Hamilton Invests in Digital Innovation with New $50 Million Facility

“Artificial intelligence, big data, predictive analytics, machine learning, and a host of other technologies are transforming virtually every field of study and enterprise. The Innovation Center puts Hamilton at the forefront of preparing students across all disciplines to innovate and lead in this technology-driven world,” said President David Wippman. “The center will provide students with technology-equipped classrooms, high-speed computing capabilities, makerspace, drone, robotics, and electronics labs, collaboration and display space, and a new home for Computer Science. Perhaps most important, by drawing students and faculty from across the College to work together on cutting-edge problems, it will foster the innovation that inspired the center’s name.”

Digital Hamilton was a priority during the College’s recent Because Hamilton campaign, which raised a record-breaking $411 million. The College’s 2018 Strategic Plan laid the groundwork for a new digital facility by highlighting the need to invest in digital fluency as a critical skill for students to master before graduating. College-aged students today are comfortable with technology and adept at using software and tools, but when it comes to the digital landscape, most lack the ability to think critically, solve problems, and find, evaluate, use, and create information. Hamilton is changing that.

The center will make it easier for students to bridge that gap by providing them with a space to experiment with emerging technologies while honing the deeper skills needed to be ethical and engaged leaders in a complex and rapidly changing digital environment, skills that employers say are critical but often underdeveloped.

Hamilton faculty from every discipline seek ways to connect students with progressively immersive digital learning experiences that focus on enhancing digital capabilities in the classroom, lab, and studio. Digital learning across the curriculum continues to increase at a high rate, as it has for more than a decade, and the demand for opportunities, resources, and space has grown with it.

Charter Trustee Dan Nye ’88, P’24, along with his wife Meagan ’90, has been a lead donor and visionary partner with President Wippman for the center. Nye imagines a high-energy space unlike any other at Hamilton that will create an ecosystem of collaboration and support.

“Not every college has a faculty eager to take advantage of the many possibilities that come with a broad technology facility like we’ve designed the Innovation Center to be, but Hamilton does,” Nye said. “These are bright, energetic scholars who are at the top of their respective fields and could have done anything, and they chose Hamilton because they love to teach. They get excited about creating and innovating alongside their students and colleagues. The center will give them even more opportunities to do that.”

The center will also give Hamilton’s computer science program, one of the fastest-growing fields of study on campus, a place to expand its reach. Currently located in Taylor Science Center, the department has experienced a steady increase in interest and demand. Nearly 40 percent of students from all concentrations have chosen to take Introduction to Computer Science to learn fundamental digital skills that can be applied in any academic discipline.

“Our computer science faculty are passionate about their work, and their deep commitment to making computer science accessible to all students is evident in how they design entry-level courses and push students at the highest levels,” Nye said. “This investment provides the department with a brand-new home that they’ve been able to design from the ground up to ensure it’s adaptable enough to meet their needs today and for years to come.”

More hardware, in addition to software and coding, will be incorporated into the computer science curriculum thanks to the center. An electronics lab and a robotics lab are planned where students can better learn how computer software interfaces with the physical world, from advanced manufacturing technology to smart houses. 

Inside the Innovation Center

The forward-thinking addition to College Hill, which will connect with Burke Library thanks to an enclosed area beneath the new terrace, will feature a central atrium (“mixer hub”) with bleacher seating, a digital gallery, and a hybrid teaching and meeting space. A new makerspace will enable projects that are not possible elsewhere on campus, such as laser cutting, wood working, metal working, soldering, and light assembly activities.

Two flexible classrooms, 11 labs, a motion-capture AR/VR studio, a seminar room, 10 offices with dedicated tutorial space, and multiple open areas designed for collaboration, will comprise the rest of the facility.

The center’s prominent glass facades and interior glass panels will immerse the space in natural light, creating an approachable and inviting environment that will enable the research being conducted and the findings being shared to take center stage.

Careful attention has been paid to the building’s exterior to ensure it blends in with the rest of the historic campus. Accessibility and sustainability are top priorities for the project; geothermal heat pumps will provide an energy efficient means of heating and cooling space while helping Hamilton achieve its carbon neutrality goals.

Terrace to be Named in Honor of Wippman

Throughout his eight-year tenure, Wippman prioritized developing programs that benefited current and future generations of students and pushed for investments in facilities, faculty, and resources across campus. The Innovation Center was among the many projects he championed. The College's Board of Trustees marked the occasion of Wippman’s June 2024 retirement by surprising him with a fund to support the construction of the center, as well as name the facility’s terrace in honor of the outgoing president.

Life Trustee A.G. Lafley ’69 led the efforts to show appreciation and recognize Wippman for his contributions by offering a match to board members. The endeavor worked: to date, gifts totaling nearly $24 million have been committed to the center – the most ever raised for a new facility.

“I’ve championed the Innovation Center because I believe it will enable and encourage more innovation from across all departments and disciplines,” Lafley said. “It will help transform the way we innovate and learn together, keep the College abreast of and on top of potentially transformative technologies, and give Hamilton a competitive advantage in recruiting top student, faculty, and staff talent.”

In addition to funds raised by the College, New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced that Hamilton will receive $3 million for the Innovation Center as part of the state’s Higher Education Capital Matching Grant Program (HECap). These awards support projects that provide construction and renovation of new laboratory and research spaces, the purchase of new instructional technologies and equipment, and many other significant investments.