2024 in Review: National Media Coverage
Hamilton College faculty, staff, and alumni continued to make their mark in 2024 as thought leaders, with major national and international media outlets, as well as prominent higher education publications, seeking their expertise on a wide range of topics.The pioneering research and creative work of Hamilton’s faculty and staff not only push the boundaries of their disciplines but also provide valuable insights into some of the world’s most critical challenges. Media coverage of these accomplishments amplifies Hamilton’s reputation as a leader among liberal arts colleges.
2024 BY THE NUMBERS
8,075+
articles featured Hamilton1,190+
broadcasts featured Hamilton425
podcasts featured Hamilton16
academic departments24
faculty8
staffPresidents
Upon the announcement of Steven Tepper as Hamilton’s 21st president, Albany Public Radio station WAMC conducted a 30-minute interview with him. Many other national and local outlets also covered his appointment. “Hamilton College Names Tepper its Next President,” Feb. 10.
The Art Newspaper, recognizing President Tepper as “a member of the cultural community,” asked him “What are your hopes and preferences for what the next U.S. presidential administration does for (or against) the arts?” on Sept. 3 in “An art-world wish list for the next US president.”
President David Wippman continued to write a series of essays on issues related to education, most notably “The instructive history of book bans” for The Hill on Jan. 21.
As he prepared to retire, he reflected on his experiences at the College with Inside Higher Ed in “Parting Thoughts From a Retiring President” on June 10.
Author of Awkwardness: A Theory (2024) and Thinking Through Food: A Philosophical Introduction (2019).
Plakias responded to media requests about her new book that focused on how to handle awkward situations. Outlets that highlighted her research included NPR’s 1A program (Sept. 18), CNN, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
She also fielded multiple requests related to her earlier book on food, writing an essay for The Washington Post on Oct. 30 that appeared in major publications across the nation.
Author of the forthcoming The Loyalty Trap - Conflicting Loyalties of Civil Servants Under Increasing Autocracy (2025) and The Mindful Elite (2019)
Kucinskas wrote about research for her forthcoming book in “Politicians may rail against the ‘deep state,’ but research shows federal workers are effective and committed, not subversive” for The Conversation on March 26. The article appeared in publications across the nation and on news sites such as Yahoo.
Kucinskas also published another essay for The Conversation titled “Meditation can reduce stress – but the pressure to overwork remains” related to her earlier book that also appeared widely across the country including in Fast Company on Dec. 9.
Author of Reds - The Tragedy of American Communism (2024).
Within weeks of the release of his new book this year, enthusiastic reviews appeared, including in The Wall Street Journal on July 5, along with two essays by Isserman in major national and international publications.
In “What the Failure of American Communism Should Teach the Left,” published by The Atlantic on June 17, Isserman detailed how the American left had been pulled in two directions throughout its history.
In “I spent years studying American communism. Here’s what I learned” published in The Guardian on May 16, he wrote about how “so many intelligent and admirable people remained so loyal for so long to a fundamentally flawed movement.”
Becoming Part of The Conversation
In January 2024, Hamilton College joined The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization dedicated to publishing trustworthy and informative articles written by academic experts for the general public, edited by a team of journalists. Through a Creative Commons license, The Conversation distributes its articles – at no charge – to news organizations across the geographic and ideological spectrum with particular attention to strengthening news organizations that are severely under resourced. The Associated Press distributes The Conversation’s content daily to thousands of newsrooms.
Since becoming a member, Hamilton has had 16 faculty articles published that were read nearly 410,000 times on The Conversation website. Many of these have reappeared in outlets such as The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Fast Company, Salon, Slate, Religious News Service, and Latino USA, among many others.
Research & Expertise
Both new and ongoing research happening on the Hill perennially attracts journalists to Hamilton faculty from a broad swath of disciplines.
Associate Professor of Government Erica De Bruin responded to former President Trump’s comments. “To understand what another Trump presidency would involve, I think it is more useful to look at his past behavior than to attempt to parse what might be the ‘true meaning’ of any individual set of remarks he makes.”
Referencing one of his earlier studies, Irma M. and Robert D. Morris Professor of Economics Stephen Wu said that those who feel luck and other outside factors play a significant role in their financial success are less likely save. Wu was again interviewed by Bloomberg for “Why Young People Are in So Much Debt,” – Bloomberg News, Oct. 31 (video: 8:39 – 11:30).
