Hamilton hosts many different speakers on many different subjects. While the college has often had a diverse collection of
speakers on many different topics, this has not been without controvsy.Early in 2005 the college received national media attention in the United States, when a
scheduled appearance by radical Professor Ward Churchill was cancelled
after the college received numerous complaints about a Churchill essay in which he compared some of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks attacks to
Nazis. The proposed talk and subsequent cancellation caused a great deal of upheaval from
both inside and out of the college community.
The Sacerdote Series Great Names at Hamilton
Starting in 1996
the Sacerdote Series Great Names at Hamilton has brought some of
the most sought after speakers to campus for presentations. While most of these have been in the form of speeches, they have also
included a concert by B. B. King.To-date the speakers that have been part of this series are:
- Bill Clinton November
9, 2004
- Bill Cosby October 15,
2003
- Rudolph Giuliani September 24, 2002
- Madeleine Albright March 6, 2002
- Jimmy Carter April 30,
2001
- Desmond Tutu April 11,
2000
- Lady Margaret Thatcher December 9, 1999
- B.B. King October 20,
1998
- F.W. de Klerk April 8,
1998
- Elie Wiesel April 3, 1997
- James Carville and Mary Matalin October 15, 1996
- Colin Powell April 1,
1996