News
Bicentennial Assembly celebrates College's mission
By Emily Moore '15 & Allison Eck '12
September 29, 2011
At the Bicentennial Assembly last Saturday morning, Student Assembly President Knute Gailor ’13 spoke to the multifaceted nature of Hamilton’s motto, “Know Thyself.”
“To the ancients, ‘Know Thyself’ warned against blindly accepting the words of others,” Gailor said. “Now, the phrase most often asks individuals to understand, develop and critically evaluate their passions. Coming to know thyself in both senses of the phrase takes time—perhaps even a lifetime. In my experience though, coming to know thyself is an challenge best undertaken when you are among the people you love.”
His words captured the togetherness that Bicentennial Weekend came to represent, and the Assembly itself focused on that connectivity—both academic and personal. The two Kirkland alumni on the Board of Trustees wore signature green helmet hats, the College Choir sung an antiphonal hymn, and President Stewart made a point to acknowledge that, were the late Dick Couper ’44 still alive, Saturday would have marked his and his wife Patsy’s 65th wedding anniversary. A film about the close relationships students develop with their peers and their professors also premiered, entitled Hamilton: The First 200 Years.
Speakers at the Assembly included College Chaplain Jeffrey McArn, who asked attendees to allow themselves to be guided by the same spirit that guided Samuel Kirkland. A. G. Lafley ’69, chairman of the Board of Trustees, spoke about Hamilton’s calling to teach the liberal arts and sciences, and praised the College for having “remained true to that calling” over its 200-year history. Julia Ross ’84, president of the Alumni Association, and Patrick Reynolds, Dean of Faculty, also welcomed the audience.
Marjorie and Robert W. McEwen Professor of Philosophy Robert Simon spoke about the personal value of teaching and the need to educate capable citizens who can engage in constructive conversation and recognize excellence. “Arguably the worth of an idea is found in its ability to survive criticism and reasoned discourse,” he said.
Representatives from College’s faculty, staff, students, trustees, alumni and community then read the original charter of the College, granted in 1812. After suggesting that the writers of the charter would have benefitted from a Writing Center conference (due to an overabundance of run-on sentences), President Stewart said, “We need the sorts of people that this college has educated for 200 years.” She listed alumni—like B. F. Skinner ’26, Robert Moses ’56 and Melinda Wagner ’79—who have made valuable contributions to many diverse fields.
“Institutions such as ours are fundamentally founded on the principles of equality, merit and initiative,” she said. “They remain strong in the face of change and uncertainty. Liberal arts colleges are, in my opinion, poised for a renaissance.”
And that renaissance begins with today’s students. The 200th class admitted to Hamilton is the Class of 2015; Hillary Norris ’15 observed that she and her peers may not yet recognize the significance of that honor. “We’re not 100 percent part of the community because we’ve only been here for a month. I don’t feel like we can comprehend what it means to be the 200th class yet.”
But, if the Assembly was any indicator, this youngest group of current Hamilton students will soon learn to “know themselves” as members of College Hill.