Hamilton College formally launched a $175 million capital campaign titled "Excelsior: The Campaign for Hamilton" at a dinner for trustees, alumni, friends and supporters on Friday, Dec. 3.
The dinner was held at the New-York Historical Society in Manhattan, which is hosting a major exhibition on Alexander Hamilton, the college's namesake.
Included in the $175 million goal are $60 million for new and renovated facilities, $75 million for endowment and $40 million in unrestricted gifts for the Annual Fund. The college announced on Friday that it has already received gifts and pledges of $80 million.
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"The campaign that we are launching here today aims to change the physical face of Hamilton, without altering its soul," said Hamilton President Joan Hinde Stewart. "The changes we have in mind – changes that respond to the ways in which higher learning has evolved – will enable us, more than ever, to deliver the finest liberal arts education in the nation, and to be known for it the world over."
George F. Little II, a 1971 Hamilton graduate and a member of the board of trustees, will chair the campaign. He also chaired The New Century Campaign. In summarizing campaign goals, Little said, "Our collective goal is to assure Hamilton's position as a leader in undergraduate liberal arts education with particular distinction for excellence in our oral and written communication programs. Early results are clear evidence of the confidence in the leadership of the College and its direction."
Top priorities for the campaign include new and renovated academic facilities, especially for the social sciences and the arts. Architects have already been hired to work with faculty members to design the new facilities.
In the social sciences, Hamilton will renovate and expand the Kirner-Johnson Building, which was built more than 30 years ago for a smaller student body and a smaller faculty. Over time, the college has grown and the pedagogy has changed, so that current facilities no longer match current teaching styles. Professor of Economics Christophre Georges has spearheaded faculty planning for the renovated facility, which will feature academic centers for writing, oral communication and the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center.
The college also plans major investments in the visual and performing arts. Top needs include a new museum/gallery and theatre, and improved spaces for studio art students. Student interest in the arts remains high, but existing facilities limit the number of students who can be accommodated in classes and studios. Professor of Music Samuel Pellman is the faculty member coordinating planning for the arts project.
"Our educational mission is driving our planning for new and renovated facilities," said Hamilton President Joan Hinde Stewart. "The quality of the faculty and the quality of the students must be complemented by the physical spaces in which they work."
In addition to more than $45 million in academic facilities, the Excelsior campaign will seek to raise additional funds to renovate Emerson Hall into a café, convenience store and space for student clubs and organizations. The existing structure faces College Hill Road and sits adjacent to Martin's Way in the geographic center of the campus. Its second and third floors will be reconfigured to provide private or shared office and meeting space for more than 100 student clubs and organizations. Offices for the dean of students and the registrar will also relocate to the expanded building.
Upgrades to the college's intercollegiate and intramural athletic facilities also are part of the Excelsior campaign. The college plans an expanded fitness center and dance studio in Saunders Hall, new squash courts of regulation size on the north side of the Scott Field House and improved sports medicine facilities in the existing fitness center.
Hamilton is also seeking to raise $75 million in new endowed funds to support priorities in student scholarship aid, faculty professorships, career center internships, diversity initiatives and the Town-Gown Fund, which makes grants to service and non-profit agencies in the Town of Kirkland.
The final priority in the Excelsior campaign is $40 million in unrestricted operating dollars. With nearly 60 percent of its alumni contributing each year to the Annual Fund, Hamilton is among the top 10 colleges nationally for alumni support.
Hundreds of people associated with the college are volunteering their time and efforts in this campaign. "Fundamental to Hamilton's mission is the support of our alumni, parents and friends," said Stuart L. Scott, chairman of the board of trustees. "Our responsibility is to keep our College, already in the stratosphere of the 3,200 institutions of higher education in this country, at the forefront of excellence."
