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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. February’s news topics included varied subjects from President Barack Obama’s upcoming visit to campus to the possible economic and political effects of decisions made by President Donald Trump.

Hamilton College Professor of Economics Erol Balkan and Professor of Sociology Stephen Ellingson, in collaboration with On Point for College, surveyed more than 200 members of the Myanmar, Bosnian, and Somalian communities in Utica, N.Y., in 2024 to ascertain the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, they examined the effects on refugee physical well-being, employment and finances, housing stability, youth education, and emotional well-being.

Professor of Sociology Stephen Ellingson recently published his sixth book: Planting with Purpose: How Farmers Create a Resilient Food Landscape, with NYU Press.

In the stagnant air of subway stations, unnoticed by countless commuters, the sounds of street musicians ornament the harsh rumble of passing trains. Some of these performers go viral for their abilities; many more remain unseen and unheard. But how exactly do they contribute to the fabric of the communities they inhabit?

Stephen Wu, the Irma M. and Robert D. Morris Professor of Economics, is the lead author of a paper that appears in the June issue of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.

It was a summer of teamwork for students Kaitlyn Thayer ’19, Julia McGuire ’20, Nora McEntee ’19, and Amarilys Milian ’20 as they worked with a sociology professor to investigate local food systems in Central New York.

Professor of Sociology Stephen Ellingson is the author of To Care for Creation: The Emergence of the Religious Environmental Movement, published this month by the University of Chicago Press. The book chronicles the religious environmental movement and its commitment to promoting green religious traditions and creating a new environmental ethic.

Hamilton College President David Wippman announced the promotion of four faculty members to the rank of professor.  Heather Buchman, music; Stephen Ellingson, sociology; Ella Gant, art; and Chaise LaDousa, anthropology, were promoted effective July 1.

Six Hamilton faculty members were recognized for their research and creative successes with the Dean’s Scholarly Achievement Awards, presented by Dean of Faculty Patrick Reynolds on Class & Charter Day on May 9.

Hannah Tessler ’14 is connecting with children adopted from China to learn about their unique experiences being “raised American,” in her project funded by the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center.  With Associate Professor of Sociology Steve Ellingson, she will listen to others’ stories and “search for relationships between a child’s environment and their outlook on a variety of topics and issues.”