Public Statements

I hope this note finds you safe, healthy, and enjoying time with your families. Next week classes resume, though not in the way any of us expected a few weeks ago. Our world has been turned upside down, and none of us knows exactly how long the crisis will last.

I know many of you have been wondering whether we will be able to resume in-person classes at some point this spring. As much as we all wish this were possible, it appears increasingly likely that the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to escalate in ways that make resumption of classes on campus untenable. Therefore, I have made the heartbreaking decision that Hamilton will continue remote instruction for the remainder of the spring semester.

I want once more to thank everyone across campus who so quickly and compassionately helped our students adjust their plans for spring break and begin to prepare for distance learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has upended all our lives in extraordinary ways, but our community has responded with great care, dedication, and thoughtfulness despite the uncertainty we all feel.

It is perhaps fitting that we prepare to start a Spring Break unlike any other on a rainy Friday the 13th. Yet despite all the turmoil and disappointment, I am heartened by what I have seen from our campus these past few days. Yesterday I met with Staff Assembly, Student Assembly, and the faculty. I have also had many individual conversations with students, employees, parents, and alumni.

As I noted in my message to our community yesterday, it might prove necessary to adjust our plans on short notice. I’m afraid I didn’t anticipate just how short. It is with enormous regret that I must inform you we will be shifting temporarily to online education immediately following spring break.

I know many of you are concerned about the impact the coronavirus (COVID-19) may have on our campus, the broader community, and the lives of our students, faculty, staff, and families. I share those concerns.

We have received reports of three incidents that appear to be racist in nature. They include a post in a residence hall, a comment on an anonymous online app, and a remark made at a party. Each incident is being investigated.

Hamilton’s senior staff met last summer to review the College’s diversity and inclusion efforts. We acknowledged the previous work done by many at the College, including the faculty hiring processes developed with Romney Associates. We also agreed that the importance of the work ahead requires renewed attention at the highest levels of the College.

I have just returned to a snow-free campus from a week visiting alumni in California. One of the alumni I visited, a former economics major, is now president of a biotech start-up working on treatments for arthritis, hair loss, and cancer. An alumna I met, a creative writing and religious studies double major at Hamilton, is the president of a leading NBA playoff contender. And a third alumnus, also a religious studies major, runs a popular brewery. All credit their success to the liberal arts education they received at Hamilton – something our most recent graduates are beginning to experience.

Several years ago, we launched Common Ground, a program that brings together speakers with differing viewpoints, each willing to model respectful dialogue. I am pleased to announce that beginning this fall, with a donor’s generous financial support, we will supplement that series with a new pilot program called “Common Ground on the Ground.”