Hamilton College

The Class of 2019 graduated on Sunday, May 26, in a ceremony concluding the College's 207th year. Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, delivered the Commencement address, advising graduates to "keep asking the hard questions and keep thinking of things we've not thought about - about social justice and inequality and seeking the truth." Hamilton's 490 graduates now join an alumni body of more than 23,000, many of whom have made important contributions to business, the professions, government and the arts.

The Student Assembly is a duly-elected representative organization that works on behalf of Hamilton students. As such, it acts with the ability to work and communicate with the faculty, staff, college administration, and other affiliated groups. Student Assembly works to support three goals - to actively promote undergraduate student interests, provide student organizational support, and to provide the experience of handling leadership. Every year, Student Assembly works on topics ranging from campus improvements to college issues, as well as recognizing and funding more than 100 student organizations.

Hamilton's annual Class & Charter Day took place on May 13. Established in 1950, the event combines the traditional Class Day celebrating the end of classes with a commemoration of the granting of College's charter on May 26, 1812. The ceremony features an address by a historian, trustee, alumnus, or faculty member whose (subject) topic is related to Hamilton's history and traditions. Academic and scholarly achievement prizes are awarded to students and faculty. More than 150 students received prizes this year. In addition, 10 faculty members were honored for their contributions in the classroom.

WHCL is a non-profit, student-run FM station that operates seven days a week, 24-hours-a-day when school is in session. The station offers music, sports, and public affairs programming. Housed in the Sadove Student Center, WHCL is one of Hamilton's largest student organizations.

Sixty students participated in the Spring Theatre production of West Side Story, directed by Professor of Theatre Mark Cryer. A cast of 26 students participated in the Spring Theatre production of West Side Story, directed by Professor of Theatre Mark Cryer. A live orchestra, featuring 30 students and conducted by Heather Buchman, accompanied the performance. The classic American musical received an update with the Theatre Department's production. Set in 2018 Bronx, New York, five months after hurricane Maria, the timeless musical tells a story of love, of otherness and street gangs. West Side Story was presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

Hamilton's Model UN team attended three conferences during the spring 2019 semester and won awards at each. This is the first time in MUN history that the team has taken awards at every conference they attended in a semester, and they are currently on a streak of four straight conferences where Hamilton has received at least one award.

Eleven Hamilton students traveled to the Annapurna region of Nepal over spring break as part of this semester's Himalayan Mountaineering class. Taught by Professor of History Maurice Isserman, the course examines Himalayan mountaineering over the past 150 years, and its roots in imperial expansion, national competition, and cultural and social evolution. The trip was supervised by Assistant Director of Outdoor Leadership Sarah Jillings.

Thirty-six students participated in Hamilton's 26th annual Alternative Spring Break. Participants traveled to Rockbridge, Va., Goldsboro-Wayne, N.C., and Marion County, S.C., to work on Habitat for Humanity projects, and to Baltimore to work with youth. Alternative Spring Break is aimed at increasing students' awareness and concern of social issues while generating a life-long interest in community service.

Seven students traveled to New Orleans during spring break to learn more about the culture and cultural history of the city through the lenses of space, place, memory, and representation. The students were members of "Experiencing Empathy 2019: The Necessity of Resistance, Resilience, and Change," a program of the Anthropology Department, the Days-Massolo Center, and the Digital Humanities Initiative.

The College Hill Singers, under Visiting Assistant Professor of Music and Interim Director of Choral Activities Danan Tsan, performed in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Charleston, and Tampa during the annual spring break tour. The 24-member group performed music from the western canon and around the world including Cum Sancto Spiritu by Hyo-Won Woo (Korea), Norwegian Alleluia by Kim Andre Arneson (Norway), Sleepsong by Rolf Lovland and arranged by Desmond Earley (Ireland), Daemon Irrepit Callidus by Gyorgy Orban (Hungary), and Earth Blessing by J David Moore (American Indian), among others.

Associated Colleges in China (ACC) is an intensive Chinese language program that offers students the opportunity to experience the language, history, and culture of China. Established in 1996, ACC is administered by Hamilton and hosted by the Minzu University of China in Beijing. At least one year of study in Chinese is required prior to being accepted into the program. Participating students must pledge to speak only Chinese.

The Hamilton in France program, based in Paris, provides students an international academic experience that reflects Hamilton's commitment to the liberal arts and personal exploration. The program's integrated academic, linguistic, and cultural components enable students to progress in their academic discipline, acquire excellent linguistic proficiency, gain confidence, and be more informed citizens of the world.

The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art joins traditional object-based learning with advances in interdisciplinary approaches. The Wellin Museum's student docents provide visitors with information about the museum, its exhibitions, and collection. They assist with programs and events, and offer the public a better understanding of the work on view. The docents also provide tours for local school and special interest groups, as well as regular walk-in groups and individuals.

