News - 2025-26 Highlights: The Year in Review

Over the past year, Hamilton students, faculty, staff, and alumni came together to think about the future, tackle challenges, and celebrate each other. From a historic NCAA title to research, creative work, and partnerships that reached across the Mohawk Valley and around the world, these stories capture some of the moments that defined the 2025-26 academic year.

Your National Champions!

The Hamilton men’s ice hockey team made history in March, capturing the program’s first national championship with a 2–1 overtime win against top-ranked Hobart. The 2025-26 team is just the second in College history to bring home an NCAA national title.

Big Moments

Notable speakers, new programs, and revived spaces were just a few of the many milestones that helped shape the Hamilton experience last year.

Hua Xing ’29 is cheered on after winning the semi final round of Rock Paper Scissors. — Welcome! August marked the arrival of our newest Hamiltonians. The 485 members of the Class of 2029 come from 41 states and 28 countries, and spoke 42 languages.

Early Assurance & Dual Degree Graduate Programs graphic — The Best of Both Worlds: Hamilton has created early assurance pathways to graduate programs at Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Vanderbilt, Duke, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Chicago. These partnerships help students explore future possibilities while receiving guidance, mentorship, and early access to graduate study opportunities.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of the Broadway hit musical <em>Hamilton</em>, speaks at Hamilton College. — Hill Stops: Hamilton creator, composer, and original star Lin-Manuel Miranda returned to Hamilton College — 14 years after he delivered part of what would become the musical’s opening number —for the Sacerdote Great Names series in September. Check out the many noteworthy guests and speakers who made their way to the Hill last year.

Benjamin White ‘26, Kelvin Nuñez ‘24, Isa Cardoso ‘25 and Alejandro Sosa Hernández ‘26 — Taking Their Shot: Alejandro Sosa-Hernandez ’25 took pen to paper and fingers to keyboard to write a parody of “My Shot” and then performed it with a few friends for Lin-Manuel Miranda and an audience of 5,000. Oh, and he did all that in just 33 days!

The updated pedestrian bridge on Family Weekend 2025 — A Bridge Back Home: The pedestrian bridge between KJ and Beinecke Village needed replacement. Enter Erich Baumgartner ’93, principal engineer at Thornton Tomasetti, who worked to design a replacement for the popular thoroughfare used every day to connect everyone on campus.

Hamilton Innovation Center architectural rendering — Coming January 2027: In April, the College announced the name of its newest building: The Nye Center for Innovation and Technology. The Center is designed to foster creativity and collaboration across various disciplines and will serve as a hub for teaching, experimentation, collaboration, and research. Live Webcam

Imagining What’s Next

What does the world need that Hamilton is uniquely positioned to do, given who we are, our strengths, and our history? During the 2025-26 academic year, this question guided the campus community as hundreds of faculty, staff, and students worked together to imagine Hamilton’s future and identify the opportunities where a liberal arts education can have the greatest impact.

Members of the Aspirational Design core team meet and get insights from current students on Martin's way. — Vice President for Innovation and Information Technology Joe Shelley and Chief of Staff Miriam Merrill, both members of the Aspirational Design Core Team, talk with campus community members walking along Martin's Way about their experiences. Themes that emerged from those conversations informed work done during upcoming collaborative workshops, known as Focus Charrettes.

Students participate in the community charrette. — Students, faculty, and staff members took part in Community Charrettes, which were opportunities for the campus community to hear ideas that resulted from the most recent Focus Charrettes and to share their insights and feedback.

Prof. Aaron Strong participates in the community charrettes. — Associate Professor of Environmental Studies Aaron Strong participates in a Community Charrette.

Aspirational Design Events — Focus Charrettes brought together Hamilton community members -- including students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents -- and industry experts for two full days so they could explore problems, brainstorm possible solutions, and design ways to test them.

