The Alexander Hamilton Institute holds annually as the piece de resistance of its thematic programming a major colloquium, named after Carl B. Menges, a businessman and philanthropist who has been a stalwart supporter of the AHI since its inception. Students from various colleges and universities participate in the colloquium, and, indeed, are required to perform written assignments based on the prescribed readings as well as on the often intense conversations that occur between the conferees during six sessions over two days.  In years past students from Harvard, the University of Rochester, Rochester Institute of Technology, Colgate University, Carleton College, Baylor University, Hamilton College, and Princeton University, among others, have participated in this public event.  In April 2011 the AHI held the colloquium at the Turning Stone Resort.  AHI senior fellow Theodore Eismeier organized the event centered on the theme of “Law, Technology, and American Constitutional Government: Curing the Mischief of Faction in the 21st Century.”

Each year at the AHI’s annual Constitution Day celebration, the AHI awards prizes that also bear the name of Carl Menges to those students who have excelled in the performance of their assignments as determined by their professors.  This year, the AHI is pleased to announce two winners, both from Hamilton College.  They are Jeffrey Sobotko (Class of 2014) from Poughkeepsie, New York, and Hillary Kolodner (Class of 2014) from Baltimore, Maryland.  In recognition of their achievement, the AHI presented each student with a Kindle Wi-Fi reading device.

Congratulations to Jeff and Hillary.  Well done.