DAVID WIPPMAN
Hamilton’s 20th President
This book is dedicated to
DAVID WIPPMAN
the 20th president of Hamilton College, on the occasion of your retirement. Thank you for the generous spirit, engaging sense of humor, strategic focus, boundless energy, and adept advocacy for students and faculty that you brought to your eight years leading our College. Hamilton is stronger, more self-confident, better known, and a more intellectually curious and engaging place because of your leadership.
PRESENTED BY THE ALUMNI COUNCIL June 8, 2024
PRESIDENTIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
David Wippman emerged as the top finalist from a strong and diverse pool of well-qualified candidates because of his intelligence, warmth and enthusiasm for the liberal arts. He personifies many of the objectives of a Hamilton education: He is a strong and collaborative leader, an effective communicator and a person committed to active citizenship. Hamilton is in a strong and stable position with a growing reputation.
STEPHEN I. SADOVE ’73Past Chair, Hamilton Board of Trustees
December 11, 2015
As an expert in international law, David Wippman is an inspired choice to lead a college named for Alexander Hamilton and that counts among its distinguished alumni the 1912 Nobel Peace Prize winner Elihu Root, Civil Rights leader Bob Moses and former U.S. ambassadors Sol Linowitz, Bill Luers and Ned Walker. I commend Hamilton College and its trustees for choosing as its next leader someone who personifies the democratic values that Hamilton seeks to instill in its graduates.
WALTER MONDALEFormer Vice President of the United States
December 11, 2015
BEGINNING A PRESIDENCY
Hamilton has been on a remarkable upward trajectory. But higher education, and the world around it, have shown little inclination to show us the courtesy of standing still. As the Red Queen observed to a fast-running Alice in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass, ‘Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!’ We, of course, want to get somewhere else, to get even better at doing what we have always done — helping our students know themselves and their potential.
DAVID WIPPMANJuly 1, 2016
The Board of Trustees cordially invites you to attend a dinner honoring David Wippman, the Twentieth President of Hamilton College
Friday, October 7, 2016
6:30 p.m. Cocktails
7:30 p.m. Dinner
Margaret Bundy Scott Field House Hamilton College
Kindly RSVP by Wednesday, September 21, at www.hamilton.edu/rsvp
INAUGURATING THE 20TH PRESIDENT
At Convocation this year, I emphasized to incoming students the importance of engaging with viewpoints with which they may strongly disagree. I noted that doing so will not always be easy and it will not always be comfortable. But easy and comfortable are not part of our educational mission. Intellectual, social, and moral development are; and they occur only when we confront new ideas and consider other perspectives, even if we find those ideas and perspectives uncomfortable.
At the same time, our students’ desire for a learning environment that supports all of their classmates is entirely laudable. We must do more to foster such an environment, so that when students engage with ideas that are difficult or offensive, they can do so in a productive and respectful way.
DAVID WIPPMAN October 8, 2016
JOINING QUESTBRIDGE
I am pleased to announce that Hamilton will begin partnering with QuestBridge, a national organization that connects talented, high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds with highly selective colleges and universities. [...] This partnership extends our efforts to recruit the most talented and diverse students to Hamilton regardless of their financial circumstances.
May 10, 2017
DAVID WIPPMAN
FINDING COMMON GROUND
The goal [of Common Ground] is for the speakers to model the kind of respectful dialogue across political boundaries that should occur not just on college campuses, but in the broader society as well.
DAVID WIPPMANOctober 2017
FREE SPEECH ON CAMPUS
[T]oday’s students recognize the undeniable harms caused by speech that stigmatize members of underrepresented communities. They want to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students. Abstract claims that free speech protections played a key role in the civil rights movement and historically have benefitted members of disadvantaged groups do not resonate with many students. Many see firsthand the harms caused by hateful rhetoric, on campus and off, and have not witnessed the harms that can occur when governments or institutions are entrusted with the power to censor. Suppressing speech, even offensive speech, runs counter to the aims of a liberal education. [...] How then should we deal with speakers who express views that denigrate
members of vulnerable groups or otherwise offend values important to our community? There are a wide range of possibilities, ranging from condemning such speech to counterprogramming to peaceful and nondisruptive protest.
Perhaps most important, we can find ways to express in positive terms community values of diversity and inclusion and use our own speech to build the kind of community we want Hamilton to be.
DAVID WIPPMANDecember 1, 2017
HAMILTON’S 208TH YEAR
A residential liberal arts college is a special place, with unparalleled opportunities for intellectual development and personal growth. Hamiltonians come from around the country and around the world, to learn from and about one another. We occupy a space and share an identity that has been formed by and across many generations, and we inherit traditions of academic rigor, open and respectful dialogue, generosity of spirit, and commitment to the transformative possibilities of a liberal arts education.
DAVID WIPPMAN August 26, 2019
INSPIRING CONFIDENCE IN UNCERTAIN TIMES
COVID-19 presents a challenge unlike any I have seen in my nearly 30 years in higher education. But it is a challenge we will surmount together. Hamilton is defined not by its beautiful campus nor its extraordinary facilities, but by the people who make up our community. Let’s have faith in each other to meet whatever comes next.
DAVID WIPPMANMarch 17, 2020
WORKING TOWARD A MORE EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE HAMILTON
Many of you have written to me to offer your ideas, describe your experiences, and share your frustrations with the pace of change at Hamilton. I have carefully reviewed every message, many of which have been distressing to read. They all reinforce the urgency and importance of the task ahead of us, and the need to develop new strategies to ensure an equitable and inclusive community. [...] Even as we face the continuing challenge of COVID-19, Hamilton is committed to building a stronger and more inclusive community.
