“My experience with the Alexander Hamilton Institute was an essential complement to my Hamilton education. My time in AHI’s various societies and events transformed philosophy, religion and history from academic abstractions to guiding lights in my own search to understand how a good life ought to be lived. AHI made me a better listener, a more passionate learner, and a more grounded, directed and open person, this was personal growth that has proved essential to me in what success I have since cultivated in my career, and as a person. I am forever grateful for having had the opportunity to study and grow in AHI’s rigorous programming.”

-Jack Dunn, Hamilton College, Class of 2010.

“The Alexander Hamilton Institute provides students with a place off-campus for open discussion on a variety of different topics. I am part of two student organizations that hold meetings there. At AHI, I have felt very free to express my views without any fear of peer pressure that can exist in the classroom. Often, I have learned more in my discussions at AHI than I have in some of my classes at Hamilton College.”

-Tim Eismeier, Hamilton College, Class of 2010

“The Alexander Hamilton Institute is the perfect complement to the liberal arts education at Hamilton College. AHI provides an opportunity to apply ideas learned in coursework to scholarly and real world discussions with leaders in their fields. I was encouraged to express my point of view and always felt that all persons and ideas were treated thoughtfully and as equals. Professor Paquette challenged me in every history class I took at Hamilton, but what was apparent at AHI was how much he invests in all of his students.
Beyond the academic opportunities, the professors who founded AHI aspire to give students a complete college experience. Some of the most important things I learned during my time at Hamilton had nothing to do with my coursework. The life lessons I learned from Professor Bradfield I carried with me after graduation and have become mantras that I repeat to every intern and recent college graduate in my office. The lunch and dinner events at AHI were the best preparation for the networking events l attend as a professional. The fact the catering was some of the best food in upstate New York was also a nice perk. I have many fond memories and lifelong friendships from my time at Hamilton, and I count those with Professors Paquette, Bradfield, and Ambrose among them.”

-Anthony (Mark) Garcia, Hamilton College, Class of 2010; J. D. Vanderbilt Law School

“AHI exposed me to the lifelong endeavor of a liberal education. Through its variety of speakers, colloquia, panels, and reading groups, I was able to learn to become a young intellectual. Well after my graduation from Hamilton College, I found my ability to converse with academics from various disciplines to be invaluable in my career. I remember Professor Paquette invested considerable time elevating my prose. Often I will help my classmates writing their doctoral dissertations by trying to emulate his efforts.”

-Will Eagan, Hamilton College, Class of 2011; Department of Statistics, Purdue University

“Since its inception, the Alexander Hamilton Institute has been a haven for those interested in studying and preserving the features of Western civilization that have made it economically prosperous, bolstered by a vibrant civil society, and predominantly based on consent rather than coercion. In an academic environment that often promotes faddish dross, AHI remains a place where individuals are invited to cultivate their critical thinking skills and pursue the truth. An inquiring mind and voracious consumption of scholarship are not merely encouraged but required.
Under the tutelage of Professors Ambrose, Bradfield, Hill, and Paquette, I tackled ideas and topics that expanded my intellectual horizons in ways I could never have imagined. I learned – as Professor Paquette always says – not what to think, but HOW to think. Through AHI’s many colloquiums and lecture series’ I was able to not just listen to, but engage directly with world-renowned scholars and prominent intellectuals. My experiences at AHI were among the most valuable of my undergraduate career and ones that I will never forget. Most of all, however, AHI was my home away from home and the place where I forged some of my most cherished lifelong friendships.”

-Landry Frei, Hamilton College, Class of 2012; M. A. Accounting, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

“We appreciate the excellent work that the Alexander Hamilton Institute does to prepare students for both career and informed citizenship.”

-Ali Eskandarian, Executive Director, Fund for Academic Renewal