Student Achievements

Top Fulbright producer 2025-2026 graphic — 22 Years and Counting: Hamilton has once again been recognized among the colleges and universities with the most students selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

2026 Bristol Fellowship recipients Elise Kwon ’26 and Caroline Boies ’26 — Awards & Accolades: Hamilton students earned fellowships, scholarships, and other nationally competitive opportunities across a wide range of fields. Meet the recipients and learn about more student kudos.

Learning in Action: Mohawk Valley

“Constellations Works on Paper From Three Different Collections” at the Munson Museum of Art. — From Collecting to Curating: A course taught in the fall by Professor of Art Rob Knight and Michael Shapiro ’71, director emeritus of Atlanta’s High Museum of Art, culminated in a student-curated exhibition at the Munson in Utica this spring.

planting trees in Utica — Scoring Goals and Planting Trees: Hockey players Carson Hall ’26 and Ben Zimmerman ’26 wanted to find a way to help offset their team’s travel emissions. They did so by teaming up with the other Hamilton varsity teams to help the City of Utica’s reforestation efforts.

OHSWA recycling app — Trash or Recycling Treasure? Hamilton’s computer science students developed an app that’s providing residents of Oneida and Herkimer counties instant tips on what is — and what isn’t — recyclable.

The researchers meet with Heather Hage ’02 at the Grifiss Institute. — Paths to Economic Revitalization: A group of Hamilton students spent the summer at the Griffiss Institute working with CEO Heather Hage ’02 to examine how federal investments shape economic growth across the Mohawk Valley.

Audrey Alix '25 works with maps and Geographic Information Systems in her job as a Utica, N.Y. city planner. — Utica’s Newest City Planner: When Audrey Alix ’25 sits down at her desk in Utica’s City Hall, she’s greeted by the familiar sight of her class binder from Hamilton’s GIS for Geoscientists course. Occasionally, she will thumb through its pages, searching for techniques she learned on the Hill.

An aerial view of the Village of Clinton. — Town-Gown Fund: Nine local nonprofits and public service agencies in the Town of Kirkland and Village of Clinton received a total of $120,000 in grants last year. The fund, which was created 25 years ago, has awarded more than $1.5 million to organizations and nonprofits in the community that Hamilton calls home.

Scholars Who Shape the World

Whether advancing public discourse or exploring tough questions with students, they connect research, teaching, and mentorship in ways that invite students into the process of discovery.

Collage of Phil Kilnkner, Alex Plakias ’02, and Keelah Williams — Insights That Inform: Many Hamilton faculty were among those who were sought out by major international and national media outlets for their expertise over the last year. Professor of Government Philip Klinkner, Associate Professor of Philosophy Alexandra Plakias, and Associate Professor of Psychology Keelah Williams helped national and international audiences better understand complex issues and current events.

The Future of Forests: Assistant Professor of Biology Peter Guiden received a $500,000 National Science Foundation grant that will fund his research geared toward untangling the complex relationships between deer and rodents that could be shaping our forests.

Faculty Accolades

T Kira Mahealani Madden — Assistant Professor of Literature and Creative Writing T. Kira Madden published Whidbey, her new novel, to great critical acclaim.

Professor of History Ty Seidule co-authored a new book, A Promise Delivered - Ten American Heroes and the Battle to Rename Our Nation’s Military Bases.

Professor of Literature and Creative Writing Naomi Guttman’s documentary, *More than You Can Know: A Marriage Story*, was named a 2025 Best Short Documentary by the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF).

Treasured Traditions

senior canes — A Tradition Turns 50: At every Hamilton Commencement since 1976, a wooden cane has been presented to graduates. To celebrate this golden anniversary, we asked alumni to share if, and where, they keep their senior cane. Some answers were predictable; others surprised us!

Zack Weller ’23 trains students in water safety on Delta Lake. — Alumni Save the Day: Orientation and Adirondack Adventure trips are often among Hamiltonians’ favorite experiences. When Andrew Jillings, the director of outdoor leadership, fell and broke several bones days before new students arrived on campus last year, Hamilton alumni volunteered to help keep trips going and brought that “Big Andrew Energy.”

