Writings & Remarks

New Year, New Semester, New Opportunities

January 22, 2025

Tags Public Statements

Dear Hamilton Community,

The past month gave me time to rest, recharge, and prepare for the spring semester, and I hope you had the same opportunity.

I also had a chance to reflect on my first six months at Hamilton. I spent most of the break back in Phoenix where I visited with friends and former colleagues. Almost to a person they asked, “How's it going? What’s Hamilton like? Tell us about the people there.”

I responded in much the same way as I have in conversations and meetings with alumni, parents, and friends of the College: Hamilton is one of the best – if not the best – learning environments ever designed. I have found our students to be curious, engaged, open to discovery, nonjudgmental, and what I call “edge-of the-seat” learners. They are the perfect students to teach, which is one reason why I’m looking forward to returning to the classroom this semester to teach a course titled “The Stories We Tell: How Colleges Build Identity, Loyalty, and Distinction.”

The faculty, too, are extraordinary. Dana and I hosted dinners with faculty at the Davenport House throughout the fall semester and I now understand what our students experience everyday – our faculty pursue exquisite puzzles and questions that animate the classroom and give our students opportunities to practice the liberal arts in so many high-impact ways.

And, of course, learning is happening in every corner of the College and our staff continue to build programs and create the physical and emotional spaces necessary for maximum human growth. Many of the 300-plus “What if” suggestions this fall came from dedicated staff who see ways to make Hamilton an even stronger community.  

So, my main message to my colleagues around the country is that Hamilton College is strong and ready to lead. In a moment when higher education needs the right story, the right ideas, and a refreshed vision, we can count on this 232-year-old institution, with all of its assets, resources, and personal talents, to direct its efforts toward meeting the moment.

I also believe in more modest goals – so in 2025 I plan to walk up College Hill to campus more than I did in 2024.

I wish you the best in this new year, and I look forward to all of the conversations ahead. Please send me interesting things that you are reading or thinking about that might be helpful in my continued efforts to know the College, understand our context, and consider what is possible.

Onward,

Steven