71.61.35.227 (talk) |
71.61.35.227 (talk) |
||
Line 285: | Line 285: | ||
*[[Jim Lehrer]], journalist and newscaster |
*[[Jim Lehrer]], journalist and newscaster |
||
*[[Jack F. Matlock, Jr.]], former U.S. Ambassador to the U.S.S.R and principal advisor to President Reagan on Soviet and European affairs |
*[[Jack F. Matlock, Jr.]], former U.S. Ambassador to the U.S.S.R and principal advisor to President Reagan on Soviet and European affairs |
||
*[[Northrop Frye]], literary critic, author of [[Anatomy of Criticism]] |
*[[Northrop Frye]], literary critic, author of ''[[Anatomy of Criticism]]'' |
||
*[[Howard Nemerov]], poet |
*[[Howard Nemerov]], poet |
||
*[[Agha Shahid Ali]], poet |
*[[Agha Shahid Ali]], poet |
Revision as of 20:19, 14 August 2007
File:Hamilton College seal.jpg | |
Motto | Γνωθι Σεαυτον (Know Thyself) |
---|---|
Type | Private coeducational |
Established | 1793 as Hamilton-Oneida Academy, 1812 as Hamilton College |
Endowment | $550 million USD |
President | Joan Hinde Stewart |
Undergraduates | 1,780 |
Address | 198 College Hill Road , , , |
Campus | rural |
Colors | Buff and Blue |
Nickname | Continentals |
Website | www.hamilton.edu |
Hamilton College is a private, independent, highly selective liberal arts college located in Clinton, New York. The college is known for its emphasis on writing and speaking. Hamilton was founded as a men's college in 1812, and has been coeducational since 1978, when it merged with Kirkland College.
Hamilton is sometimes referred to as the 'College on the Hill', due to the school's location on top of College Hill, just outside of downtown Clinton. Hamilton College is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country, and is considered one of the "Little Ivies."
Academics
Hamilton currently offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in any of over 50 areas of concentration.[1] Additionally, Hamilton students may study abroad. The College runs programs in China, France, and Spain, as well as programs closer to home in New York City and Washington, DC. Hamilton is well known for its unique "open" curriculum, for which there are no distributional requirements; students have nearly total freedom over their course selection. Hamilton College, Brown University and Smith College are institutions with such a policy. The college has a tradition of adherence to an academic honor code. Every student matriculating at Hamilton must sign a pledge to observe the Honor Code, and many examinations are not proctored. Hamilton has been part of the SAT optional movement for undergraduate admission since 2002.[2]
History
Hamilton began in 1793 as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy, a K-12 school, and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812. Samuel Kirkland founded the College as part of his missions work with the Oneida tribe. The college is named for Alexander Hamilton, who was a member of the first Board of Trustees of the Hamilton-Oneida Academy (though he never set foot on campus). Baron von Steuben, acting as Hamilton's surrogate, laid the college's cornerstone.[citation needed]
In 1978, the all-male Hamilton College merged with the all-female Kirkland College, which had been located adjacent to and founded by Hamilton; the primary public reason for the merger was Kirkland's imminent insolvency. It took nearly 7 years to fully complete the merger; female students were given the option of receiving a Kirkland diploma instead of a Hamilton diploma until 1979. Several former Kirkland faculty members teaching at Hamilton still fondly remember being part of a very different academic community prior to the merger.
Hamilton College is the third oldest college established in New York, after Columbia and Union.[citation needed]
Since the 1970s, Hamilton has been a member of the NESCAC athletic conference (despite being located outside of New England), which includes Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Colby, Connecticut College, Middlebury, Trinity, Tufts, Wesleyan, and Williams.
Today, the original Hamilton campus is referred to by students and some school literature as the "light side" or "north side" of the campus. Formerly that side of campus was referred to as the "Stryker Campus" after its former president, Melancthon Woolsey Stryker (or incorrectly "Striker Campus"). On the other side of the street separating the two campuses, the former Kirkland campus is referred to as the "dark side."
Campus Life
The current Hamilton College campus consists of the original Hamilton College campus and the neighboring former campus of Kirkland College.
