News

Chef, chocolatier, and Hamilton alumnus Stephen Durfee ’85 urged the Class of 2026 to be present and patient enough to find what they love during the College’s Commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 24, in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House, where 507 bachelor of arts degrees were awarded.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of a beloved Hamilton tradition. At every Commencement ceremony since 1976, a wooden cane has been presented to each graduate as a token of the College’s affection and a nod to its long history. The head of the cane forms a Continental tricorn hat in honor of Baron von Steuben, drillmaster of Washington’s Continental Army, who laid the cornerstone of the Hamilton-Oneida Academy on July 1, 1794.

Earlier today, Hamilton President Steven Tepper contacted members of the Board of Trustees with the following message to share news of the death of Mary McLean Evans ’82. Over the course of more than four decades, Mary helped generations of alumni and friends stay connected with Hamilton and assisted thousands of students with their postgraduate plans. Mary demonstrated an immense love for and commitment to her alma mater – a legacy that will endure for years to come.

National and regional news organizations regularly interview Hamilton faculty, staff, alumni, and students for their expertise and perspectives on current events, and to feature programs and activities on campus. April’s news topics included coverage of a new Hamilton partnership with several prestigious graduate schools to a faculty member’s debut novel, among others.

When Audrey Alix ’25 sits down at her desk in Utica’s City Hall, she’s greeted by the familiar sight of her class binder from Hamilton’s GIS for Geoscientists course. Occasionally, she will thumb through its pages, searching for techniques she learned on the Hill. On her computer, Alix keeps data that she created during an Emerson Grant project mapping the parks and trees of Utica. Every day, she is reminded of the work she put in to get to her current position as a city planner in Utica, N.Y.

With construction progressing steadily toward a January 2027 opening, Hamilton College has announced the name of its newest building: The Nye Center for Innovation and Technology. The name of the 41,000-square-foot facility celebrates its ties to a branch of the Burke and Harding families which has provided unwavering support to the College for six generations spanning more than a century.

National and regional news organizations regularly interview Hamilton faculty, staff, alumni, and students for their expertise and perspectives on current events, and to feature programs and activities on campus. March’s news topics included coverage of the lunar eclipse, the war with Iran, and alumni creative endeavors, among others.

Travis Talmadge ’09 has a hot idea — bringing sauna and bathhouse culture, which has long existed in Scandinavia and Japan, to America. He co-founded Bathhouse, “a home for people to look, feel, and perform their very best.”

Chef and chocolatier Stephen Durfee, director of curriculum at Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco, and a 1985 graduate of Hamilton College, will deliver Hamilton’s 2026 Commencement address and receive an honorary degree on Sunday, May 24, at 10:30 a.m., in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House. A class of 507 students is expected to receive bachelor’s degrees during the Commencement ceremony.

Victor Maldonado ’86 has no plans to retire from practicing immigration law anytime soon. In fact, he’s pushing himself harder than ever. Last summer, Maldonado swam the English Channel, a course considered the “Mt. Everest of Open Water Swimming” — and he’s not stopping there.