News

As one of the few surveys of Russian elites - perhaps the only publicly available survey -  conducted since Putin returned to the presidency in 2012, the newly released Hamilton College Levitt Poll, titled The Russian Elite 2016, represents a unique resource. Survey data on whether Russian elites support the more muscular foreign policy that has been pursued during Vladimir Putin’s third presidential term (2012-present) have been largely unavailable–until now. 

Robert Jensen, professor of economics and public policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, gave a Levitt Center- sponsored talk on April 21 about the gender bias in developing countries. In particular, he focused on the economic and cultural implications of preferences toward male children in India.

In the weeks following spring break, there is usually an abundance of speakers on campus. This year was no exception with almost 100 speakers presenting in the last 30 days on myriad topics. Three well-known scientists were among them: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Robert Ballard and Michael Mann.

Hamilton was well-represented with seven student attendees at the 9th annual Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) held April 1- 3 at the University of California, Berkeley. Aleksandra Bogoevska ’17, Andy Chen ’16, Leonard Kilekwang ’16, Alexandru Hirsu ’17, Emily Moschowits ’16, Sharif Shrestha ’17 and Tsion Tesfaye ’16 were among the more than 1,200 students chosen for the prestigious conference.  All are recipients of Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center funding and/or support.

Climatologist and author Michael Mann, director of Penn State’s Earth System Science Center and co-founder of the award-winning science website RealClimate.org will give a lecture titled “The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars,” based on his book of the same name, on Monday, April 4, at 7 p.m., in the Chapel.

Justin Long ’16 has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Thailand. Long, a linguistics interdisciplinary studies major, studied in Ecuador during his junior year.

Hamilton’s Levitt Leadership Institute (LLI) students spent their first week of spring break discovering how to be passionate, flexible and persistent in Washington, D.C. As organizers and participants in sessions with both governmental and non-profit organization leaders, they had the opportunity to demonstrate their newly acquired leadership skills.

Tsion Tesfaye ’16 has been selected to present her Commitment to Action project “Youth for Ethiopia” in a skills building session at the 2016 Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) meeting that will be held April 1-3 at the University of California, Berkeley.

 Among the Levitt Center’s programs aimed at connecting Hamilton students with the Utica community are Project SHINE and VITA. SHINE (Students Helping in the Naturalization of Elders) is a service learning program in which Hamilton students tutor refugees and immigrants learning English. VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) offers free tax help to families who cannot prepare their own tax returns. Hamilton students become certified volunteer tax preparers through the IRS.

Sharif Shrestha ’17 is one of five students who will be recognized at the opening plenary session of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), April 1 through 3, at the University of California, Berkeley.