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A 200-year legacy as a small, selective liberal arts college will be celebrated as Hamilton College hosts its Bicentennial Kickoff on Thursday - Sunday, Sept. 22-25. Some 3000 alumni, parents, students and other members of the Hamilton community are expected to take part in events on the Hill over the course of the weekend.  The occasion will be marked with performances, tours, a Bicentennial Assembly, fireworks, NESCAC athletic events, and more than 30 Bicentennial Colleges designed to commemorate this historic milestone in Hamilton’s history.

Highlights

Thursday, Sept. 22

Bicentennial History of the College (lecture), 3 p.m., Kennedy Auditorium, Taylor Science Center
History Professor Maurice Isserman, the author of On the Hill: A Bicentennial History of Hamilton College, will discuss the contest between the forces of change and continuity in Hamilton’s second century. (Also taking place on Friday, Sept. 23, at 1:30 p.m., which will be broadcast live online. Visit the bicentennial website for more information.)

The Friendship of Samuel Kirkland and Chief Skenandoa (lecture), 4 p.m., room G042, Taylor Science Center
Kandice Watson, Oneida Nation historian, will discuss Samuel Kirkland's relationship with Chief Skenandoa and the history of the Oneida Nation in the early 1800s.

Careers in Entrepreneurship (panel), 8 p.m., Red Pit, KJ.
Panel discussion and networking event with  alumni Gretchen Morrison Grad '85,  founder,  Hands of Peace; Andrew McKee ’86, chair/founder of Vacation.com; Dan Nye ’88, president and CEO, Rocket Lawyer, CEO of LinkedIn.com;  Marc Randolph '81, co-founder/CEO of Netflix; Rob Rigg ’99, president, TRUE Linkswear, and founder of The Walking Golfer.


Friday, Sept. 23

Hamilton Leaders Live Their Passions Through New Ventures (panel) 10:30 a.m., Bradford Auditorium, KJ
Generations of Hamilton alumni have made important contributions to society through their establishment of and dedicated service to new ventures in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Panelists will tell how passion for an idea, or compelling cause, became the motivation for their achievements.  K. Blake Darcy '78, CEO, Gotham Asset Management, LLC; Gretchen Grad, founder of non-profit Hands of Peace; Joe Rowbottom '99, CEO, All Things Marketing; John Werner '92, chief mobilizing officer /managing director, Citizen Schools. Moderated by George Nehme '79, Innovative Resources Group, Inc.

The Legacy of Trees on the Hamilton Campus (tour), 11 a.m., meet at gazebo behind Anderson-Connell Alumni Center
The College Arboretum consists of trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants for scientific and educational study. Arboretum Director Terry Hawkridge will lead a tour along flat ground.

Hydrofracking (Levitt Center lecture), 2 p.m., Chapel
A panel of expert will provide an informative overview of the science and policy of gas drilling in the Utica and Marcellus shales in Central New York.

Bicentennial Campus Tour, 2 p.m., Meet in lobby of Sadove Student Center at Emerson Hall
A tour of campus historical sites led by history students.  (Also Friday at 4 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 24, at 2 p.m.; and Sunday, Sept. 25, at 11 a.m.)

Archaeology of Hamilton College (tour), 3 p.m., Meet in Wellin Atrium, Science Center
Anthropology Professor Nathan Goodale is conducting an archaeological excavation at a site potentially associated with Samuel Kirkland. Goodale and students will host a site tour, demonstrate techniques used to learn about the past and discuss their findings. *Please wear sturdy shoes suitable for hiking to the site. (Also taking place Saturday, Sept. 24, 2:30 p.m.)

Time Capsules and Cornerstones: 200 years of Collective Memory at Hamilton (lecture), 3:30 p.m., Emerson Gallery
Speakers will explore how devices such as mementos, scrapbooks and monuments have been used by generations of Hamiltonians to create a shared experience.

The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Today (lecture) 4 p.m., Bradford Aud., KJ
Former U.S. Ambassador Edward Walker Jr. '62 and Professor of History Shoshana Keller will discuss the history, implications for American foreign policy and stability of the Middle East.

Alexander Hamilton: The Education of a Self-Made Man (lecture), 4 p.m., ROOM CHANGE - Wellin Hall, Schambach Center
Professor of Classics Carl Rubino will discuss how -- despite Alexander Hamilton's lack of formal education -- his formidable intelligence and industry made him the equal of men like Jefferson and Adams.

Science Center Naming Ceremony, 5 p.m. Taylor Science Center
Naming of Science Center in honor of Virginia and Edward '46 Taylor

Bicentennial Fireworks Display, 8:45 p.m., Royce Baseball Field (raindate, Saturday, Sept. 24)

World-Class Jazz, 9 p.m. Fillius Events Barn
Performance by all-star jazz sextet.

Saturday, Sept. 24

Bicentennial Assembly, 11 a.m., Wellin Hall, Schambach Center

Keynote event will include academic procession, reading of the college charter, remarks by Hamilton President Joan Stewart and board of trustees chairman A. G. Lafley, choir performance, and screening of a Hamilton College film. 

All Campus and Community Picnic, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Dunham Green
Entertainment by the Excelsior Cornet band, an eight-piece brass band.

The Life and Legacy of Alexander Hamilton, (lecture) 1 p.m., Chapel
Professors Douglas Ambrose and Robert Martin will discuss the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton. The speakers are co-editors of The Many Faces of Alexander Hamilton: The Life and Legacy of America's Most Elusive Founding Father, published by New York University Press.

Google Earth and Desert Eyes: A Tale of Enigmatic Structures in the Western Desert of Egypt (lecture), 1:30 p.m.,  Taylor Science Center, room G041
In this illustrated talk, Geosciences Professor Barbara Tewksbury will show extraordinary and previously unrecognized structures that can be seen in Google Earth in Egypt’s Western Desert.

The Year Without a Summer – 1816 (lecture) 2:30 p.m., Taylor Science Center, room G041
The summer weather four years after Hamilton’s founding was unusual with fluctuating temperature extremes, unusual snowfalls, frosts and ice. Biology Professor David Gapp will discuss how it impacted the area.

How Hamilton Works:  What Students Gain from College – and How (lecture), Kennedy Auditorium, Taylor Science Center  For the past 12 years, with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Professor Dan Chambliss and a team of researchers have studied what students actually gain from attending a liberal arts college, and how those benefits occur. Following a cohort of 100 students every year through their college education as well as for five years afterward, the research provides a host of answers.

Theatre Talk and Discussion (lecture), 5 p.m. Bradford Auditorium, KJ
Rajiv Joseph, Brad Fleischer '00 and a student will discuss theater and a reading from Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. The play, written by Joseph, received three Tony nominations. Fleischer co-starred with Robin Williams in the show on Broadway earlier this year. Joseph, a 2010 Pulitzer Prize finalist, teaches essay writing at NYU and writes for the Showtime series Nurse Jackie.

Sunday, Sept. 25

The History of Land Development and Buildings of Hamilton (lecture), 2 p.m. Clinton Historical Society, 1 Fountain St., Clinton
Associate Vice President for Facilities and Planning Steve Bellona will give an overview of the history of the development of the lands and buildings at Hamilton. His discussion will cover progress from 1812 until present day.

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