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David Paris, the Leonard C. Ferguson Professor of Government at Hamilton and a senior fellow at the American Association of Colleges and Universities, published an article, "The Academics’ Lament and the Traditional Liberal Arts," in LiberalArtsOnline (May, 2007). In the piece, Paris discusses and responds to the tensions between two disparate views on the purpose of liberal arts education. On the one hand, there are those who believe that liberal arts education entails pursuing knowledge for its own sake, and that incorporating practical learning of any sort threatens its very soul. On the other hand, there are those would like to see some evidence that a liberal arts education has practical and economic payoffs. Paris discusses ways to bridge that gap in this essay.

Three Hamilton juniors have spent the spring semester participating in the Hamilton-New England Center for Children (NECC) Cooperative Educational Program, in Southborough, Mass. Sociology concentrator Amanda Iturbe and psychology concentrators Jennifer Franco and Katherine Ribble have worked directly with children with autism or other developmental disabilities, while taking advanced courses in applied behavior analysis. In this program, Hamilton juniors spend a semester in full-time residence at NECC, where they earn full academic credit and work intensively with children who have special needs.

Five Hamilton students, Jenna Lally, Julianne Jaquith, Jonathan Zellner, Hannah Case, and Steven Beale, participated in a conference at the United States Military Academy, April 25-27, along with delegations from the four U.S. service academies. Hamilton was the only civilian college invited.

Eight Hamilton College seniors have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships and Teaching Assistantships to pursue research projects abroad and to teach English in foreign countries next year. Seven other students have received national scholarships and recognition that will enable them to conduct research or study abroad.

Professor of Comparative Literature Peter J. Rabinowitz has published “The Rhetoric of Reference; or, Shostakovich’s Ghost Quartet” in the May 2007 issue of Narrative, a special issue devoted to the legacy of Wayne C. Booth.

An Arbor Day ceremony that featured the donation of a tree from Hamilton College to Clinton Central Elementary School was dedicated to the late Beverly Grady, a long-time teachers's aide at Clinton Elementary and the wife of Hamilton men's hockey Coach Phil Grady. The ceremony on April 27 was highlighted by the planting of a 7-foot Colorado Blue Spruce. Students at Clinton Elementary participated in an Arbor Day Poster Project during March and April. The Poster Project was sponsored by Hamilton College and the Hamilton College Arboretum Association.

Hamilton seniors Jesse Browner-Hamlin and Jessica Mariglio have each been awarded the college’s prestigious Bristol Fellowship. The Bristol Fellowship was begun in 1996 as part of a gift to Hamilton College by William M. Bristol, Jr., (Class of 1917). The purpose of the fellowship is to perpetuate Mr. Bristol’s spirit and share it with students of the college that was such an important part of his life. Created by his family, the fellowship is designed to encourage Hamilton students to experience the richness of the world by living outside the United States for one year and studying an area of great personal interest.

In "Poetry and Avant-Garde Film," pubished in the new issue of Poetics Today (Vol. 28, no. 1), Visiting Professor of Art History Scott MacDonald explores the intersection between 20th Century avant-garde/experimental film and modern poetry, focusing on three recent contributions: Rick Hancox's re-presentation of Wallace Stevens' "A Clear Day and No Memories" in ‘Waterworx (A Clear Day and No Memories)”;  Matthias Muller's cinematic transmission/translation of Ernst Jandl's “Gedichte an die kindheit” in “nebel”; and Clive Holden's cinematic edition of “Trains of Winnipeg.” Poetics Today is published by Duke University Press.

Associate Professor of Africana Studies Tiffany Ruby Patterson presented a talk on Zora Neale Hurston's Caribbean Folklore and her politics at two different events recently. She was the keynote speaker at the African American Studies Annual Spring Lecture Series in April at University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. Her paper was titled "What Haiti Meant to Zora Neale Hurston Politics." A revised version of this paper was delivered at the St. Lucie County's Zora Fest in Fort Pierce, Florida, on April 28. Patterson and Rutgers University Professor Cheryl Wall, a major authority on Hurston's literary work, were also interviewed for a documentary on Hurston's life and work.

Hamilton’s sophomore seminar on The Once and Future Hudson took a field trip to the Hudson Valley on May 2. The day began with a hike to Kaaterskill Falls, an inspiration for Thomas Cole and other Hudson River painters. Other activities included meetings with officials in the cities of Newburgh and Hudson to discuss urban planning and riverfront revitalization and a boat trip through the Hudson Highlands. Students in the seminar will make a multimedia presentation about the once and future Hudson on Monday, May 7 at 4 p.m. in the Science Auditorium. The students are Jane Barnes, Stu Lombardi, Ceci Laseter, Steve Shen, Jennifer Karl, Joe Bock, Jennifer Kleindienst, Jimmy Gibson, Emma Stewart, Kevin Osborne, Amy Rumack, Mike Singer, Jessie Gelber, Alex Caruso, John McRae, Matt Fellows, and Ash Wall.