Hamilton Gazetteer / Entities / Rev. Jeff McArn

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person

Rev. Jeff McArn

Overview

Rev. Jeff McArn served as Hamilton College’s head chaplain for 27 years before being fired in June 2023 without confirmed malfeasance. His dismissal triggered one of the largest unified cross-community responses documented in the 2014–2025 corpus — a faculty vote of 110–8 expressing confidence in him and support letters from 37 campus organizations — and he only partially returned as Senior Lecturer in spring 2024.

Relevance to Research

McArn’s firing and its aftermath are documented in June 2023 and subsequent Spectator issues. The faculty confidence vote (110–8) against the administration’s decision is described in the corpus as one of the most significant faculty-administration ruptures documented in the modern period. His partial return as Senior Lecturer in spring 2024 did not restore the chaplaincy. A national search for a Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life was not launched until March 2025, leaving the institution effectively without a head chaplain for nearly two years.

Notes

Role: Head Chaplain of Hamilton College
Years active at Hamilton: approximately 1996–2023 (27 years)
Key events: - Served as Hamilton’s head chaplain for 27 years - Fired June 2023 without confirmed malfeasance - Faculty voted 110–8 to express confidence in him, against the administration’s firing decision - 37 campus organizations signed a letter of support — one of the largest unified cross-community responses in the modern corpus - Partially returned as Senior Lecturer in spring 2024; chaplaincy remained effectively unstaffed - National search for a Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life not launched until March 2025