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The Associated Press reported on Hamilton's commencement ceremony and quoted PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer. "Serve a common purpose beyond yourself and your immediate family and/or interests," Lehrer told the 463 graduates.

The Syracuse Post-Standard featured a recent Hamilton graduate Li Qi '03 and his amazing journey from performing in the circus to receiving a college education. Qi ran away from the Chinese circus and defected to the U.S. when he was 15. Then, according to the article, "by sheer chance, he met an eccentric, big-hearted writer from New York City who paid to fix Qi's decaying teeth, taught him English and guided him toward an education Qi could not have dreamed of in China." Qi won a one-year Bristol Fellowship and will spend the next year traveling around the world studying circuses.

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) news anchor Jim Lehrer urged Hamilton College graduates to honor their peers who recently served in the war against Iraq, and exhorted them to "find a way to serve your neighborhood, town, city, state and country...serve a common purpose beyond yourself and your immediate family and/or interests," in his speech at Hamilton's 191st commencement. Bachelor of arts degrees were awarded to 463 Hamilton graduates at the ceremony, held on Sunday, May 25, in the Margaret Bundy Scott Field House.

Associate Professor of Art Steven Goldberg gave multiple lectures in March and April 2003 on Asia and Asian art. In March, in Scottsdale, Ariz., he delivered a lecture at the Asian Studies Development Program 9th National Conference titled, "Oh Father Where Art Thou?" Goldberg delivered a similar lecture on globalization, identity and Chinese visual culture at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga. Goldberg spoke at East-West: The Carolina Connection Conference in Seabrook Island in Charleston, S.C. on March 24; his lecture was titled "Chinese Calligraphy in an Age of Globalization." In conjunction with the exhibition Zen no Sho: The of Fukushima Keido Roshi, Abbot of the Zen Monastery Tofukuji, in Kyoto, Goldberg presented "Ink Traces of the True Person of No Status" Mui Shinnin no Bokuseki at the Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, Atlanta, on March 27. He also participated in a round-table discussion on Asian Studies and Globalization at Annual Meeting of ASIANetwork at Ferman College, Greenville, S.C., on April 12.

Professors of Biology Ernest Williams and William Pfitsch received a grant from the National Wildlife Federation Professors of Biology Ernest Williams and William Pfitsch have received a grant from the National Wildlife Federation's Species Recovery Fund to help begin the reintroduction of the Karner Blue butterfly, a federal endangered species to the Rome Sand Plains. Williams is also monitoring the population of Frosted Elfin butterfly. “The National Wildlife Federation grant is primarily to plant lupine populations in the Rome Sand Plains that will eventually allow us to begin introduction of the Karner Blue butterfly,” said Pfitsch. Pfitsch and Williams have four students working with them this summer: Charlotte Hodde '04, Ashley Kuenzi '05, Krista Marran '04, and Sarah McNeil '04.

The third graders of Myles Elementary School in New Hartford were already excited to get half the day off from school, but they had no idea how much entertainment was in store for them during their science day at Hamilton College. "I hope to spark their enthusiasm, and it would be great if I could help them maintain it," said Professor of Physics Gordon Jones.

Seventeen Hamilton College seniors were elected this month to the Epsilon chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest honor society. They are: Katharine E. Adelstein, Brian D. Cohen,James P. DuVernay, Elisa Golfinopoulos, Samuel J. Klempner, Kimberly S. Lantz, Cory W. Lown, Karsten Lund, Yina Luo, Jessie F. McComb, Nichola C. Meserve, Julie A. Parent, Theresa L. St. John, Cheng Quan Wang, Teresa L. Willmore and Bing Yi Yu.

Cheng Li, professor of government and Woodrow Wilson fellow, spoke at a conference in Washington, D.C. at The Center for Strategic and International Studies. The conference was titled "China under new Leadership." Li, along with Joseph Fewsmith of Boston University and David Shambaugh of George Washington University, participated in a debate on China's new leadership priorities. The conference also included a panel discussion on China's policy challenges, with Chien-min Chao of National Chengchi University, Jeffrey Bader of Stonebridge International, Anthony Saich of Harvard University, and Arthur Ding of National Chengchi University.

Associate Professor of Art Steven Goldberg recently published an article, "Recognition of the True Self: Zen Buddhism and Bokuseki Calligraphy," in Zen No Sho: the Calligraphy of Fukushima Keido Roshi. The Ogelthrope Museum site for book compiled and edited by Jason M. Wirth,(Clear Light Publishers, 2003) describes the content as "insightful background information on Zen calligraphy by some of the leading scholars in the field."

At the Jack B. Riffle dinner to honor this year's senior varsity athletes, Lindsey Schantz and Joe Finley were named the 2003 Riffle Award recipients and Olympic Gold medalist Dave Wottle spoke.