Courses in the arts at Hamilton continue to be in very high demand. For instance, ten of the eleven courses offered at the 100 and 200-level by the Department of Art during the fall semester of 2009 have waitlists. Theatre productions continue to draw full audiences.
We have assembled a high quality arts faculty, and we dearly want them to stay. Associate Professor Katharine Kuharic, the Kevin Kennedy Associate Professor of Art, and Assistant Professor Rebecca Murtaugh, for instance, both received teaching awards in May of 2009 at the Class and Charter Day ceremony. Both have been very actively involved in the planning for these facilities.
Hamilton does not compete for students; it competes for the best students. Hamilton's excellent facilities for science, music, and social science have already made a difference in our ability to attract the best students, many of whom come from secondary schools with excellent facilities. An article in the February 3, 2006 issue of Inside Higher Education entitled “A Call to Arts,” reports that “According to College Board data compiled by the Art & Science Group, an enrollment consulting firm, there was a 44 percent increase from 1996 to 2005 in the number of high school seniors who say that they plan to major in visual and performing arts.”
In the 21st Century, education in "visual literacy" has become as important as the more traditional training for which Hamilton has established a reputation for excellence. Our programs in writing and speaking have attracted much-deserved praise and recognition. Our emphasis on collaborative research and scholarship by faculty with students has drawn due attention to the College as well. But perceptive external viewers of the college have begun to ask if we are also prepared to commit to education in "visual literacy" as our peers have begun to do.
Our current facilities continue to be consumed at a great rate and are not healing themselves quickly enough. We are well past the expiration date for many of these studios, classrooms, and performing spaces.