The Hamilton College Academic Year (HCAYS) in Madrid, Spain, offers students the opportunity to develop true linguistic proficiency and to experience the many facets of Spanish life. Through personal contact with the culture, language, ideals, and customs of another nation, participants step beyond the familiarity and comforts of their own environment to gain a new perspective on international affairs and a greater respect for and understanding of another people.

Fifteen students are participating in Hamilton's New York City Program this spring. The program is structured so that students spend four days a week as interns in a firm or organization, attend weekly seminars on the semester's topic, and do an independent project.

Twenty-one Hamilton students performed in the Dance and Movement Studies Department's annual spring dance concert on March 8 and 9. The performance was choreographed by Hamilton faculty Elaine Heekin, Sandra Stanton-Cotter, Bruce Walczyk, and Paris Wilcox, along with guest choreographer John Castagna, of The Ballet Collective in Los Angeles.

Fifteen students are participating in the Hamilton Program in Washington this spring. The program provides a combination of academic study and experience in national government.

Hamilton's Oral Communication Center (OCC) offers tutoring to students working on specific oral communication projects or general communication concerns. Students serving as OCC peer tutors provide coaching and advice on a variety of assignment types including oral presentations and exams, debates, panel discussions, podcasts, readings, interviews, poster presentations, and more.

The Maurice Horowitch Career Center helps students integrate their liberal arts education into a lifetime of career achievement and satisfaction. The Career Center's Connect Team network associates engage fellow students in industry-specific career-related exploration such as searching and applying for opportunities and building networking skills.

The Hamilton Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa recently elected 16 members of the class of 2019. Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest academic honorary society in the United States, honors students for both excellence in academic achievement and breadth of intellectual study.

Nineteen students participated in the Career Center's NYC Immersion Day. The visit to New York City allowed students to explore potential career interests through site visits, panel discussions, and alumni networking. Visits were hosted by young alumni who discussed how Hamilton's liberal arts education and alumni network prepared them for diverse career choices after college. The program was initiated in January 2017 to help students explore different industries and jobs to make well-informed career decisions.

The Nesbitt-Johnston Writing Center was established in 1987 to help all Hamilton students strengthen their writing abilities. Writing Center tutors are trained to review such aspects of student work as clarifying ideas, developing a thesis, organizing stages of an argument, and strengthening specific language.

Hamilton's Counseling Center offers students a wide array of wellness-based services with an emphasis on trust, respect, and connection. Peer counselors provide additional resources to other Hamilton students as they navigate difficult decisions, points of crisis, or everyday aspects of student life.

During winter break, five students had the opportunity to shadow physicians in the St. Elizabeth Hospital's Family Medicine Residency program in Utica, N.Y. In the course of a week, the students observed residents in different rotations including Ob/Gyn, Internal Medicine, Labor & Delivery, Family Medicine, Geriatrics, and Emergency Care.

Nine Hamilton students spent a week of winter break in Kure Beach, N.C., doing community service as part of Hamilton's Alternative Break program. The group participated in Hurricane Florence relief work through Community Collaborations International. The students built a fence for a horse pasture, cleaned out flooded shelves, packed residents' belongings prior to house renovations, and dug a trench to help with rainwater drainage.

Twenty-five students have been selected to participate in the Levitt Leadership Institute, a competitive, two-week intensive leadership training program for Hamilton students. Funded in part by former SEC Chairman Arthur Levitt, the institute offers students the opportunity to develop and practice personal leadership skills in the context of their individual career interests with a focus on developing a global mindset, ethical behaviors, and regard for the public good.

More than 840 students have been named to the fall 2018 Dean's List. To be named to the Dean's List, a student must have carried throughout the semester a course load of four or more graded credits with an average of 3.5 or above.

The Student Assembly is a duly-elected representative organization that works on behalf of Hamilton students. As such, it acts with the ability to work and communicate with the faculty, staff, college administration, and other affiliated groups. Student Assembly works to support three goals - to actively promote undergraduate student interests, provide student organizational support, and to provide the experience of handling leadership. Every year, Student Assembly works on topics ranging from campus improvements to college issues, as well as recognizing and funding more than 100 student organizations.

The Ruth and Elmer Wellin Museum of Art joins traditional object-based learning with advances in interdisciplinary approaches. The Wellin Museum's student docents provide visitors with information about the museum, its exhibitions, and collection. They assist with programs and events, and offer the public a better understanding of the work on view. The docents also provide tours for local school and special interest groups, as well as regular walk-in groups and individuals.

Four students have been named recipients of Class of 1979 Student Travel Awards. The award, established by the alumni of Hamilton's Class of 1979, offers financial assistance to outstanding students who seek to broaden their educational experience beyond the Hamilton campus.