Hamilton College
Skip Main Navigation
Skip Section Navigation Annual Fund Home Make a Gift Ways to Give Annual Fund FAQ Phonathon Power of Many Challenge Professors to Remember GOLD Scholars Student Programs Alumni Association and Council VOLUTEER Annual Fund Volunteer Site Volunteer Programs Annual Fund Volunteer Support Materials
Contact Information
Annual Giving

866-729-0314 or
866-729-0315
315-859-4648 (fax)
Leap Year Challenge

Leap Year Challenge a Success!

Hamilton pole vaulter James Russell '09 named Leap Year Scholar


Withiam and Russel
James Russell '09 and Jack Withiam '71
The bar was set high. At the beginning of February, Trustee Jack Withiam '71 issued a challenge to alumni in the 29 classes of 1979-2007 — average 29 gifts or pledges for each of the 29 days in February and he would contribute an additional $29,000 to Hamilton's Annual Fund.

It came down to the wire, but after the last commitment was counted a little before midnight on Feb. 29, the goal of 841 gifts and pledges was not only achieved — alumni rose to the challenge in support of Hamilton with 1,066 commitments  totaling $232,000.

"This was all about participation," said Dave Steadman '03, director of young alumni giving. "It illustrates the power of collective gifts and what a serious impact they can have on students at Hamilton."

One of those students is James Russell '09, a mathematics major from Queensbury, N.Y., who was named the Leap Year Scholar in honor of the successful challenge. The title certainly fits since Russell does quite a bit of leaping as the pole vaulter for Hamilton's track & field team.

"I didn't come to Hamilton to be on the track team — a strong academic program was my first priority," said Russell, whose goal is to attend medical school. "But it's been great for me to be able to focus on my studies and compete in a sport I love."

Russell started pole vaulting in junior high school after a classmate told him he'd never be able to do it. Vowing to prove his friend wrong, Russell began training. "You start by straight poling, but the first time you get the pole to bend and it shoots you up in the air, you're hooked," he said.
 
Russell recently placed 10th at the 2008 ECAC indoor track & field championships. He placed second at the 2007 ECAC outdoor track & field championships where he set the school record at 14'11". A two-time defending NESCAC pole vault champion, he is looking for a three-peat conference win this spring.

Active in community service projects with his fraternity Delta Kappa Epsilon, Russell spent last semester in Copenhagen at the Danish Institute for Study Abroad in a program focused on medical practice and policy. "It was really terrific being taught by physicians. Because of my ER experience as a technician at my local hospital, it was all professionally relevant to me," he said.

Although he takes plenty of math and science courses in preparation for his intended medical career, one thing Russell appreciates most about his Hamilton experience is the emphasis on developing strong communication skills.

"While I have been developing my quantitative and analytical skills within my major, it is the writing in my other classes that has allowed me to increase my proficiency in communication," he said. "No matter what I do in the future, communicating the results of my work in a clear manner will be important."

Receiving financial aid was a significant factor in Russell's decision to attend Hamilton — especially since his two sisters are also in college. He is honored to be named the Leap Year Scholar at Hamilton, a place he describes as "the right fit."

"There's a different feeling of community [at Hamilton] that I didn't sense at other NESCAC colleges," he said. "Professors really get to know you. They expect hard work and challenge you, but the focus is more on learning than grades."

Leap Year Facts
  • Because it takes the Earth longer than 365 days to travel around the Sun (365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds, to be exact), an extra day is added to the calendar almost every four years.
  • It is a leap year only if the year is divisible by four; however, if the year can be divided by 100, it is not a leap year unless it is divisible by 400. So the year 2000 was a leap year, but the year 2100 will not be. Got it?
  • In centuries past, February 29 was the one day when a woman could propose marriage to a man.
  • Trustee Jack Withiam '71, who issued the Leap Year Challenge, was a Hamilton roommate of Joe Knapp '70, the pole vaulter for the track team.
  • Another significance of "29" — $29,000 is the average student financial aid at Hamilton.