In the mid 1990s, the administration and the trustees enacted a policy requiring all underclassmen to live in college housing (which caused the closure of all of the fraternity and sorority houses, as well as the Emerson Literary Society, a nonselective residential alternative to the Greek system), created social spaces for student use, improved funding for on-campus events, and pursued several other changes. This process caused a great deal of controversy — mostly surrounding the decision to preclude fraternities from exercising any use of their houses. As a result, the majority of fraternities felt they had no choice but to sell their houses to the college, though some fraternities refused to sell their houses until well into the next decade. As the college purchased the houses, it has carried out extensive renovations. Since the discussion, a few fraternities and sororities have had their charters revoked or suspended for extreme behavior (causing additional controversy among the students and alumni). Only one sorority on campus (Omega Phi Beta) has national affiliation. Template:Geolinks-US-streetscale
Housing
Nearly all students live in college-owned dorms. There are a variety of styles of residence halls, including former fraternity houses, suites, apartment style housing, and more traditional dormitory style housing. Hamilton currently offers a cooperative living option to students, as well as substance-free and quiet housing.[3]
Societies
There are currently ten fraternities, and seven sororities active on the Hamilton College campus. Fraternities: Alpha Delta Phi, Chi Psi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Delta Phi, Delta Upsilon, Lambda Upsilon Lambda, Psi Upsilon, Sigma Phi, Tau Kappa Epsilon and Theta Delta Chi. Sororities : Alpha Chi Lambda, Alpha Theta Chi, Gamma Xi, Kappa Sigma Alpha, Kappa Delta Omega, Omega Phi Beta and Phi Beta Chi.[4]
On campus events
The changes have allowed the student community to increase the number and types of activities available on campus. The college has also provided significant funding for student activities through student-run organizations. College-sponsored student-run groups routinely bring music, movies, plays, and other performers to the college. The Hamilton College Student Assembly allocates over one quarter of a million dollars to student groups each year. The Student Activities Office, the President's Office, and other College offices provide additional funds for student groups.[citation needed]
Campus Media
WHCL FM: During the academic year, Hamilton students, faculty, and community members produce a variety of music, news, sports, and talk radio programs at FM frequency 88.7 The station is available through most of the Mohawk Valley region and online at WHCL.org. It is the only radio station in Clinton.
The Spectator: Hamilton College's primary news publication is published weekly and is freely available in the campus dining halls, mail center, and library. The Spectator covers campus, local, and national news as well as Hamilton sports and campus life. It is older than the New York Times, which is the paper's official slogan.
The Daily Bull: A daily bulletin that features humor pieces, campus satire, cultural commentary, classified advertisements, and local weather. The Daily Bull is noted for being printed on yellow legal size paper, and is distributed on dining hall tables every morning.
The Wag: Hamilton's biannual satire magazine, published near the end of every semester. It features written and graphical satire of campus news and life. The Wag has also produced short feature films about the "Hamilton experience" in the past.
The Duel Observer: A weekly humor and satire publication that adopts the format of a parody newspaper (i.e. the Onion). The name "Duel Observer" is a reference to the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton which resulted in Hamilton's death.
The Continental: A student-run magazine published a few times a semester. The magazine features fashion advice, party photos, and articles on a variety of subjects.
Annual Events and Traditions
Class and Charter Day: On the last day of spring term classes, all afternoon classes are cancelled for a campus wide picnic and party. Additionally, a ceremony is held during which students, faculty, and other members of the Hamilton community are recognized for their academic, leadership, and community-development accomplishments. During the ceremony, chosen students are also inducted into Hamilton's three secret honor societies: Doers and Thinkers, Was Los, and Pentagon. Class and Charter Day is also the biggest party day of the year at Hamilton.
Citrus Bowl: The Citrus Bowl is the first men's home hockey game of the season. Traditionally, upon the first Hamilton-scored goal, oranges and other citrus fruits that students had smuggled into the rink were thrown onto the ice at the visiting goalie. This often resulted in a delay-of-game penalty against Hamilton while the ice was cleaned. In recent years, the orange throwing has been very strongly discouraged by the College administration and by NESCAC officials, but the event is still well attended. Orange T-shirts commemorating the event have been distributed in recent years.
