President Wippman’s Writings & Remarks

Thanksgiving

November 17, 2023

Tags Public Statements

Dear Members of the Hamilton Community,

Each year the Thanksgiving break provides us with an opportunity to rest and recharge before the final push to the end of the semester. It’s an occasion to be thankful for what we have, for our friends and family, and for each other.

This year, we will leave campus mindful of the war in the Middle East and the divisions it has engendered at home, abroad, and on college campuses, including our own.

For many of us, the last few weeks have been a time of grief, anger, and dismay, but also a time to reaffirm the principles and priorities we hold in common and reflect on what divides us.

As an academic community, we live together and learn together. I hope – and I believe – we will continue to find ways to support and learn from each other, even and perhaps especially from those whose views diverge sharply from our own.

I will be spending the Thanksgiving break with my daughters, their husbands, and my 11-month-old grandson. We will no doubt talk about current events at length. But we will also spend time enjoying each other’s company, watching professional football (about which I am indifferent, but prepared to bow to the will of the majority), and eating too much food.

Whether you are staying on campus, in the area, or traveling far afield, I wish you a safe and enjoyable holiday.

David