Common Ground
Cross-boundary dialogue on hot-button political issues
The College is grateful to Mary Helen and Robert Morris ’76, P’16,’17 and Lori and David Hess ’77 for their generous support of Common Ground.
Latest News
Final Common Ground Examines Hot Topics for Presidential Election
The final Common Ground of the year examined a variety of hot topics that are top of mind for voters in the upcoming U.S. presidential election, including immigration, the economy, and abortion.
Civil Discourse in the Heart of Change, Continuity, and the Confederacy
Five members of the Congressional Naming Commission visited Hamilton on Feb. 7 to discuss their task of removing, modifying, or replacing all Department of Defense assets that commemorate the Confederacy.
“The goal is for the speakers to model the kind of respectful dialogue across political boundaries that should occur not just on college campuses, but in the broader society as well.
“The hallmark of a liberal arts education has been the constructive debate of ideas. Recent events have seen the constructive portion blunted. Common Ground is a forum to pursue the civil debate of important ideas.
Previous Speakers
Aleigha Cavalier
Vice President of Mobilization and Campaign Management at Precision Strategies
with John Feehery, moderated by Steve Scully
John Feehery
Partner of EFB Advocacy
with Aleigha Cavalier, moderated by Steve Scully
Matt Cartwright '83
U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
with Steve Russell, moderated by Mimi Geerges
Steve Russell
president and CEO of JAARS, former U.S. Representative & State Senator from Oklahoma, and Lt. Col, U.S. Army (Ret.)
with Matt Cartwright '83, moderated by Mimi Geerges
Ivory Tower Panelists
Local Academics from the WCNY show
featuring Ty Seidule, Luke Perry, Nina Moore, Rick Fenner, Chad Sparber, and Tara Ross; hosted by Dave Chanatry '80 and moderated by Barbara Fought
Michelle Howard
Retired Admiral, U.S. Navy
with Larry Romo, Jerry Buchanan, and Ty Seidule, moderated by Connor Williams
Jerry Buchanan
Businessman; Member of the Oklahoma State Elections Board
with Michelle Howard, Larry Romo, and Ty Seidule, moderated by Connor Williams
Larry Romo
Former Director, Selective Service System; Retired Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Air Force
with Michelle Howard, Jerry Buchanan, and Ty Seidule, moderated by Connor Williams
Ty Seidule
Visiting Professor of History; Executive Director of Common Ground
with Michelle Howard, Larry Romo, and Jerry Buchanan, moderated by Connor Williams
Rhiana Gunn-Wright
Director of the Climate Policy Program at the Roosevelt Institute
with Bob Inglis, moderated by Peter Cannavò
Bob Inglis
Executive Director, RepublicEN.org; Former U.S. Representative from South Carolina
with Rhiana Gunn-Wright, moderated by Peter Cannavò
Val Demings
Executive Fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center; Former U.S. Representative from Florida
with Roy Blunt, moderated by Steve Scully
Roy Blunt
Executive Fellow, Bipartisan Policy Center; Former U.S. Senator from Missouri
with Val Demings, moderated by Steve Scully
Christine Todd Whitman
Former EPA Administrator to President George W. Bush and Former New Jersey Governor
with Gina McCarthy; moderated by Aaron Strong
Gina McCarthy
Former White House National Climate Advisor, Former EPA Administrator to President Barack Obama
with Christine Todd Whitman; moderated by Aaron Strong
Jason Grumet
Chief Executive Officer of the American Clean Power Association
with George David Banks, moderated by Lesley Jantarasami
George David Banks
Republican Economist and Energy Policy Advocate
with Jason Grumet, moderated by Lesley Jantarasami
Hila Keren
Paul E. Treusch Professor of Law at Southwestern Law School
with Dale Carpenter and Eric Olson, moderated by Mike Grygiel '79, P'23
Dale Carpenter
Professor of Law at SMU Dedman School of Law
with Hila Keren and Eric Olson, moderated by Mike Grygiel '79, P'23
Eric Olson
Former Solicitor General of Colorado
with Dale Carpenter and Hila Keren, moderated by Mike Grygiel '79, P'23
Tom Vilsack ’72
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
with G.T. Thompson, moderated by Edvige Jean-François ’90
G.T. Thompson
Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture
with Tom Vilsack ’72, moderated by Edvige Jean-François ’90
David Brody
Managing attorney of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Digital Justice Initiative
with Shoshana Weissmann, moderated by Robert Martin
Shoshana Weissmann
Director of Digital Media at the R Street Institute
with David Brody, moderated by Robert Martin
Jessica Rich
Former Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection and Former Head of the FTC’s Division of Privacy and Identity Theft
with Brad Weltman, moderated by Stuart Ingis ’93
Brad Weltman
Director of Privacy and Public Policy at Meta
with Jessica Rich, moderated by Stuart Ingis ’93
Andrei Kozyrev
Former foreign minister of Russia
with Nicolai Petro, moderated by Alan Cafruny
Nicolai Petro
Professor of Politics at the University of Rhode Island
with Andrei Kozyrev, moderated by Alan Cafruny
Max Boot
Author, foreign policy expert, and Washington Post columnist
with Ty Seidule and Maurice Isserman
Christina Romer
Former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under the Obama administration
with Greg Mankiw, moderated by Ann Owen
Greg Mankiw
Former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush
with Christina Romer, moderated by Ann Owen
John Vecchione ’86
Principal and member of John J. Vecchione, PLLC
with Philip Klinkner
Philip Klinkner
James S. Sherman Professor of Government at Hamilton College
with John J. Vecchione ’86
Richard Banks
Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law at Stanford Law School
with Julie Park, Jason Riley, and Genevieve Bonadies Torres; moderated by Julie Vultaggio
Julie Park
Associate Professor of Student Affairs at the University of Maryland
with Richard Banks, Jason Riley, and Genevieve Bonadies Torres; moderated by Julie Vultaggio
Jason L. Riley
Wall Street Journal editorial board member and Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow
with Richard Banks, Julie Park, and Genevieve Bonadies Torres; moderated by Julie Vultaggio
Genevieve Bonadies Torres
Associate Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
with Richard Banks, Julie Park, and Jason Riley; moderated by Julie Vultaggio
Jim Messina
Former Deputy Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama
with Reince Priebus, moderated by Jackie Judd P’14
Reince Priebus
Former Chief of Staff to President Donald Trump
with Jim Messina
Mike Dubke ’92
Veteran Communications Operative and Former Assistant in the Trump White House
with Marc Elias ’90, moderated by Jackie Judd P’14
Marc Elias ’90
Partner with Perkins Coie, served as general counsel for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign
with Mike Dubke ’92, moderated by Jackie Judd P’14
Condoleezza Rice
Former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush
with Susan Rice, moderated by Andrea Mitchell
Susan Rice
Former U.S. Ambassador to the UN and National Security Advisor to President Obama
with Condoleezza Rice, moderated by Andrea Mitchell
David Axelrod
Former Chief Strategist and Senior Advisor to President Obama
with Karl Rove, moderated by Susan Page
Karl Rove
Former Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush
with David Axelrod, moderated by Susan Page
Moderators
Steve Scully
Senior Vice President of Communications, Bipartisan Policy Center; Host of The Briefing podcast
moderated discussion between Aleigha Cavalier and John Feehery; moderated discussion between Val Demings and Roy Blunt
Mimi Geerges
Host of C-SPAN's Washington Journal
moderated discussion between Rep. Matt Cartwright '83 and Steve Russell
Dave Chanatry '80
Professor of Journalism at Utica University and Director of the New York Reporting Project
moderated the discussion with Ivory Tower panelists
Connor Williams
Member of the departments of African American studies and history, Yale University
moderated discussion with members of the Congressional Naming Commission
Peter Cannavò
Chair and Professor of Government
moderated discussion with Rhiana Gunn-Wright and Bob Inglis
Aaron Strong
Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies
moderated discussion with Christine Todd Whitman and Gina McCarthy
Lesley Jantarasami
Managing Director, Bipartisan Policy Center