FebFest: Rooted in the long standing tradition of the winter carnival at Hamilton, FebFest is a relatively recent revival at Hamilton. A week-long combination of performances, parties, free food, fireworks, and various other events, FebFest intends to keep student morale high during the winter.
May Day Music Festival: Started in 2004, May Day is an outdoor music festival sponsored by several on-campus organizations including:
- The Hamilton College Independent Music Fund
- WHCL
- The Hamilton College Campus Activities Board
Past performers have included: Citizen Cope, The New Pornographers, The Pharcyde, Dead Meadow, Tim Reynolds, The Virginia Coalition, Jennifer Gentle, Rainer Maria, Ted Leo, The Unicorns, J-Live, Catch-22 and Sleater-Kinney. It should be noted that the name "May Day" has no association with other May Day events and activities elsewhere in the world. Rather, the name simply refers to the fact that the festival is staged in early May or late April.
HamTrek: Started in 2004, HamTrek is an annual sprint-triathlon consisting of a 525-yard swim, 9-mile bike ride, and 3.1-mile run. Participants can compete individually, in unisex teams of 3, or co-ed teams of 3. Prizes are awarded to the winners of the different competing groups. Also, many athletic coaches now require their teams to compete. HamTrek takes place on Class and Charter day.
Diversity
Like most small colleges in the United States, Hamilton is working to increase the diversity of its student body.
See Statistics for more information.
Athletics
Hamilton is a NCAA Division III school and has been a member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference since 1971. The college sports teams are known as the Hamilton Continentals. Hamilton sponsors 28 sports, including: Baseball (M), Basketball (M&W), Crew (M&W), Cross Country (M&W), Field Hockey (W), Football (M), Golf (M), Ice Hockey (M&W), Lacrosse (M&W), Outdoor and Indoor Track & Field (M&W), Soccer (M&W), Softball (W), Squash (M&W), Swimming & Diving (M&W), Tennis (M&W), Volleyball (W).
About 30% of the Hamilton student body participates on the athletics program. In addition to varsity sports, Hamilton sponsors several club sports and intramural activities each year. All students have the opportunity to participate at a level enjoyable to them, including the creation of a streaking team in 2002.
Facilities
Hamilton has a large library for a school of its size[citation needed]. During the summer of 2006, the school completed a 56 million dollar science building. The art department has separate studios for each of the studio arts taught, which is scheduled soon receive a 37.5 million dollar renovation. Hamilton's athletic facilities include an ice rink, swimming pool, several athletics fields, a golf course, a three-story climbing wall, and a state of the art 10 Court Squash Center (opened in 2006), all of which are open to use by the student body. Hamilton also has a world class concert hall.
Carol Woodhouse Wellin Performance Hall
The 700 seat hall features some of the best acoustics on the East Coast of the United States.[citation needed] Wellin Hall hosts the College Orchestra, Choir, Jazz Band, and Oratorio Society, as well as guest artists from around the globe.
The Sage Rink
The Sage Rink is the nation's second oldest indoor college hockey rink only after Northeastern's[citation needed]. It was renovated in 1993, when it received better lighting, ice-making equipment, and structural enhancements. The rink houses the college's Men's and Women's varsity hockey teams, intramural ice hockey, physical education classes, and local youth hockey games.
Bristol Swimming Pool
Complete in 1988, the pool was christened by a Guinness Book of World Records setting event in April 1989 when the world's longest swim relay was completed in the Bristol pool.[citation needed]
Steuben Field
Home to the Hamilton College football team, Steuben Field was founded in 1897, and is one of the ten oldest collegiate football fields in the United States.[5]
Litchfield Observatory
IAU code 789, from which C. H. F. Peters discovered some 48 asteroids[citation needed]. The observatory, a quarter of a mile from campus, is powered by solar energy and is open for student use.
Campus Speakers
Hamilton hosts many different speakers on many different subjects. Notable recent speakers have included Salman Rushdie, Jared Diamond, Stanley Lombardo, Peter Meineck, Kenneth Miller, and the speakers of the Great Names series (see below).
The Sacerdote Great Names Series at Hamilton
Starting in 1996 the Sacerdote Great Names Series has brought some of the most sought after speakers to campus for presentations. While most of these have been in the form of speeches, they have also included a concert by B. B. King.
