meeting Updates

Dear Members of the Hamilton Community,

The Board of Trustees held its annual March meeting via Zoom on Friday, March 5. As with the last two meetings, the agenda was significantly shorter than is typical when the board meets in person.

The committees on Advancement, Academic Affairs, Budget & Finance, and Buildings, Grounds & Equipment met in the early part of the day. Vice President Lori Dennison ’87 reported that the Because Hamilton campaign is currently on target to reach its $400 million goal, even though nonprofits nationwide are reporting that the pandemic is hurting charitable giving.

Vice President Karen Leach shared that, thanks to hard work by faculty and staff to limit operational spending to essential and student-supporting needs, the College is projecting a balanced budget for the current year. Depending on the course of the pandemic, we may even have a small surplus. Later in the day, trustees passed a resolution approving the fiscal year 2022 budget.

Associate Vice President Roger Wakeman discussed needed repairs to the Bristol Pool, renovations for the large apartment buildings at the entrance to campus, and preliminary thinking about potential facility needs connected with the Strategic Plan’s Digital Hamilton initiative.

In plenary sessions, Vice President Monica Inzer presented an early profile of the Class of 2025, calling attention to another record year for applications, and, in her role as chief diversity officer, Vice President Terry Martinez gave an update on work being done across the College to support diversity, equity, and inclusion.

To open the board meeting, I reviewed some of the highlights and challenges of the past year. Not only did the College pivot successfully to remote instruction last spring, we were able to reopen safely this fall. This is a remarkable tribute to the resilience, dedication, and hard work of all members of our community.

Linda Johnson ’80 read a moving memorial minute for Life Trustee Elizabeth McCormack, who passed away on Dec. 4, 2020, and trustees heard presentations from Student Assembly President Saphire Ruiz ’22 and Vice President Kavya Crasta ’21, as well as from Student Assembly members Jackson Harris ’22, Cole Kuczek ’23, and Mariam Saied ’23.

Finally, the trustees voted to approve tenure for Susan Jarosi (art history), Catherine Beck (geosciences), Erica De Bruin (government), Jaime Kucinskas (sociology), Alexandra Plakias ’02 (philosophy), and Jesse Weiner (classics). Please join me in congratulating these outstanding members of our faculty.

The next board meeting is scheduled for June 10-12, but we do not yet know whether it will be safe to meet in person.

David