Writings & Remarks

March 7-8 Board Meeting

March 13, 2025

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Dear Hamilton Community,

The Board of Trustees met on campus March 7 and 8 for its annual spring meeting. In an attempt to stir their nostalgia for life on the Hill, we ordered a snowstorm for Saturday morning. Many board members stayed in town to watch our men’s hockey team defeat Middlebury on the way to winning the NESCAC championship. Congratulations to our team for a great tournament and good luck in the coming NCAA tournament. 

The board was particularly excited to spend time with the seniors on Friday night at our traditional senior reception and noted that as the first post-COVID-19 Hamilton graduating class, students seemed more engaged and excited to be together and to have a chance to meet trustees. Board members also met with faculty on Friday evening for dinner. Trustees were blown away by the research they learned about and were concerned by conversations around potential federal cuts to research funding. They encouraged the College to continue identifying ways to support faculty research, a message Dean Munemo shared at a special meeting of the faculty one week earlier.

The board got a full briefing from our attorneys at Bond, Schoeneck & King, the College’s legal counsel, about the current federal policy landscape. As I have shared previously, our counsel believes that the College does not discriminate in any of our programs, decisions, or allocation of resources and opportunities. Therefore, the board was very supportive of the College’s plans to continue with all current programming and offerings around building a diverse and inclusive community at Hamilton.

As part of an update on our ALEX program, the board learned that participation by first-year students has increased from 27% when we began the program in 2021 to just under 80% today.

We also heard from current students about the campus climate, including their worries and hopes for life at Hamilton. One theme that emerged was a desire for more conversations across campus, more connection across groups, and more commitment to belonging and finding spaces to share and celebrate and build community.

I offered the board my perspective, which I have shared at faculty meetings and in previous correspondence, that many of the critiques of higher education are distorted and not based on the reality of what happens on campuses like Hamilton and how we advance student success. I asked the trustees to continue to advocate on behalf of the College with political, social, and business leaders as we, working with our peers, seek to influence the policy environment in support of our mission.

The board also approved the 2025-26 budget for the College which will set the comprehensive fee at $91,150 (still likely to be below most of our peers), add $3.6 million in scholarship aid (for a total of $63.3 million) to protect our need-blind promise, and allow us to provide a 3% base increase plus a 1% merit pool to our incredibly talented and hard-working employees. And, drum roll ... coming clean ... they approved plans to provide free laundry for all students, a request that was a high priority for student leaders.

The board reviewed and approved plans to drill more geothermal wells as part of the overall Innovation Center project and the campus’ goal to become more energy efficient and carbon neutral by 2030. The wells will provide heating and cooling to both the Innovation Center and to Burke Library as part of future system upgrades. Trustees also approved the renovation of the former ABC House at 3989 Campus Road to create 17 new residential spaces for students. This, along with the graduation of our senior class, which is larger than most other classes, means Bundy residents will no longer have forced doubles, something we know many students will be happy to hear.

I also provided an update on the community design process that has resulted in over 320 “What If” ideas and 51 formal proposals. Many of the funded proposals (still under review) will begin this fall. In addition to the “What If” Initiative, we will host eight to 10 design charrettes over the next nine months for a diverse group of stakeholders to audition bold and differentiating ideas for Hamilton’s future.

The trustees also passed a resolution to award honorary degrees to the baccalaureate and commencement speakers in May; The Spectator will announce the names of the speakers after break. Finally, the board approved tenure and promotion to associate professor for Viva Horowitz in physics and Wei Zhan in economics, effective July 1. Please join me in congratulating these outstanding members of our faculty.

I’m grateful to all who interacted with the trustees and helped prepare for their visit. Best wishes for a safe and relaxing spring break.

Steven