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In his address at Hamilton College’s Bicentennial commencement, A.G. Lafley ’69, former chairman and CEO of the Procter & Gamble Co., urged the Class of 2012 to embrace the choices life hands them because they will learn something from each one they make. “While you can’t control the twists and turns that will push and pull your life in unanticipated directions, you can control the person you choose to become,” Lafley said. He shared a few things he’s learned since he graduated from Hamilton in 1969.

In recognition of Hamilton’s 200th anniversary, U.S. Rep. Richard L. Hanna (R-NY) sponsored a statement in the Congressional Record this week. The New York Board of Regents granted Hamilton’s Charter on May 26, 1812. 

The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit news organization focused on producing in-depth education journalism, published an interview with Daniel Chambliss, the Eugene M. Tobin Distinguished Professor of Sociology, on May 17.  “Q&A with Dan Chambliss: A successful college education can come down to a single conversation” focused on the Mellon Foundation-funded longitudinal study initiated by Chambliss in 2001. The article reviewed some of the study results, which will be included in a forthcoming book titled How College Works, and what implications the results might have for U.S. higher education.

As is the custom at Hamilton, the Dean of Faculty recognizes retiring faculty and hosts a reception in their honor at the last faculty meeting of the academic year. On May 16, Dean of Faculty Patrick Reynolds honored four professors retiring this year: Professor of  Anthropology Charlotte Beck; Jim Bradfield, the Elias W. Leavenworth Professor of Economics; Professor of Government Ted Eismeier; and  Jay Williams ’54, the Walcott-Bartlett Professor of Religious Studies. Following are the tributes Reynolds read.

Hamilton College men's lacrosse NESCAC conference player of the year Jon Leanos '12 (Long Valley, N.J./Delbarton School) and All-America women's swimmer Megan Gibbons '12 (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights HS) received the 2012 Jack B. Riffle Awards at the College's senior varsity athlete awards dinner on May 16.

A Reuters article about the Federal Reserve’s recent efforts to provide greater transparency included comments by Henry Platt Bristol Professor of Economics Ann Owen. A former Federal Reserve Board of Governors economist, Owen said, "Often, opinions about the future course of the economy change quickly when it is at a turning point. Managing expectations about the future state of the economy can help it achieve its goals of full employment and price stability because expectations about the economy can be self-fulfilling.” The article, titled “Officials urge fuller Fed policy reports,” appeared on May 16 and appeared in many additional media outlets.

Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History Maurice Isserman has been elected to the Society of American Historians (SAH) in recognition of the literary and scholarly distinction of his historical writing.

What a year! As 2011-12 draws to a close with Commencement on May 20, a review of the college’s 200th year seems appropriate. From the arrival of the class of 2015 in August to Class & Charter Day on May 4, here’s a look back at life on the Hill in the college’s 200th year.  View Slideshow

Two weeks ago, on the day before Christie’s New York City spring auction of post-war and contemporary art, students and faculty of Hamilton’s New York program received a personal tour of the offerings from Stephen Jones, senior writer at Christie’s.  The auction itself, reported The New York Times, brought in “the highest total ever in the postwar and contemporary category,” including nearly $87 million for a Mark Rothko painting from 1961.

Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Abhishek Amar co-edited Cross-disciplinary Perspectives on a Contested Buddhist Site: Bodh Gaya Jataka, a volume in the Routledge Press South Asian Religion Series.