President Wippman’s Writings & Remarks

March 2024 Board Meeting Update

March 5, 2024

Tags Board Meeting Updates

Dear Members of the Hamilton Community,

The Board of Trustees met on campus March 1-2 for its annual spring meeting. Those who arrived the evening before had the chance to enjoy dinner with President-elect Steven Tepper and his wife, Dana. For most members of the board, it was their first chance to meet Hamilton’s next president.

On Friday, Vice President for Enrollment Monica Inzer gave an update on recruitment for the Class of 2028. Trustees then participated in a plenary about the current structure of the board and received an update on the Career Center from Executive Director Melissa Marietta.

After lunch with various student leaders, the board reconvened to review the Master Plan that Sasaki presented to the campus community on February 9. I’m grateful to those who participated in the Master Plan process throughout the year. Sasaki focused on three main ideas:

• Creating a thriving center of campus life along Martin’s Way
• Amplifying access to academic resources
• Transforming the residential experience

Also on Friday, the board met with the Committee on Budget and Finance, the Committee on Academic Affairs, and with members of the Class of 2024 at the annual senior reception in the Tolles Pavilion. Faculty members joined trustees for dinner that evening.

At the full board meeting on Saturday morning, I spoke with the trustees about campus climate, the external environment for higher education, and the recent visit to campus by representatives from the New England Commission of Higher Education. The trustees approved the 2024-25 budget and passed a resolution to award honorary degrees to the baccalaureate and commencement speakers in May. The Spectator will announce the names of the speakers after break. The board also approved tenure and promotion to associate professor for the following members of the faculty, effective July 1:

• Marissa Ambio, Hispanic Studies
• Stephanie Bahr, Literature and Creative Writing
• Mackenzie Cooley, History
• Rhea Datta, Biology
• Jessie Jia, East Asian Languages and Literature
• Julie Starr, Anthropology
• Darren Strash, Computer Science
• Aaron Strong, Environmental Studies
• Heather Sullivan, Government

Please join me in congratulating them.

I’m grateful to all who interacted with the trustees and helped prepare for their visit. Best wishes for a safe and relaxing spring break.

David