To-date the speakers that have been part of this series are:
- Al Gore, April 26, 2007
- Tom Brokaw, April 27, 2006
- Bill Clinton, November 9, 2004
- Bill Cosby, October 15, 2003
- Rudolph Giuliani, September 24, 2002
- Madeleine Albright, March 6, 2002
- Jimmy Carter, April 30, 2001
- Desmond Tutu, April 11, 2000
- Lady Margaret Thatcher, December 9, 1999
- B.B. King, October 20, 1998
- F.W. de Klerk, April 8, 1998
- Elie Wiesel, April 3, 1997
- James Carville, and Mary Matalin October 15, 1996
- Colin Powell, April 1, 1996
College Statistics
General Information: | |
---|---|
Enrollment: | ~1,780 |
Applicants for class of 2009 | ~4,200 |
Percentage Male: | 50% |
Percentage Female: | 50% |
Target Entering Class Size: | 435 (as of 2007) |
Applicants for class of 2008: | 4,444 |
Acceptance Rate: | 27% (for the Class of 2011) |
SAT Scores: | |
-75th percentile: | 1480 |
-25th percentile: | 1320 |
High School Rank: | 79% were in the top 10% |
High School public to private ratio: | 60-40 |
Ethnic Diversity: | |
---|---|
International | 5% |
African-American | 5% |
Native American | 1% |
Asian/Pacific Islander | 8% |
Hispanic | 4% |
Caucasian | 69% |
Unknown | 8% |
Geographic Diversity: Hamilton students come from 44 U.S. states and 40 countries [7]
Historical Landmarks on Campus
Hamilton College Chapel
The college's chapel is a historically protected landmark and is the only three story chapel still standing in New York.[citation needed] The chapel is topped by a signature quill pen weather vane, which represents Hamilton College's long standing commitment to producing graduates with exceptional writing and communication abilities.[citation needed]
Kirkland Cottage
The cottage was the original residence of Samuel Kirkland when he began his missionary work to the Oneida that resulted in the founding of the Hamilton-Oneida Academy. The cottage itself is completely original, although it was moved from its original location to its current place on the main quadrangle of the Light Side. The cottage is currently used for matriculation ceremonies.
Birthplace of Elihu Root
This house originally belonged to the Root family and was the birthplace of Secretary of State Elihu Root. The house has since been renamed Buttrick Hall. Originally built in 1812 as the student dining hall, in 1834 it became the home of Horatio Buttrick, then superintendent of the Buildings and Grounds Department as well as registrar. Through Oren Root’s marriage to a daughter of Horatio Buttrick, the building became the birthplace of Elihu Root, U.S. secretary of state and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.[citation needed] The house currently serves as office space for the President of the College and the Dean of Faculty.
Elihu Root House
This house originally belonged to Elihu Root and served as his summer home. It currently houses the Office of Admission, though it will house the president's offices when the Office of Admission is relocated to the former Sigma Phi house, renamed the Siuda House.
College songs
- Carissima
- We Never Will Forget Thee, the fight song of Hamilton College, often performed by the Hamilton College Buffers, an all-male student a cappella group. The Hamilton College Football team also sings a slightly modified version of this song upon winning a football game.
Notable people
Alumni
Arts
- Paul Lieberstein '89: The Office ("Toby", Producer, Writer), Emmy Winner: 2006 Best Comedy Series
- William H. Luers '51: Former President, Metropolitan Museum of Art; Former Ambassador to Czechoslovakia & Venezuela.
- Thomas Meehan '51: Tony Award-Winning Playwright (The Producers, Hairspray).
- Richard T. Nelson '72: Playwright (Some Americans Abroad).
- John Nichols, author of The Sterile Cuckoo which as turned into the Academy Award-nominated 1969 film starring Liza Minnelli. A fictionalized version of Hamilton was the setting for most of the action and portions of the film were shot on campus.
- Ezra Pound, modernist poet. Pound graduated from Hamilton in 1905, was granted an honorary degree in 1939, and returned to a standing ovation at commencement in 1969.
- Kamila Shamsie, novelist. Shamsie later returned to Hamilton as a member of the faculty.
