Common Ground
Cross-boundary dialogue on hot-button political issues
Latest News
Hamilton Partners with Bipartisan Policy Center
Hamilton College and its widely acclaimed Common Ground program have partnered with the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, to foster the next generation of independent thinkers and engaged citizens through enhanced academic opportunities for students and faculty that encourage civil discourse.
“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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Philip Klinkner
James S. Sherman Professor of Government at Hamilton College
with John J. Vecchione ’86
John Vecchione ’86
Principal and member of John J. Vecchione, PLLC
with Philip Klinkner
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
Genevieve Bonadies Torres
Associate Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
with Richard Banks, Julie Park, and Jason Riley; 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
Max Boot
Author, foreign policy expert, and Washington Post columnist
with Ty Seidule and Maurice Isserman
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
Moderators
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
Julie Vultaggio
Associate Dean for Strategic Academic Initiatives at Harvard University
moderated panel “Affirmative Action: Support, Critiques, and What’s Lost in the Discussion”
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
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
Common Ground Panel Discusses Privacy and Data Concerns
The Common Ground series returned to Hamilton on February 22 with a panel focusing on privacy. Panelists were Brad Weltman, director of privacy and public policy at Meta, and 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. Their discussion was moderated by Stuart Ingis ’93, chair at the law firm Venable and co-chair to its eCommerce, privacy, and cybersecurity segment.
Russia-Ukraine War: “Cultivating Compassion Toward Adversaries”
Former foreign minister of Russia Andrei Kozyrev and University of Rhode Island scholar Nicolai Petro discussed the war in Ukraine with Professor of Government Alan Cafruny on Nov. 15.
Author Max Boot Discusses Ukraine War in Common Ground Lecture
Author, foreign policy expert, and Washington Post columnist Max Boot joined Professors Ty Seidule and Maurice Isserman to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine on Oct. 25.
Common Ground: Income Inequality Causes, Consequences, Response
Christina Romer, a professor of economics at University of California, Berkeley, and former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under the Obama administration, engaged in a dialogue with Greg Mankiw, a Harvard University professor of economics and former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush.
Common Ground Fellows Program
Hamilton will launch a Common Ground Fellows program for students beginning with the Fall 2023 semester. Fellows will facilitate discussions, escort speakers, develop programming, and represent Common Ground at the College and beyond. More information to come soon.
Contact
Common Ground
