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Ray English, the Azariah Smith Root Director of Libraries at Oberlin College, presented the second annual Couper Phi Beta Kappa Library Lecture.  English spoke about the need for fundamental reform in the system of scholarly communication, and advocated a move toward open access publishing. The Couper Phi Beta Kappa Library Lecture, established last year in honor of Richard “Dick” Couper ’44, brings a distinguished lecturer to campus each fall to speak on issues related to the College’s library or libraries in general.

Renowned public artist Mary Miss spoke to a large audience of Hamilton College and Colgate University community members in Hamilton’s Science Auditorium on Sept. 8. Miss talked about her long career, in which she has blended sculpture, architecture and landscape design to create innovative works of art around the world, as well as her vision for the future of public art. Miss was the keynote speaker for a two day symposium on Public Art on Campus, sponsored jointly by Hamilton and Colgate’s art departments.

Hamilton’s Diversity and Social Justice Project began its 2006-2007 series on “Activism in Academia” on Aug. 30 with a panel of Hamilton professors discussing their perspectives on the issue. The panel featured Vivyan Adair of women’s studies, Doug Ambrose of history, Penny Yee of psychology, and Tiffany Patterson of Africana studies. The professors each shared their opinions on the place of activism and politics in the college classroom.

Construction projects on the Hamilton campus this summer will include the renovation of Kirkland Residence Hall, additions to the athletic facilities, and the renovation of the Glen House and Sigma Phi house to serve as new offices.

Veteran broadcast journalist Tom Brokaw, the longtime anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News, gave the annual Sacerdote Great Names Series Lecture in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House at Hamilton College on April 27. Brokaw shared his insights on the state of American politics and society, and called on today’s youth to involve themselves in politics and public service.

Mira Nair, internationally acclaimed director of films including Monsoon Wedding, Salaam Bombay, Hysterical Blindness and Vanity Fair, gave the annual Tolles Lecture on April 16.  Nair spoke about her career in filmmaking, and screened a short film she was commissioned to make after 9/11. The Tolles Lecture Series brings distinguished speakers from the fields of literature, journalism and theater to Hamilton to lecture and meet with students.

The Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center sponsored a lecture by Larry Diamond, professor of political science and sociology at Stanford University, on April 10 in the Chapel. Professor Diamond, who serves as co-editor of the Journal of Democracy and co-director of the National Endowment for Democracy’s International Forum for Democratic Studies, spoke on the possibilities and challenges of democracy-building in the Middle East.

George Baker, a member of the Hamilton class of 1974 and a partner at distinguished Washington lobbying firm Williams & Jensen, PLLC, spoke to Professor John Adams’s Communication Ethics class on April 6.  Baker spoke on rhetorical ethics and lobbying, discussing how the challenges of his profession fit into the academic discussions the class engages.

Michelle Campos, assistant professor of modern Middle Eastern history in the department of Near Eastern Studies at Cornell University, visited Hamilton to lecture on the origins of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict on April 6. Campos, a specialist in the late Ottoman period in Palestine, discussed how the current conflict in Israel was set into motion early in the 20th century. Her lecture was part of Middle Eastern Events Week at Hamilton, sponsored by the Middle Eastern Students Association (MESA).

John Ryle of the School of Oriental & African Studies at London University, who is currently the visiting professor of anthropology and human rights at Bard College, gave a lecture at Hamilton on March 9 titled "War and Peace in Sudan: History, Ethnicity and Hip-Hop." Ryle, whose academic background is in both English literature and anthropology, has extensive experience in human rights and aid work in Sudan. He is the chair of the Rift Valley Institute, which is a non-profit research and training organization which works in Eastern Africa, particularly in Sudan. Hamilton Assistant Professor of English Gillian Gane, who introduced Ryle, called him "an inspiration" for his passionate commitment to human rights.