Championship Seasons

The nationally ranked field hockey team earned a bid to the 2025 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship and made it to the second round. The squad defeated SUNY Geneseo during a thrilling double OT first-round game at home before falling to Wesleyan. This was the team’s best season under head coach Missy Mariano.

Hamilton’s men’s lacrosse team was a NESCAC Championship semifinalist and received an at-large bid to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Lacrosse Championship. The team lost to St. Lawrence in the second round, 14-10.

Hamilton field hockey defender Isabelle Nahon ‘27 (15) celebrates her first career goal in a game against #1 Middlebury at Goodfriend Field on Sept. 6.

With a trip to the second round of the NCAA championship, this year's Continentals had lots to celebrate!

Preparing Grads for the Future

2026 Commencement — Away They Go! Whether launching careers, pursuing graduate study, or exploring new opportunities, the Class of 2026 is building on the interests, skills, and experiences they developed at Hamilton.

Students and alumni attend the January 2026 HCN event in NYC. — Connecting Over Careers: Some 150 Hamilton students, parents, and alumni gathered in New York City over winter break to build connections in fields ranging from banking and entrepreneurship to entertainment, law, and real estate.

vertical wave pattern — The Next Wave of Professionals: What skills matter most in a changing world of work? Our alumni volunteers who mentor students through our newer Career Communities program share their perspectives on how a Hamilton education helped prepare them.

Thank You! Celebrating a Community That Gives Back

Every year, alumni, families, and friends are creating meaningful opportunities for today’s students and generations to come. Here are some highlights from the 2025-26 fiscal year:

Nearly 10,000 attendees participated in Hamily events throughout the year — virtually, on campus, and across the country. (Watch for the fall events schedule coming soon, and save the date for Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 2-4, on the Hill.)
At the Horowitch Career Center, more than 200 alumni and parents volunteered as Employers-in-Residence, Industry Coaches, At the Table speakers, panelists, and mentors, helping students explore careers and build professional connections.
The Hamilton Fund exceeded its $7.4 million goal — and last year’s total — raising $7.7 million from thousands of donors. Those gifts provide immediate support for students arriving on the Hill this fall.
Donors established 13 new endowed funds that will support future generations of students and faculty.
Total gifts and new commitments across all designations and purposes reached $34.8 million, a 20% increase over last year. This figure includes documented bequest intentions from donors who have included Hamilton in their estate plans.
87% of the Class of 2026 participated in the Senior Gift, the highest participation rate since 2018. Most contributions were designated to improvements in the Sadove Student Center, including enhanced lighting and greenery.
Young alumni in the GOLD (Graduates of the Last Decade) cohort were the fastest-growing segment of the 1812 Leadership Circle, with membership increasing 24% over last year.
Continuing a longstanding tradition, the 50th reunion cohort raised funds for its class gift in recognition of this milestone. Total giving from the Hamilton and Kirkland Classes of 1976 reached $4.1 million, supporting a range of priorities and endowing the Class of 1976 Career Center Internship Fund, which will help offset living expenses for students pursuing internships that might otherwise be financially out of reach.
Gift volunteers helped inspire support for every aspect of life on the Hill, exchanging more than 15,000 emails, text messages, phone calls, and social media messages with classmates and friends — in addition to countless in-person conversations. Their efforts produced impressive results:
- The inaugural Fall Giving Challenge generated $109,000 in gifts.
- Combined efforts from volunteers and student callers raised $414,902 on Hamilton’s annual spring Give Day, a 15.5% increase over the previous year.
- The Class of 1971 recorded the highest alumni giving participation rate, while the GOLD classes (2016-25) exceeded their collective fundraising goal by 43%.

2025-26 Highlights: The Year in Review