AHI Sponsors Undergrad Fellows
by Rebecca Pomerantz '12Features Writer
February 04, 2010
In 2006 something groundbreaking was presented to the trustees of Hamilton College: the proposal for an Alexander Hamilton Center for the progress of the study of Western Civilization. Robert Paquette, James Bradfield and Douglas Ambrose, all Hamilton professors, were the original proponents of the center. Due to complications between the proposers and the college, the Alexander Hamilton Institute (AHI) moved off of the Hamilton campus and into a building in downtown Clinton in 2007.
Despite this controversial split, the institue has proven very effective not only with Hamilton students but the Central New York population as a whole. The Institute seems to provide something that is missing for students across the nation: an open forum to discuss all sides and opinions on events in the Western world as they apply to college students.
One of the programs most recently introduced by the AHI in the fall of 2009 is the AHI Undergraduate Fellows program. Senior AHI Fellows Professor Theodore Eismeier of the government department and Professor James Bradfield of the economics Department select undergraduate fellows through a formal application process. Although the undergraduate program is relatively new, it has achieved success so far and continues to grow.
Eismeier said that although the Undergraduate program just started this past fall, the amount of Undergraduate Fellows has reached over 30. The fellows are not only accepted from Hamilton, but from all over the Central New York area.
Beth Foster'12, a undergraduate fellow from Hamilton explained, "Much of the work at AHI is student run, and fellows take an active role in many of the meetings, panels and discussions at the AHI, which can range from topics such as federalism, healthcare or faculty panels on the future of the liberal arts education."
Undergraduate fellows reap the benefits of the various programs that the AHI offers—including colloquia, conferences and speakers—with opportunities for both leadership and learning. In explaining the leadership opportunities for undergraduate fellows, Eismeier says, "undergraduate fellows are often leaders of discussions held by the Publius Society and other groups. Trying to revive Hamilton's tradition of public speaking, we encourage undergraduate fellows to make public presentations about course research, senior projects or other subjects of interest to faculty and fellows as well as friends and family."
Hamilton undergraduate fellow Will Leubsdorf'10 said, "I've helped lead two Publius discussions on John Yoo's interpretation of the Constitution and one recently on health care."
Not only do the undergraduate fellows get the opportunity to be leaders of such events, but they are also allowed the chance to meet on a personal level with the visitors that pass through the AHI. The newest addition to the Undergraduate Fellows program is the "Leadership Luncheon" program. Founding fellow of the AHI, Professor Robert Paquette of the history department described these events: "They occur at least once a month during the academic year and consist of intensive exchanges between AHI undergraduate fellows and distinguished guests who pass through the AHI."
Through opportunities such as these luncheons, undergraduate fellows not only benefit academically, but often times make contacts for their careers later in life. Paquette said, "One of the AHI guests, Roger Kimball, was so impressed with one student at a Leadership Luncheon, that he provided his card and encouraged him to meet with him in New York City to discuss an internship."
Commenting on the intellectual stimulation at the AHI, undergraduate fellows seem to have endless enjoyment and appreciation of the discussions they take part in. Undegraduate fellow Elizabeth Farrington '10 said, "My experiences at the AHI have been overwhelmingly positive." Leubsdorf added, "My experience with the AHI has been great. The AHI provides a great forum for discussion of major issues, bringing a range of students with a diverse range of perspectives to have serious discussions of important issues. That type of balanced discourse is unfortunately far too rare, both on this campus and in American society generally."
"I have been amazed at not only how much I've learned from various professors and speakers, but also from my fellows students," Foster said, " This is something I feel is extremely unique to the AHI, and is difficult to find elsewhere on campus."
It is easy to assume that there may be a communication gap between the students at the AHI events and the visiting speakers. In addressing how discussion is conducted, Paquette says, "I would say the emphasis is on civil exchange and conversation at a high level. In some cases, students lead the discussion. In other cases, a guest may start the event with brief introductory remarks and then raise questions for students to answer. Some times discussions proceed informally with students and guests gathered in a circle savoring questions and answers with a cup of coffee or a glass of Cabernet in hand."
The recent undergraduate fellows program has not only been meaningful to the fellows but also to their guests. A recent AHI visitor commented to Professor Paquette, "I greatly enjoyed the trip to Hamilton, and (even more) enjoyed meeting your fine and well informed students."
Some of the Hamilton College students who are currently AHI Undergraduate Fellows include Bianca Dragan '10, Cara Daniel '12, Woodger Faugus '12, Beth Foster '12, Will Leubsdorf '10, Adam Vorcheimer '11, Liz Farrington '10, John Dunn '10 and Stephen Okin '10.
Eismeier suggests that those who are interested in becoming an AHI Undergraduate Fellow contact him as it is a rolling application process and they are considering students in all class years.
In referring to the AHI Undergraduate Fellows, Farrington says, "We are all there to seek answers to age-old philosophical, political, economic and religious questions—though we don't agree on the solutions, I find the journey is edifying in the way I think every college experience should be."