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David Wippman
Overview
David Wippman served as Hamilton College’s 20th president from 2016 to 2024. His eight-year presidency was defined by the Because Hamilton fundraising campaign — which exceeded $400 million, more than double any prior Hamilton effort — and by institutional responses to COVID-19 and a major campus safety crisis.
Relevance to Research
Wippman is documented in Spectator issues across the 2016–2024 period. Key coverage includes the Because Hamilton campaign and its landmark achievement, the Root Hall renovation (Hamilton’s first geothermal academic building), the launch of the Common Ground initiative for civil dialogue across difference, and the college’s institutional response to a shooting threat on the Jodel app in April 2023. He hired Hamilton’s first Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and departed in 2024.
Notes
Role: 20th President of Hamilton College
Years active at Hamilton: 2016–2024
Key events:
- Led the Because Hamilton campaign, which exceeded $400 million — more than double any prior Hamilton fundraising effort
- Oversaw the Root Hall renovation, Hamilton’s first geothermal academic building
- Launched Common Ground, Hamilton’s initiative for civil dialogue across difference
- Hired Hamilton’s first Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Managed COVID-19 campus protocols and disruptions to campus life (2020–2021)
- Presided over institutional response to the April 16, 2023 Jodel shooting threat and shelter-in-place, which exposed critical gaps in emergency communication and physical security