2025 in Review: National Media Coverage
Hamilton College faculty, staff, and alumni continued to appear in national media outlets and prominent higher education publications in 2025 as thought leaders, providing their expertise on a wide range of topics.Their research and creative work 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.
2025 BY THE NUMBERS
9,930+
Articles featured Hamilton2,700+
Broadcasts featured Hamilton~150
Podcasts included HamiltonFaculty Research & Expertise
Both new and ongoing research happening on the Hill perennially attracts journalists to Hamilton faculty representing a broad swath of disciplines.
Note: Many of our faculty publish essays in The Conversation, a nonprofit, open source news outlet, that has attracts millions of readers. Nieman Journalism Lab, published by the Nieman Foundation at Harvard, released a list of the Top 25 Nonprofit News Sites in the United States and indicated that The Conversation is the most-read in the country.
Executive Director of Common Ground
Ty Seidule, the David H. and Ann L. Hinchcliff Professor of History and executive director of Common Ground, was consulted frequently by the media this year. This was, in part, related to his work as vice chair of the U.S. Naming Committee. In a January article in The Times (U.K.), Seidule discussed the work of the commission and its implications for America’s 250th anniversary. His comments appeared frequently in The Washington Post beginning in a February essay he wrote titled “Fort Bragg is back. Stop the re-renaming of Army bases there” and later quoted in four additional articles in the first half of the year. Most of these dealt with the administration’s use or misuse of power as related to the Department of Defense.
Seidule was also tapped by other media outlets including Politico for an article titled “Trump reverses Army base names in latest DEI purge” in June and the Associated Press in September for “West Point restores Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s portrait.” He wrote this essay, “Hegseth subverts Congress by ordering racist Confederate monument’s return to Arlington,” for The Hill in August.
Broadcasters also sought out Seidule for his expert commentary, including three CNN segments in August. Seidule’s appearance on “Pentagon reinstalling Robert E. Lee portrait at West Point” was followed by NPR’s national news program Here & Now interview with Seidule for “'Cruelest, most hateful monument I've ever seen': Military historian on Confederate statue's return” in September and another segment in October.
Upon the release of his book, A Promise Delivered - Ten American Heroes and the Battle to Rename Our Nation's Military Bases, Seidule spoke with political consultant James Carville and journalist Al Hunt on a Politico segment titled “Duty, Honor, Country with Brigadier General Ty Seidule.”
Ann Owen, the Henry Platt Bristol Chair of Public Policy and Economics, was a frequent commentator on public radio’s Marketplace. In February, she discussed “When prices fall in the PPI, do prices fall at the store?” and explained the difference between PPI and CPI. In March, she commented on inflation and tariffs for a segment titled “Jay Powell’s Fed navigated Trump’s first trade war. This time, it has less wiggle room,” and in June she commented on possible reasons why inflation in the previous month was low in “New economic data will help Fed officials make an interest rate decision.” Owen discussed the effects the labor market and inflation might have on Federal Reserve decisions in September in “Inflation rises, putting the Fed in a tricky spot with rates,” and she referenced her class on monetary policy in addressing the issue of the Federal Reserve minutes in “What's Next for interest rates? Look to the Fed minutes” in October.
Philip Klinkner, the James S. Sherman Memorial Professor of Political Science, wrote numerous essays for The Conversation that were republished throughout the year. In January, his “How Trump could try to stay in power after his second term ends” was viewed by millions of readers. “60 years of progress in expanding rights is being rolled back by Trump − a pattern that’s all too familiar in US history” also reached a large readership via The Conversation in February. As a guest on Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People podcast in March, Klinkner warned “Democracy Doesn’t Defend Itself.” He continued to discuss a possible third Trump term in an April Newsweek article, “What a Third Donald Trump Term Could Look Like,” and on an Australian Broadcasting Corp. program in the same month.
Shifting topics, Klinkner explained the highs and lows of civil rights in the U.S. in a video produced by The Conversation, “History of Civil Rights – Progress and Pushback” in May. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) quoted him in September in “Trump’s agenda includes matters no American president has ever contemplated addressing.”
