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==Academics== |
==Academics== |
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Hamilton currently offers the [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in any of over 50 areas of concentration {{ref|Areas_of_Concentration}}. Additionally, Hamilton students may study abroad. There are long-standing programs in [[China]], [[France]], and [[Spain]]. Some students also choose to study at other institutions within the [[United States]], including the option to take part in long-standing programs in [[New York City]] and [[Washington, DC]]. |
Hamilton currently offers the [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in any of over 50 areas of concentration {{ref|Areas_of_Concentration}}. Additionally, Hamilton students may study abroad. There are long-standing programs in [[China]], [[France]], and [[Spain]]. Some students also choose to study at other institutions within the [[United States]], including the option to take part in long-standing programs in [[New York City]] and [[Washington, DC]]. The college has a long-standing traditon of adherence to an academic honor code. Every student matriculating at Hamilton must sign a pledge to observe the Honor Code, and no examinations are proctored. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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* [[Sol M. Linowitz]], class of [[1935]]—Attorney and Diplomat |
* [[Sol M. Linowitz]], class of [[1935]]—Attorney and Diplomat |
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* [[Robert Parris Moses | Robert Moses]], class of [[1956]]—Activist |
* [[Robert Parris Moses | Robert Moses]], class of [[1956]]—Activist |
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* Richard Queen, class of [[1973]]—Diplomat, survivor of the 1978 [[Iranian Hostage Crisis]] |
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* [[Elihu Root]], class of [[1864]]—[[Secretary of State| US Secretary of State]] and recipient of the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in [[1912]] |
* [[Elihu Root]], class of [[1864]]—[[Secretary of State| US Secretary of State]] and recipient of the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in [[1912]] |
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* [[James S. Sherman]], class of [[1878]]—[[Vice-President of the United States]] |
* [[James S. Sherman]], class of [[1878]]—[[Vice-President of the United States]] |
Revision as of 20:29, 12 January 2006
The Seal of Hamilton College | |
Motto | Γνωθι Σεαυτον (Know Thyself) |
---|---|
Type | Private coeducational |
Established | 1793 as Hamilton-Oneida Academy, 1812 as Hamilton College |
President | Joan Hinde Stewart |
Undergraduates | 1,780 |
Location | , , |
Campus | rural |
Colors | Buff and Blue |
Mascot | Continentals |
Website | www.hamilton.edu |
Hamilton College is a private, independent and highly-selective liberal arts college located in Clinton, New York. It has been coeducational since 1978, when it merged with Kirkland College.
Hamilton is sometimes referred to as the 'School on the Hill', due to the school's location on top of College Hill, just outside of downtown Clinton. Hamilton College was ranked as the 15th best Liberal Arts College in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report in 2006[2].
Academics
Hamilton currently offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in any of over 50 areas of concentration [3]. Additionally, Hamilton students may study abroad. There are long-standing programs in China, France, and Spain. Some students also choose to study at other institutions within the United States, including the option to take part in long-standing programs in New York City and Washington, DC. The college has a long-standing traditon of adherence to an academic honor code. Every student matriculating at Hamilton must sign a pledge to observe the Honor Code, and no examinations are proctored.
History
Hamilton began in 1793 as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy, a K-12 school, and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812. The college was founded by Samuel Kirkland as part of 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 once set foot on campus).
In 1978, the all-male Hamilton College merged with the all-female Kirkland College, which had been located adjacent to Hamilton. The primary public reason for the merger was Kirkland's imminent insolvency. This merger was not done lightly, overnight or without loud dissension by some; including large student protests on campus and their occupation of the President's Building for a few hours. It took nearly 7 years to complete the merger; 1985 was the last year in which female students were given the option of receiving a Kirkland diploma instead of a Hamilton diploma. There are still several former Kirkland faculty teaching at Hamilton that fondly remember being part of a very different academic community prior to the merger.
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" (a reference to the lighting in the Kirkland College buildings).
Hamilton College is the third oldest college established in New York.
Campus Life
Starting in the mid 1990s, the administration and the trustees have tried to work together to improve life on the campus. They required all underclassmen to live in college housing (which caused the closure of all of the fraternity houses), 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. As the college purchased the houses they have carried out extensive renovations. Since the discussion a few fraternities and sororities have had their charters revoked for extreme behavior (causing additional controversy among the students and alumni).
Housing
Nearly all students now 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. An aspect of Hamilton's uniqueness is that most dorms have co-ed bathrooms.