Professor of Religious Studies SB Plate spoke about various portrayals of Jesus. Every year, they show their students two millennia’s worth of Jesus images from around the world. There’s Indian Jesus, Mexican Jesus, Chinese Jesus, Japanese Jesus. “He just doesn’t look like anything anybody has thought Jesus looked like. It’s the historical image that gets my students the most.”
Henry Platt Bristol Chair and Professor of Economics Ann Owen discussed the rise in the Consumer Price Index and concern about inflation. This was the first of many interviews that Owen participated in with Marketplace. Other programs included discussions of the cost of borrowing money, the Federal Reserve’s challenge of balancing price stability and maximum employment, and the Fed’s concern about the possible rise in inflation, among others.
Henry Platt Bristol Professor of International Relations Alan Cafruny spoke about the effect immigration concerns may have had on whether incumbents in European elections won or lost.
Edward North Chair of Greek and Greek Literature Professor of Literature & Creative Writing Doran Larson discussed his research and new book, Inside Knowledge: Incarcerated People on the Failures of the American Prison.
Visiting Professor of History Ty Seidule penned this essay in response to a Virginia School Board’s decision to restore the names of Stonewall Jackson High School and Ashby Lee Elementary School, which had previously been changed during the national racial reckoning sparked by George Floyd’s killing.
James S. Sherman Professor of Government Philip Klinkner wrote about and was quoted throughout the presidential campaign. He wrote several articles for The Conversation that were republished around the globe, including considerations in selecting a vice president and how one election victory does not make a new era in American politics.
This article discussed research published by Associate Professor of Government Erica De Bruin and Professors of Economics Ann Owen and Stephen Wu in which they experimented with methods to reduce gender bias in student course evaluations but found the gender gap remained no matter how they solicited the feedback. Female faculty pay a larger penalty for being harsher graders and teaching big classes. A similar article appeared in Forbes.
Leading By Example
Major media outlets and higher education journalists highlighted innovative campus programs that are tackling issues and bringing people together.
The Chronicle highlighted a new course, “Thriving in the Classroom and Beyond,” created and taught by Associate Professor of Psychology Rachel White that enables students to apply psychology research to their own lives, helping them study more effectively, navigate college successfully, and attend to their own wellbeing.
Visiting Professor of History Ty Seidule and Assistant Director of Common Ground Kaity Stewart discussed a new orientation program titled “Civil Discourse & Local Politics.” The Hechinger Report also noted the program.
Retired Vice President for Enrollment Emerita Monica Inzer reviewed her career and successes at Hamilton.
The National Endowment for the Humanities highlighted the College's new curatorial studies program that offers students a unique chance to bridge the humanities with real-world experience in curatorial and archival work.
Assistant Dean for Student Engagement Tessa Chefalo participated on this panel and discussed programming offered by the College.
Associate Professor of Instruction for Physics Adam Lark described the College’s plans for viewing the total solar eclipse in the Adirondacks.
Photo: Students use telescopes, provided by Prof. Adam Lark and equipped with solar lenses, to view the eclipse.
Students in the News
Student endeavors and research also attracted media attention.
Valedictorians and varsity lacrosse players Chloe and Olivia Chiota ’24 – who are identical twins – received national news attention at Commencement for all of their academic and extracurricular accomplishments.
June Cook-Selman ’26 wrote on the effectiveness of collective action for this magazine, founded by a Hamilton alumna.
Alyssa Turtledove ’25 wrote on the importance of sports and physical activity to young refugees.
A summer editorial intern at The National Interest, Lena Klink ’25 wrote this essay about the possibility that Europe take charge of its own defense and security so that it becomes a “less dependent, more capable, and more equal ally to the United States.”
Alumni in the News
Alumni often mention their Hamilton credentials in interviews and essays, and sometimes add Hamilton swag to their bookshelves backgrounds for their television interviews.
Alumna and author Sarah J. Maas ’08 mentioned her time at Hamilton during this interview.
Board of Trustees Chair and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon ’84, P’16 spoke about his career, including his graduation from Hamilton. A similar article appeared in Fortune magazine.
Doyle Auctions Director of Fine Arts Kunter Kula '11 answered questions in this interview and expressed his gratitude for “the wonderful liberal arts education I received at Hamilton, which put an emphasis on discovering connections between disciplines. Once Hamilton realized that I was keen on developing myself in the intersection of art and commerce, they provided me endless opportunities, grants and funds to travel to leading art fairs like Art Basel and learn directly from the industry.”
In profiling Marc Elias ’90, this article included a reference to his Hamilton education. “In his three-decade career, Mr. Elias has arguably done more than any single person outside government to shape the Democratic Party and the rules under which all campaigns and elections in the United States are conducted.”
