Hamilton 360

Hamilton has one of the most loyal alumni bodies in the country in terms of giving time and money to the College and in their affection and pride as Continentals. That loyalty and pride begins as students and arises from a mix of extraordinary classroom experiences and the activities that animate their lives outside the classroom – residential life, social life, religious life, dining, clubs, the arts, and athletics. Using “experience design” as a framework, what is the Hamilton residential liberal arts experience, and what should it be going forward? Has it evolved as our student body has changed? Do we have the right spaces for a creative, connected, integrated, and dynamic social life? Is the social life experience meeting the needs of our students? What/where is the hub of diverse, student-driven nightlife and a model for a healthy, connected, and inclusive social life? Are Beinecke Village and Sadove the right places for this and, if so, how? Is our engagement with food – what we serve, how we share meals, how food is connected to sustainability, cultural exchange, belonging — what we want it to be? What should we prioritize in terms of spaces and future investments? How do we enable students to continue to creatively curate their collective experiences? Are there ways to strengthen the extraordinary array of student leadership and student mentorship opportunities? Can we rethink student employment, apprenticeships, and fellowships across campus and how they contribute to a Hamilton life?

Beyond the Hill, the economy continues to experience accelerating disruption and change. There are few straight pathways to a successful career and life. In reality, most graduates are not doing anything directly related to their major within 5 years. Economists predict that one-half of all current occupations will not exist in 25 years, replaced by new occupations that we cannot currently imagine. Most students have a limited “occupational imagination” with little idea of the immense variety of jobs that they might be qualified for or for which they might aspire. Most CEOs and HR managers say that today’s graduates lack the core competencies they are seeking – including creativity, the ability to collaborate, dealing with ambiguity, taking initiative, communicating clearly, the ability to adapt and quickly learn new skills, and the cultural and interpersonal competency needed to to deal with people across difference. In spite of these rapid changes in the world of work, most career offices at colleges and universities are still organized around older models – connecting students to alumni through traditional outreach; writing cover letters and preparing resumes; securing internships; and job fairs and career information sessions. Can Hamilton re-imagine how we prepare students for lives of work and purpose? Can we engage alumni differently? Can we build the strongest engagement platform ever to connect our students with alumni, parents and other potential mentors, coaches, connectors, and employers? Do we create a “multigenerational campus” with alumni participating as mentors, counselors, teachers and even students, both on and off campus? Can we guarantee every student a paid internship? Can we help students practice the liberal arts in the context of real-world challenges? How do we build from our great experiential learning opportunities; our fantastic alumni network and legions of alumni volunteers; our expert and experienced career advisors, in order to be a “best in class” liberal arts college building strong and durable bridges between life on the Hill and life off and after the Hill?