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Rev. Jeff McArn Firing (June 2023)

Overview

In June 2023, Hamilton’s head chaplain Rev. Jeff McArn was fired after 27 years of service (he arrived in 1996), without any confirmed malfeasance made public. The dismissal prompted one of the largest unified cross-community responses documented in the 2014–2025 corpus: the faculty voted 110 in favor, 2 opposed, 8 abstaining to express confidence in McArn, and 37 campus organizations signed a letter of support. McArn partially returned as Senior Lecturer in fall 2023, but the chaplaincy position remained effectively unstaffed through at least March 2025.

Key Points

• McArn’s tenure: Rev. Jeff McArn arrived at Hamilton in 1996 and served as head chaplain for 27 years before his termination in June 2023. (The Spectator, September 7, 2023)
• Reason withheld: President Wippman confirmed the dismissal was not for “malfeasance” or “immoral” conduct but refused to reveal the reason, stating he would “continue[s] to support the decision that was made.” (The Spectator, September 7, 2023)
• First public announcement: Dean of Students Christopher Card emailed the campus on August 28, 2023 announcing a “new direction” for the “Spiritual and Religious Life department,” with Jewish chaplain Jenn Ferman assuming a full-time role for the year. The Observer-Dispatch had reported on the firing on August 23. (The Spectator, September 7, 2023)
• Faculty vote — correction: The faculty voted 110 in favor, 2 opposed, and 8 abstaining to express confidence in McArn at a September 5, 2023 faculty meeting. (Note: an earlier summary of this page incorrectly reported “110–8”; the 8 were abstentions, not opposing votes.) (The Spectator, September 7, 2023)
• Faculty voices: Prof. Keller stated employees had been “treated like criminals and escorted immediately [out of] campus.” Prof. Kucinskas declared: “The only way I personally can see us moving forward without further diminished religious and spiritual living on campus…is to bring him back.” (The Spectator, September 7, 2023)
• Organizational response: 37 campus organizations signed a letter of support for McArn. Named signatories included the Center for Intersectional Feminism, BLSU, Hillel, YDSA, the Spiritual Life Council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the GSU — an unusual cross-ideological coalition. (The Spectator, September 7, 2023)
• McArn’s partial return as Senior Lecturer: In October 2023, VP/Dean of Faculty Ngonidzashe Munemo confirmed McArn would return as Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies, teaching two courses per year for three years (“Hamilton College and Social Justice” and “American Freedom and Religious Thoughts,” connected to the Levitt Center). Munemo said he was “glad [McArn] accepted.” (The Spectator, October 5, 2023)
• Student reactions to the Senior Lecturer announcement: Eva Jo McIlraith ‘26 said the rehiring was “proof that he was never in a position of wrongdoing, but to go as far as rehiring him within the Chaplaincy would be the administration admitting that they made a mistake.” Dani Bernstein ‘24 said the move was “the first concrete response from the administration” but “continues to prioritize the school’s image over student needs.” (The Spectator, October 5, 2023)
• McArn’s named advocates: In his statement, McArn specifically thanked Profs. Clark, Janack, Kucinskas, Orvis, Rodriguez-Plate, and Widiss; students Moone ‘23, Santomauro-Stenzel ‘24, Bit-Babik ‘25, and Socolow ‘25; Amy James; and Dean Munemo. (The Spectator, October 5, 2023)
• Interim chaplaincy under Beauford: In February 2024, Rev. Y. Trevor Beauford was appointed Interim Chaplain and Director of Spiritual and Religious Life. Students later described him as “incompetent.” Beauford and the Fermans all left over the summer of 2024. (The Spectator, February 1, 2024; The Spectator, March 6, 2025)
• Ongoing chaplaincy vacancy: By fall 2024–spring 2025, VP/Dean of Students Christopher Card and Chaplaincy Manager of Spiritual and Religious Life Ariel Jarman were providing chaplaincy support. A national search for a Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life was launched in March 2025 — nearly two years after the firing — through executive search firm Isaacson, Miller. (The Spectator, March 6, 2025)
• Wippman era context: The firing occurred under President Wippman’s administration; it was among the most significant faculty-administration ruptures of the 2016–2024 period.
• Concurrent crisis: The McArn firing occurred in the same academic year as the April 16, 2023 Jodel shooting threat (a Hamilton student, Peter Ashby Howard III ‘25, was arrested for posting an anonymous threat to “shoot up” KJ on the app Jodel), placing two major community crises in the same year. (The Spectator, April 20, 2023)

Detailed Timeline

• 1996: McArn arrives at Hamilton as head chaplain.
• June 2023: McArn terminated. No reason made public.
• August 23, 2023: Observer-Dispatch reports on the firing.
• August 28, 2023: Dean of Students Christopher Card emails campus announcing “new direction”; Jenn Ferman to assume full-time role for the year.
• September 5, 2023: Faculty meeting. Vote is 110 in favor, 2 opposed, 8 abstaining — expressing confidence in McArn and requesting the administration reconsider. 37 campus organizations’ joint support letter circulates.
• September 7, 2023: The Spectator’s first issue of fall 2023 covers the faculty meeting and letter in detail. Wippman confirms no malfeasance; refuses to explain the decision.
• October 5, 2023: The Spectator reports McArn will return as Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies. VP/Dean of Faculty Munemo confirms; McArn issues a statement thanking advocates.
• February 1, 2024: The Spectator reports Rev. Y. Trevor Beauford has been appointed Interim Chaplain at the start of spring 2024 semester.
• Summer 2024: Beauford and the Fermans leave Hamilton.
• Fall 2024–Spring 2025: Christopher Card and Ariel Jarman provide chaplaincy support.
• March 2025: Hamilton launches a national search for a Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life through Isaacson, Miller.

Open Questions

• What were the administration’s stated reasons for dismissing McArn?
• What were the 37 campus organizations that signed the letter of support?
• What did McArn’s role as Senior Lecturer entail, and how did it differ from his chaplaincy work?
• What was the outcome of the national search for a Dean of Spiritual and Religious Life launched in March 2025?
• How did the Spectator cover the firing across multiple issues, and what editorial positions did the paper take?

Sources

Related Topics

• College Administration and Presidential Leadership
• Faculty Governance and Academic Affairs
• Student Government and Campus Organizations

Related Entities

• Hamilton College