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.
Annual Events and Traditions
Class and Charter Day: On the last day of spring term classes every year all classes after noon 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. Class and Charter Day is also known as the biggest party day of the year at Hamilton.
FebFest: Rooted in the long standing tradition of the winter carnival at Hamilton, FebFest is a relatively recent development at Hamilton. A week-long combination of performances, parties, and various other events, FebFest intends to keep student morale high during the winter.
MayDay: Started in 2004, MayDay is an outdoor music festival sponsored by several on-campus organizations including:
- The Hamilton College Independent Music Fund
- WHCL 88.7
- The Hamilton College Campus Activities Board
Past performers have included: 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 "MayDay" 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 mini-triathlon consisting of a 500-yard swim, 9-mile bike ride, and 3-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 the different competing groups. Also, many athletic coaches now require their teams to compete. HamTrek takes place on Class and Charter day.
Sororities Active at Hamilton
Fraternities Active at Hamilton
- Delta Kappa Epsilon
- Lambda Upsilon Lambda
- Theta Delta Chi
- Alpha Delta Phi
- Delta Phi
- Psi Upsilon
- Delta Upsilon
- Chi Psi
- Tau Kappa Epsilon
- Sigma Phi
Former fraternity houses used as dormitories
- Samuel Eells Hall (Alpha Delta Phi house)
- Mildred Ferguson Hall (Delta Upsilon house)
- Woollcott Hall (Theta Delta Chi house)
- Skenandoa Hall (Psi Upsilon house)
- Sidney Wertimer Hall (Delta Kappa Epsilon house)
Former fraternity houses with other uses
- Spencer Hall (Chi Psi house; administrative offices and social functions)
- Sigma Phi house (currently abandoned; to become the Admissions Office)
Diversity
Like most small colleges in the United States, Hamilton struggles to achieve diversity, particularly when it comes to race. The college has an aggressive Affirmative Action program to try to attract African American students.
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, which claims an undefeated record. The Hamilton Streaking Team received favorable coverage from the New York Times in 2004.
Facilities
Over the last few years, Hamilton has worked to greatly improve the academic and dorm facilities. Hamilton has an impressive library for a school of its size. The science building has recently undergone a multimillion dollar renovation, along with the creating a new building for the Computer Science department. The art department has separate studios for each of the studio arts taught, which are well regarded by the student's majoring in those departments. In addition to the standard fields for soccer, football, etc., Hamilton's athletic facilities include an ice rink, swimming pool, several athletics fields, a golf course, all of which are open to use by the student body. Hamilton also has a concert hall named,
Carol Woodhouse Wellin Performance Hall
The 700 seat hall features some of the best acoustics on the Eastern Coast of the United States. Wellin Hall hosts the College Orchestra, Choir, Jazz Band, or Oratorio Society perform, as well as guest artists from around the globe. It is rumored that several rock acts (most notably Phish and Dave Matthews) have reached out to the college to use Wellin Hall as a recording facility, however the grants which funded the hall prohibit use of the space for performance or recording of rock or pop music.
The Sage Rink
The Sage Rink is the nation's oldest indoor college hockey rink, though it was renovated in 1993 to 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.
Campus Speakers
Hamilton hosts many different speakers on many different subjects. While the college has often had a diverse collection of speakers on many different topics, this has not been without controversy.
Early in 2005, the college received national media attention in the United States when a scheduled appearance by Professor Ward Churchill was cancelled after the college received threats of violence protesting his speech. In an essay written in 2001, Churchill compared some victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to "Little Eichmanns," referring to Adolf Hitler's genocide architect Adolf Eichmann. FOX News television personality Bill O'Reilly devoted time during several broadcasts to voicing his disapproval of the College giving Churchill an opportunity to speak. O'Reilly providing his viewers with the College's email addresses and phone numbers, asking them to contact the College and let them know what he thought of the proposed lecture. The proposed talk and subsequent cancellation caused a great deal of upheaval from both inside and out of the college community. Much of this upheaval stemmed from numerous, credible threats of violence to Mr. Churchill, college administrators, and Hamilton students from outside of the college. Many of these threats were from viewers of the O'Reilly Factor. While most people voiced disapproval of Churchill's statements, many were concerned about placing limits on academic freedom and censoring speech. The College issued this statement at the time of the panel's cancellation.
