Hamilton College opened its 195th year with the traditional convocation ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 27 in Wellin Hall. Members of the administration welcomed students and new faculty, and prizes were awarded to 66 students.
Dean of Students Nancy Thompson told members of the class of 2010 that although they have probably depended on their parents to help them during their high school years, it is now up to them. "There are plenty of people to help you here but now it is yours to do. Own it," she said, and "take responsibility for it."
In his welcome, Dean of Faculty Joe Urgo chose the words of Hamilton alumnus and poet Ezra Pound (1905) by quoting Pound's "The Return." Urgo discussed the metaphor of "the hill" and said the class of 2010 chose a "slow and steady ascent, with no distribution requirements." Urgo added that "on this hill, we love ideas."
Hamilton President Joan Stewart told members of the class of 2010 that her vision of and for Hamilton includes engagement, relationship and responsibility. She described Hamilton as "a place where effective communication thrives," and said it must be a place also where students learn to take responsibility for their education and the choices they make. Stewart added, "you will see an engaged and collaborative effort to make Hamilton more Hamilton. Let us do the things we do better."
Student prize scholarship and prizes were also awarded, and the inaugural Jerome Gottlieb '64 Coaching Fellowship for Exemplary Mentoring was awarded to men's hockey coach Phil Grady.
The following students were awarded prizes and prize scholarships at convocation:
Heather C. Michael - The Benjamin Walworth Arnold Prize Scholarship
The James L. Bennett Prize
Kristin S. Alongi -- The Benjamin Walworth Arnold Prize Scholarship
The Willard Bostwick Marsh Prize Scholarship
Leeann R. Brigham - The Benjamin Walworth Arnold Prize Scholarship
The Charles A. Dana Prize Scholarship
The Brockway Prize
The Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize
Keith M. Gross - The Benjamin Walworth Arnold Prize Scholarship
The Brockway Prize
The Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize
Nicolas A. Drohojowski - The Robert A. Bankert, Jr. Prize Scholarship
Kellen S. Leon-Atkins -The Captain Gerald FitzGerald Dale Senior Scholarship
Nicholas J. Berry - The Charles A. Dana Prize Scholarship
Jazmine S. Coleman - The Charles A. Dana Prize Scholarship
Winston M. Cook-Wilson - The Charles A. Dana Prize Scholarship
Matthew G. Crowson - The Charles A. Dana Prize Scholarship
Casey L. Green - The Charles A. Dana Prize Scholarship
The Vrooman Prize Scholarship
Geoffrey F. Hicks - The Charles A. Dana Prize Scholarship
Eric J. Kuhn - The Charles A. Dana Prize Scholarship
Sarah E. Powell - The Charles A. Dana Prize Scholarship
Rita W. Tran - The Charles A. Dana Prize Scholarship
Charles K. Dworkin - The Dirvin Family Prize Scholarship
Cassie C. Sullivan - The Dirvin Family Prize Scholarship
The Winslow Prize in Latin
Andrew C. LaFiandra - The Duell German Prize Scholarship
Francisco J. Blanco - The Donald A. Hamilton Prize Scholarship
Elizabeth P. Herring - The Ann Miller Harden Prize Scholarship
Elizabeth Rueckert - The Ann Miller Harden Prize Scholarship
Laura J. Hartz - The Matthew Houlihan Prize Scholarship
Michael A. Blasie - The Matthew Houlihan Prize Scholarship
Dane M. Johnson - The Edward Huntington Memorial Mathematical Prize Scholarship
Yubo Lu - The Edward Huntington Memorial Mathematical Prize Scholarship
The Willard Bostwick Marsh Prize Scholarship
James H. McConnell- The Edward Huntington Memorial Mathematical Prize Scholarship
Yin Tian - The Edward Huntington Memorial Mathematical Prize Scholarship
Dongyue Zhang - The Edward Huntington Memorial Mathematical Prize Scholarship
Byron K. Johnson - The Grant Keehn Prize Scholarship
Luvuyo H. Mandela - The Grant Keehn Prize Scholarship
Mochamad F. Hidayat - The Marcel Moraud Memorial Prize Scholarship
Quinn C. Snellings - The Marcel Moraud Memorial Prize Scholarship
Thao N. Nguyen - The Oren Root Prize Scholarship
Yejun Qian - The Oren Root Prize Scholarship
Olivia A. Vargo - The Oren Root Prize Scholarship
Adam J. Weisz - The Arthur W. Soper Prize Scholarship in Latin
Madeline E. Ware - The Vrooman Prize Scholarship
Kurtis M. Magee - The Lawrence Yourtee Prize Scholarship
Jia Huang - The Class of 1990 Scholarship
Louisa M. Brown - CRC Press - First Year Prize in Chemistry
Timothy A. Currier -CRC Press - First Year Prize in Chemistry
Yuqi Mao - CRC Press - First Year Prize in Chemistry
Benjamin J. Van Arnam - CRC Press - First Year Prize in Chemistry
Leah F. Delany - The Dr. Edward Fitch Prize in Greek
Samuel D. Gitlitz - The Dr. Edward Fitch Prize in Latin
Olivier N. Perrachon - The Francis W. Gilbert Prize
Thao N. Nguyen - The Leo Mackta Prize in Physics
Louisa M. Brown - The Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize
Timothy A.Currier - The Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize
Chelsea A. D'Aprile - The Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize
Casey L. Green - The Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize
Thomas R. Helmuth - The Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize
Xiaobo Ma - The Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize
Li Qiu - The Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize
Benjamin J. Van Arnam - The Phi Beta Kappa Book Prize
Rachael F. Arnold -The Rusty Smith Memorial Teaching Prize in Computer Science
Tyrone F. Evans - The Winslow Prize in Greek
Riada Asimovic - The Winslow Prize in Romance Languages
Laura J. Oman - The Kellogg Essay Prize
Emily Tang - The Kellogg Essay Prize
Genevieve H. Flanders - The Kellogg Essay Prize
Stephen A. Frederick - The Dwight N. Lindley Prize
Lindsey H. Pearlman - The Alfred J. and A. Barrett Seaman Prizes in Writing
Nicholas H. Rockwell - The Alfred J. and A. Barrett Seaman Prizes in Writing
Constance E. Kent - The Alfred J. and A. Barrett Seaman Prizes in Writing
Kathleen E. Naughton - The Alfred J. and A. Barrett Seaman Prizes in Writing
