Dear Members of the Hamilton Community,
During the past several months, as I have exchanged e-mails and telephone calls and spoken with alumni and parents at meetings across the country, many have asked to be informed of steps being taken at the College in the wake of the difficult situations we encountered this year. I write to provide that information.
As I have previously reported to you, all teaching appointments, even short-term and part-time, will be reviewed by the Dean of the Faculty. For the most part, we have always followed such an approach, but it was not applied universally. It is now.
Earlier this year, I asked an ad hoc committee of senior faculty members to review the Kirkland Project's mission, governance, budget and programming. The committee carried out a thoughtful study and has made a series of recommendations. I am grateful for their hard work and appreciate their sensitivity to such important matters as faculty autonomy and administrative responsibility; censorship, free speech and academic freedom; and the role played by speakers and groups in our educational mission.
My goal in instituting the changes described below is to ensure that a broad range of views and subjects is represented on campus and that our intellectual interchange is of the highest quality, while safeguarding and enhancing Hamilton's impressive successes in programming. Academic freedom and educational excellence are mutually reinforcing. I have entire confidence in the faculty's ability to provide programs and speakers that add to our already excellent curricular offerings.
The committee's report has been discussed with the Faculty's Academic Council and Committee on Academic Policy, the Executive Committee of the Kirkland Project, and at the May 18th meeting of the Faculty and the June 3rd-4th meeting of the Board of Trustees. Many alumni and parents have also called or written throughout the spring with suggestions.
Based on the recommendations contained in the report, on feedback I received before and after its release, and on conversations with members of the Hamilton community, I am instituting the following steps, some of which are specific to the Kirkland Project and its operation and some of which are intended to modify our existing practices:
1. Kirkland Project Mission Statement -- I am charging the Kirkland Project's Executive Committee, in consultation with the Dean of the Faculty, to revise its mission statement in the interests of simplification and clarification and so as to welcome and encourage greater dialogue and debate on campus.
2. Kirkland Project Governance -- The report recommends that the governance of the Project reside with the Executive Committee and the Director who work closely with and are appointed by the Dean of the Faculty. It also makes recommendations regarding qualifications, nominating process and terms for the Executive Committee and the Director. I am directing the Executive Committee and Director of the Project to work with the Dean of the Faculty to implement these suggestions, which will bring the Project's governance more in line with other programs and departments at the College.
3. Kirkland Project Name -- The report recommends a name change, although noting disagreement about whether the Project "reflects or represents the legacy of Kirkland College" and whether keeping the name would "distract from the Project's future pursuit of its mission." I understand the emotions surrounding the name, and the Dean of the Faculty and I will work with the Project towards a name change.
4. Kirkland Project Budget -- The new Executive Committee of the Kirkland Project is planning a curtailed program next year with a substantially reduced operating budget. The principal source of funding for Kirkland Project programming will be the Kirkland Endowment and gifts specifically designated to Project activities.
5. New Initiatives -- We will establish a new College Speaker Fund and a new Diversity Initiatives account that will be accessible to all departments and programs at the College. The College Speaker Fund will include general lecture funds that previously have resided in department and program accounts, along with various funds managed by the Dean. Centralizing funds will allow a broader and more equitable distribution across campus and better coordination of events. Endowed lecture funds designated for specific purposes will continue to be managed by relevant departments and programs, who will notify the Dean of their programming.
6. Oversight -- Individuals and groups inviting speakers and requiring support from the College Speaker Fund will notify the Dean to request funding. It is the responsibility of those proffering invitations to review the qualifications of potential speakers. If questions arise, the Dean will consult with the Academic Council. By this means, the Dean of the Faculty will be kept apprised of planning for campus speaking engagements, and the Academic Council will advise as appropriate.
Although, in many ways, we are a stronger college for having addressed difficult issues directly, no one at Hamilton wants to see the events of the past year repeated. The steps I have outlined will help to protect the integrity of the academic program and to ensure reasonable oversight of the invitations we extend. We have no intention of shunning speakers merely because they are controversial, and it remains possible, of course, that despite the changes we are instituting, we may find ourselves in a difficult situation at some future point. I can assure you that, whatever the circumstances, we will act morally, ethically and in a manner consistent with our liberal arts mission and in the best interests of the College we serve and love.
Having just celebrated Reunions with hundreds of alumni, I am exceedingly optimistic about Hamilton and its future. Indications are that this fall we will enroll the most talented and diverse class in our history. Even the Annual Fund is rebounding as the affection alumni have for their alma mater reasserts itself. I hope many more will join us before the Annual Fund year closes at the end of this month.
Sincerely yours,
Joan Hinde Stewart