The Sacerdote Series Great Names at Hamilton
Starting in 1996 the Sacerdote Series Great Names at Hamilton 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:
- 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
The next planned speaker in the series is Tom Brokaw, who will visit in the Spring of 2006.
College Statistics
General Information: | |
---|---|
Applicants for class of 2009 | ~4200 |
Enrollment: | ~1,750 |
Percentage Male: | 50% |
Percentage Female: | 50% |
Target Entering Class Size: | 470 |
Applicants for class of 2008: | 4,444 |
Acceptance Rate: | 36% |
SAT Scores: | |
-75th percentile: | 1480 |
-25th percentile: | 1320 |
High School Rank: | 79% were in the top 10% |
High School private to public 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 43 U.S. states and 40 countries Administrator note
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 England. 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.
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, however 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 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.
Famous Alumni
Notable alumni of Hamilton College include:
Academics
- Richard W Couper, class of 1944, President of New York Public Library
- Paul Greengard, class of 1948— Neuroscientist awarded Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2000
- William Howell Masters, class of 1938—Psychologist who pioneered research into the nature of human sexual response
- B.F. Skinner, class of 1926—Behavioral Psychologist
Actors
- Josh Gardner, class of 1994—Actor/comedian
- Tony Goldwyn—Actor
Businesspeople
- J. Carter Bacot, class of 1955—Banker (former Chairman and CEO, Bank of New York)
- William McLaren Bristol, class of 1882—Co-founder of Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Daniel Ferguson, class of 1948—president of Newell Rubbermaid
- James L Ferguson: class of 1949—president of General Foods
- Elbert Hand: class of 1961—president of Hartmarx
- Joel Johnson, class of 1965—president of Hormel Foods
- Leigh Keno, class of 1979—Recipient of the 2005 National Humanities Medal
- Alan G. Lafley—Chief Executive Officer, Procter & Gamble
- John Ripley Myers, class of 1887—Co-founder of Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Stuart L Scott: class of 1961—lawyer, president of Jones Lang Lasalle
- Keith S Wellin, class of 1950—president of EF Hutton
Government officials and political notables
- Michael N. Castle, class of 1961—Former Governor of Delaware, current Representative to the U. S. Congress for Delaware—Graduation Speaker 2004
- Abijah Gilbert, class of 1822—United States Senator from Florida
- Sol M. Linowitz, class of 1935—Attorney and Diplomat
- Robert Moses, class of 1956—Activist
- Richard Queen, class of 1973—Diplomat, survivor of the 1978 Iranian Hostage Crisis
- Elihu Root, class of 1864— US Secretary of State and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1912
- James S. Sherman, class of 1878—Vice-President of the United States
- Thomas Vilsack, class of 1972—Iowa Governor—Graduation Speaker 2001
- Theodore Dwight Weld—Abolitionist
Legal and Judiciary
- Bruce Cutler, class of 1970—defense attorney for John Gotti and Louis Eppolito, among others
Military
- Cmdr. Stephen R. Foley—Commander of the Navy’s Blue Angels
Sciences
- Larry Weed, inventor of the “problem-oriented medical record” or “POMR"
Sports
- Guy Hebert, class of 1989—Professional Hockey Player
Writing and journalism
- Samuel Hopkins Adams, class of 1891—Author
- Henry Allen, class of 1963, Pulitizer prize winning critic
- Albert Barnes, class of 1820—Theologian
- Terry Brooks, class of 1966—Author
- Alf Evers—Historian
- Thomas Meehan, class of 1951—creator of Annie and The Producers
- Richard Nelson, class of 1972, playwright
- Ezra Pound, class of 1905—Author
- Alexander Woolcott, class of 1909, literary critic
- Steve Wulf—Editor-in-Chief of ESPN the Magazine
College Trivia
- The relatively obscure 1969 film The Sterile Cuckoo (which starred a young Liza Minnelli) was based up the novel of the same name written by Hamilton alum John Nichols. A fictionalized version of Hamilton was the location of most of the plot action in The Sterile Cuckoo and portions of the film were shot on the Hamilton Campus.
- Alex Haley was a professor at Hamilton for a brief period immediately before he wrote Roots. Though he was not an active faculty member when he wrote Roots, Haley was living in the Village of Clinton when he wrote most of Roots.
- Previous faculty members at Hamilton include poets Agha Shahid Ali and Howard Nemerov.
- 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.
- Author and former Time Magazine editor, Barrett Seaman is a Hamilton alum and trustee. 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.
References
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