moderated clean energy discussion between Jason Grumet and George David Banks
Michael J. Grygiel ’79, P’23
Co-chair, Greenberg Traurig, LLP’s National Media and Entertainment Litigation Group
moderated discussion about free speech and LGBTQ+ rights with Dale Carpenter, Hila Keren, and Eric Olson
Edvige Jean-François ’90
Award-winning, multilingual global journalist
moderated discussion between U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack ’72 and chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture G.T. Thompson
Rob Martin
Professor of Government
moderated a discussion between David Brody and Shoshana Weissmann
Stuart Ingis ’93
Chair at the law firm Venable and co-chair to its eCommerce, privacy, and cybersecurity segment
moderated a discussion between Jessica Rich and Brad Weltman about privacy and data
Alan Cafruny
Henry Platt Bristol Professor of International Relations, Acting Chair German Studies
moderated a discussion between Andrei Kozyrev and Nicolai Petro
Ann Owen
Professor of Economics and the Henry Platt Bristol Professor of Public Policy
moderated a discussion between Greg Mankiw and Christina Romer
Julie Vultaggio
Associate Dean for Strategic Academic Initiatives at Harvard University
moderated panel “Affirmative Action: Support, Critiques, and What’s Lost in the Discussion”
Jackie Judd
Lifelong journalist who reported for ABC News, NPR, and most recently the PBS NewsHour
moderated discussions between Jim Messina and Reince Priebus, and Marc Elias ’90 and Mike Dubke ’92
Andrea Mitchell
NBC News’ chief foreign affairs correspondent and host of MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports
moderated discussion between former national security advisors Condoleezza Rice and Susan Rice
Susan Page
Washington bureau chief, USA Today
moderated discussion between political strategists David Axelrod and Karl Rove
Classroom Dialogues
Common Ground speakers visit classes for small-group discussions that encourage students to ask questions and explore different perspectives, all while articulating and formulating their own viewpoints on pressing political issues. Classroom visits are not open to the public.
Event Discussions
Common Ground speakers take center stage for an evening that features balance and inclusion of differing viewpoints, where the speakers model the kind of respectful dialogue that should occur throughout our communities. Main events are free and open to the public.
Student Perspectives
In Pursuit of the Greater Good Amidst Chaos
Val Demings and Roy Blunt, executive fellows from the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), visited Hamilton to analyze the nation’s polarized political climate in the semester’s final Common Ground event.
Maintaining Optimism in the Energy Transition
Two former EPA administrators visited College Hill to explore the everyday complexities and impacts of transitioning to renewable energy in this semester’s fourth Common Ground discussion on Nov. 6.
Paths and Pitfalls to Clean Energy Transition
With their words reverberating through the eaves of the Chapel, the panelists of the semester’s third Common Ground discussion earnestly discussed the realities, complexities, and politics of the clean energy transition in the United States.
At the Intersection of Free Speech and LGBTQ+ Rights
In the second installment of Hamilton’s 2023-24 Common Ground series, moderator Michael J. Grygiel ’79, P’23 united legal experts Eric Olson, Hila Keren, and Dale Carpenter for a discussion on the intersection of free speech and LGBTQ+ rights.
Farm Bill, Bipartisanship Discussed by Vilsack, Thompson at Common Ground
Student sightings of Secret Service agents in academic buildings raised excitement across campus and heralded the arrival of this year’s inaugural Common Ground event, as Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack ’72 was one of the featured speakers.
What Does Freedom Mean in Online Speech? Experts Debate
As algorithms and online platforms come to define our daily lives, how do we navigate the social responsibilities of platforms and our own online freedoms? These were questions addressed at the Common Ground panel on March 27.
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