“During my four years at Hamilton College, I had the good fortune to take several American History courses with Professors Ambrose and Paquette. Their constant support and extensive, evenhanded criticism allowed me to significantly improve my academic prose — without their help, it is unlikely that I would have qualified for a position at the college’s Writing Center. The same can be said for my completion and enjoyment of the daunting History major.
Professor Ambrose served as my general advisor during my Freshman year and became my concentration advisor the following fall. In the former position, he helped me navigate the new college environment; in the latter, he guided me through the History concentration’s requirements and suggested a broad range of challenging courses. Finally, serving as my thesis advisor in fall 2016, Professor Ambrose acted as a patient mentor and thoughtful reader. When I finished the thesis, he went out of his way to mail my family a bound copy.
Professor Paquette also supported my academic efforts throughout my college career. His office door was always open to me, his bearing welcoming, encouraging, and frank. In my senior year he pushed me to attend an AHI conference at Colgate (and, not incidentally, drove me to and from the event), which proved a singular learning experience. While there, he introduced me to a number of historians working in fields in which I have an abiding interest. In all of our interactions, he evinced a sincere interest in my intellectual growth, for which I remain grateful.”
-William Ardery, Hamilton College, Class of 2017
“I am writing to tell you about what a privilege it is that AHI is offering these Monday evening courses to the public. I began taking them a couple of years ago starting with the class profiling the 1960s. The subject matter is always informative and interesting. We have covered a number of diverse topics and the combination of lecture and discussion leads to learning the interests and opinions of others in the class. Not having a background in Political Science, I personally find this very educational and enlightening. The text and course materials are graciously provided free of charge which is an added benefit. I would also like to thank Dr. David Frisk for providing the lectures and compiling the readings. I’m sure he gives them a great deal of thought and effort.”
-Greg D’Agostino, New Hartford, New York
“From guest speakers to reading groups, my involvement with the AHI has broadened my knowledge of the world and its history. Particularly, I learned to admire the contributions of Western Civilization to the overall progress of humanity. Without the AHI, I would have had no exposure to the works of Edmund Burke, Friedrich Hayek, John Stuart Mill, and Alexis De Tocqueville.”
-Alex Klosner, Hamilton College, Class of 2017
“I’ve been exposed to ideas and subjects I would not have experienced otherwise.”
-Taylor Elicegui, Hamilton College, Class of 2017
“It’s hard to convey how much of my own personal and professional success I owe to the Alexander Hamilton Institute, and specifically Professors Paquette and Ambrose, but looking back, I know that no other organization at Hamilton College could or did influence my own personal and intellectual development more than AHI. By supporting my academic interests, while always daring me to think differently, AHI helped me develop an intellectual grounding, which has proven invaluable in my post-grad life. With fellows of every ideological background, every student and professor who contributed their time to AHI found intellectual enrichment, as they came to learn and have their ideas scrutinized and challenged. I consider my time with AHI as a privilege and remain tremendously grateful to Professors Ambrose and Paquette for the irreplaceable mentorship they provided me while I was an undergraduate fellow of AHI.”
-William Swett, Hamilton College, Class of 2018
“Your colloquium [Thomas Jefferson v. Alexander Hamilton at Monticello] was one of the best organized events I have ever attended. You . . . deserve congratulations for your vision, your skills in getting such a great, complex enterprise organized, and for its flawless execution. . . . All the panelists were first rate and made interesting points, but the ones who stood out for me were the ones who focused, for example, on the circumstances in which correspondences were written and memorable statements were made.”