DAVID WIPPMANAugust 3, 2020
PREPARING FOR SPRING
We begin the [spring semester] at one of the most consequential moments in decades. In this environment, it would be easy to overlook the importance of the work we do together. But education is not simply a means for self-improvement; it is also, as Nelson Mandela put it, “the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” What we do here helps shape the world we inhabit, the society we seek to create, and the people we want to become.
DAVID WIPPMANJanuary 21, 2021
ELEVATING OUR COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
Hamilton was an early signatory of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment 15 years ago, and remains committed to pursuing a responsible path to carbon neutrality. We have already made significant progress, and new strategies, technologies, and funding have enabled us to accelerate our initial pledge.
DAVID WIPPMANApril 8, 2022
ANNOUNCING THE NEXT CHAPTER
My time at Hamilton has been the most satisfying of my career. I have watched with pride as entering classes set records for quality, selectivity, and diversity; new and renovated buildings enhanced an already beautiful campus; teacher-scholars of the highest caliber made Hamilton their home; and trustees, alumni, parents, and friends gave generously of their time and resources.
I am grateful for the opportunity to witness the positive and profound changes our students experience during their four years here; for the privilege to work with and learn from so many talented Hamiltonians, all of whom share a deep commitment to this institution; and for the chance to forge relationships that, I hope, will last a lifetime.
DAVID WIPPMANMay 16, 2023
BEGINNING THE FINAL YEAR
In joining this community, we inherit other traditions that have formed over many years, notably commitments to academic rigor, open and respectful dialogue, generosity of spirit, and the transformative promise of a liberal arts education. Our diverse experiences and backgrounds are vital as we seek to embrace those traditions and fulfill Hamilton’s mission: preparing our students for lives of meaning, purpose, and active citizenship. Hamilton offers the opportunity to know one’s self better through the life-changing experience of a residential, liberal arts education. Whether one’s role here is as student, teacher, or staff member, it is our collective effort that makes the College work.
DAVID WIPPMANAugust 23, 2023
STAYING ON MISSION
As I enter my last semester at Hamilton, I am keenly aware of the many challenges facing higher education and concerned that many now question its value and purpose. I continue to believe that for all its faults, higher education in the United States remains the best in the world because of the quality of our teaching and research, the caliber of our students, and the extraordinary array of opportunities open to them.
If ever there was a time for us, all of us, to do what we do best – explore ideas, think critically about our challenges and those of the broader society, engage in respectful dialogue, study, educate, and learn – that time is now.
DAVID WIPPMANJanuary 17, 2024
A PRESIDENTIAL TIMELINE
Since beginning his tenure as Hamilton’s 20th president on July 2016, David Wippman has been guided by the College’s mission to “prepare students for lives of meaning, purpose, and active citizenship.” Here are just some of the milestone achievements over the past eight years.
• Begins tenure as Hamilton’s 20th president on July 1
• Common Ground program launches, bringing nationally known experts to College Hill to discuss contemporary issues from different perspectives
• Tietje Family Tennis Center dedicated
2016 2017
• Henry W. Harding Field House opens
• “Connected Hamilton” Strategic Plan adopted with an emphasis on enhancing digital learning opportunities using advanced technologies across disciplines; student advising; and diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout campus
• Joel and Elizabeth Johnson Center for Health and Wellness dedicated
• Hamilton’s endowment market value tops $1 billion 2019
• Bob Simon Golf Center dedicated
• Wippman co-authors the first of more than 50 op-eds published during his presidency on issues pertaining to higher education; he also is named to the Advisory Council of Refugees International
2018
• Protocols adopted to protect the campus community from COVID-19, allowing Hamilton to operate safely and students to remain on schedule for graduation (continues through 2022)
• New academic minor added in Statistics
• New academic concentration in Japanese added 2020
• Renovated Alumni Gymnasium opens
• DEI Advisory Council established
• ALEX (Advise, Learn, EXperience) program, Hamilton’s innovative coordinated network of on-campus academic centers, resources, and advisors, launches
• Middle States Commission on Higher Education issues reaccreditation
2021
• Chapel steeple refurbishment completed
• Wippman elected to a three-year term with the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities
• Renovated List Center opens to house the Literature and Creative Writing Department
2022
• Hamilton announces roadmap for achieving carbon neutrality by 2030
• New academic concentrations added in Data Science and Middle East & Islamicate World Studies
• Sean Bennett becomes first vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Jason P. Andris Boathouse dedicated as headquarters for rowing program
• Because Hamilton, the most ambitious campaign in the College’s history, tops goal of $400 million, including more than $120 million for student scholarship aid
• Hamilton becomes first liberal arts college to partner with The Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C.
• Bristol Pool renovation completed
• Hamilton’s first makerspace opens in renovated Burke Library
2024
• Hamilton joins the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) 2023
• Root Hall opens after extensive renovation
• The Innovation Center, a new state-of-the-art building that will provide space for computer science and digital innovation across the curriculum, is announced
David Wippman has been an exceptional president at an especially challenging time. He is highly effective and widely admired, and his presidency has been marked by success on all measures. We are grateful for his leadership in making Hamilton an even stronger and more highly regarded institution.
DAVID SOLOMON ’84, P’16 Chair, Hamilton Board of TrusteesMay 16,
2023
At my own inauguration eight years ago, a friend and former college president offered me some useful words of advice. ‘Enjoy all of the applause,’ he said. ‘You won’t hear it again until you’re ready to step down.’ Well it wasn’t entirely accurate. Again, it wasn’t entirely wrong, either. The reality is it doesn’t matter. The real pleasure and privilege and joy of this role lies not in the applause, or lack thereof; it lies in the opportunity to serve an institution that has done so much for so many, for so long, and continues to do so.
DAVID WIPPMANFebruary 29, 2024