In “Civil servants brace for a second Trump presidency,” published by The Conversation, Associate Professor of Sociology Jaime Kucinskas wrote about her research focused on how federal employees acted under the first Trump presidency. The January article was widely republished in outlets across the country. “Trump is making it easier to fire federal workers, but they have some legal protections - 3 essential reads” published by The Conversation in May included a review Kucinskas’ study of federal workers. “Civil servant exodus: How employees wrestle with whether to stay, speak up or go,” co-authored by Kucinskas in The Conversation, was based on her research published in her new book, The Loyalty Trap.
Maurice Isserman, the Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History, was tapped to speak about the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) of which he was a founding member. He wrote an invited response concerning the relevancy and influence of the organized left in the last presidential election for Harper’s Magazine in April titled “Left Behind.” In August he spoke about the DSA’s current political leanings in The Atlantic’s “The Mainstreaming of Zohran Mamdani,” and in October he spoke with ABC News about the evolution of the party for “Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani could be New York City's next mayor. Here’s how it happened.”
Associate Professor of Philosophy Alexandra Plakias discussed awkwardness and how to handle awkward situations in Vox’s “You’re not awkward — the world is” to help those preparing for the holiday season in November. She more frequently wrote about food, beginning with an essay in Aeon titled “Adjust your disgust” in March, and in an April Slate article “We eat eggs. Why don’t we eat sperm?” she discussed her research on our disgust response to some foods. In a June Yahoo essay titled “‘Safe route’ or ‘sushi route’ − 2 strategies to turn yuck to yum and convince people to eat unusual foods,” Plakias wrote about introducing new foods to the public.
Staff Research & Expertise
President Steven Tepper penned an essay titled “My Conversation with AI’s Ayn Rand: AI may help higher ed with its viewpoint diversity challenges” published in Inside Higher Ed in December.
In “Students’ New Imperative: Always Be Networking” published by the Chronicle of Higher Education in September, Career Center Director Melissa Marietta spoke about new initiatives in the center.
Director of International Student Services Bonike Odegbami spoke about international students and their travel with the Chronicle of Higher Education on two occasions, for “Plans? What plans?” in May and for “Big changes could be coming for student visas. Here’s what to know” in September.
Nhora Serrano, director of academic technology, teaching, and research services, offered the questions she poses when deciding ed-tech priorities in “A Consensus Approach to Ed-Tech Adoption,” a November article in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Associate Dean of Admissions Niki Barron ’02 was quoted several times in “A Complete Guide to the College Application Process” published by U.S. News in November.
Vice President of Enrollment John McLaughlin discussed how enrollment trends are likely impacting different types of institutions in different ways in a University Business article titled “U.S. international pull slips as competitors exploit new market.”
A Summer Camp Where Professors Are the Focus
The Chronicle of Higher Education featured the Hamilton philosophy camp directed by Russell Marcus, Christian A. Johnson Excellence in Teaching Professor of Philosophy. “A Summer Camp Where Professors Are the Focus” was published in July.
How One College Aims to Help Students Fail Better
“How One College Aims to Help Students Fail Better,” published by Inside Higher Ed in July, presented the ALEX program’s new focus on encouraging students to try new things and risk the possibility of failure and included an interview with Dean of Engaged Education KinHo Chan.
Professor of Economics Ann Owen explained research findings that Professor of Economics Stephen Wu, Associate Professor of Government Erica De Bruin, and she published on student evaluations in “Improving course evaluations” in a March Chronicle of Higher Education article.
How to Have a Big Climate Impact at a Small School
Dehler Ingham ’26 wrote an essay published in University Business in November titled “How to have a big climate impact at a small school” that described the men’s hockey team’s efforts to reduce their carbon footprint.
Alumni in the News
Alumni often mention their Hamilton credentials in interviews and essays.
Sacerdote Great Names
Hamilton was fortunate to host two very well-known people this year, both drawing extensive media attention.
President David Wippman Emeritus
President Emeritus David Wippman co-authored more than a dozen essays for The Hill this year, ranging from “Colleges ain’t car dealerships: The case for privatizing higher education is bankrupt” in April to “The right and wrong ways to address campus antisemitism” in May to “American brain drain is a colossal self-inflicted wound” in September. He also co-published two letters to the editor in the New York Times, two in the Wall Street Journal, and one in the Washington Post.
Posted December 17, 2025