- Michael Shapiro '71: Director, High Museum of Art, Atlanta.
- Josh Simpson '72: Internationally renowned glass sculptor.
- Melinda Wagner: Pulitzer Prize Winner (1999) - Music Composition
- Alexander Woollcott : Radio personality. Woollcott graduated from Hamilton in 1909 and was a member of the Algonquin Round Table.
Business
- J. Carter Bacot '55: Bank of New York (former Chairman)
- Richard Bernstein '80: Merrill Lynch (Chief Investment Strategist)
- William M. Bristol, Class of 1882: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Co. (Co-founder)
- Amy Owens Goodfriend '82: Goldman, Sachs & Co. (Partner)
- Joel W. Johnson '65: Hormel Co. (retired President & CEO)
- Kevin W. Kennedy '70: Goldman, Sachs & Co. (Managing Director)
- A.G. Lafley '69: Procter & Gamble (President & CEO)
- Matthew M. McKenna '72: PepsiCo Inc. (CFO)
- John G. Rice '78: GE Co. (President of Infrastructure)
- Stephen Sadove '73: Saks, Co. (CEO)
Government and activists
- Mary L. Bonauto '83: Civil Rights Attorney (Gay Marriage Amendment)
- Lewis A. Brigham 1849: represented New Jersey's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1879 to 1881.[8]
- Michael N. Castle '61: Congressman, Former Governor of Delaware
- Drew S. Days: Former U.S. Solicitor General, Professor of Law (Yale University)
- William M. Fenton 1826: Lieutenant Governor from Michigan
- Sol M. Linowitz '35: Former Ambassador to the Organization of American States, Chairman of the Board (Xerox), Co-Negotiator of the Panama Canal Treaties, Presidential Medal of Freedom (recipient)
- Robert P. Moses '56: Civil Rights Leader (Freedom Summer), The Algebra Project (founder)
- Elihu Root: Secretary of War, Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, Nobel Peace Prize Winner (1912)
- Tom Vilsack '72: Former Governor of Iowa, Former Presidential Candidate (2008)
- Edward S. Walker '62: Former Ambassador to Israel, Egypt, and the UAE
Media
- Stephanie Abarbanel K'63: Women's Day (Senior Editor)
- Henry S. Allen IV '63: The Washington Post (writer, 2000 Pulitizer Prize Winner)
- Fabio Freyre '83: Time Inc. (Group VP), Sports Illustrated (former publisher)
- David Grubin '65: Independent Film Producer
- Joe A. Kelly, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal editor and sports writer. His column "Between the Lines," focused on the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
- Leigh Keno '79: Antiques Road Show, Find!
- Joanna Langfield K'76: Syndicated radio personality, film critic, television commentator
- Jane B. Mason '89: LucasFilm Ltd. (Senior Editor)
- Barrett Seaman, author and former Time Magazine editor. His book, Binge: What Your College Student Won't Tell You, was inspired by the changes that have occurred at Hamilton since he graduated in the late 1960s.
- Steven I. Wulf '72: ESPN Magazine (Founding Executive Editor)
Faculty
- Shelby Foote, historian and novelist
- Alex Haley, former professor, author of Roots.
- Jim Lehrer, journalist and newscaster
- Jack F. Matlock, Jr., former U.S. Ambassador to the U.S.S.R and principal advisor to President Reagan on Soviet and European affairs
- Northrop Frye, literary critic, author of Anatomy of Criticism
- Howard Nemerov, poet
- Agha Shahid Ali, poet
Trivia
- In Act III of Thornton Wilder's play, Our Town, the character, Mr. Webb, was returning on the early-morning train after having been away for several days in Clinton, New York, to make a speech at Hamilton College, his alma mater.
- Hamilton was cited as the second most "preppy" college in the United States in Lisa Birnbach's Official Preppy Handbook.
See also
References
- ^ Hamilton College - Academics
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Further information about each society may be found on the Hamilton College website.
- ^ NESCAC Football Record Book
- ^ http://www.hamilton.edu/hamilton_at_a_glance/default.html?CFID=5421169&CFTOKEN=41523729
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ham_stats
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Lewis Alexander Brigham, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Accessed August 14, 2007.