On Friday, Nov. 30, the College officially launched its $400 million “Because Hamilton” capital campaign during the annual 1812 Leadership Circle Weekend in New York City. The campaign places an emphasis six institutional priorities — financial aid, learning and living, digital leadership, career exploration, humanities facilities, and the Hamilton Annual Fund — and will run through June 30, 2023. In addition to the kickoff event on Friday, the campaign’s opening weekend featured the launch of new website, a promotional video, and a celebration at Up&Down Nightclub on Saturday, Dec. 1.

The Spectator

spoke with the campaign’s co-chairs, Jeff Little ’71, P’04 and David Solomon ’84, P’16, about the campaign and Hamilton’s influence in their lives. “Because Hamilton” will be the fourth consecutive capital campaign for which Little, a life trustee, has served in a leadership position. Solomon is the chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs as of Oct. 2018. He previously served as the company’s president and chief operating officer.

The Spectator

: Financial aid slated to receive largest portion of the campaign’s $400 million goal ($120 million) out of its 6 priorities. What factors were weighed in making this decision and what outcomes do you hope to see as a result of this emphasis?

David Solomon ’84, P’16: Financial aid is an important part of the agenda of the Board [of Trustees] with respect to strengthening the College’s ability to attract intelligent, devoted students. The Board made the decision a number of years ago to go to need blind to make Hamilton more affordable for a larger group of potential students. To continue that mission and endow Hamilton in a way that ensures the College is need blind for generations to come, we have to continue to build the endowment and grow the amount of capital dedicated to scholarship aid. We want to make a Hamilton education affordable for more people and to create a more diverse student community on campus, which we think will be vital for the long-term health of the College.

Jeff Little ’71, P’04: The emphasis on financial aid comes from Hamilton’s need-blind promise, which was a wonderful thing for the College in terms of providing access to qualified students who previously couldn’t afford to come. Having made that decision though, our ability to offer financial assistance is increasingly expensive. That makes supporting financial aid a huge priority for the campaign and I have to imagine it will be one for future campaigns as well.

S: The campaign kicked off with a series of high-visibility events, from the website launch, to a 6-minute promotional video, to banners hung around campus and a formal announcement at the College’s 21st Annual 1812 Leadership Circle Weekend in New York City. How do you hope to sustain engagement with the campaign after this initial push, especially given that it will run through 2023?

DS: The good news is we are already off to a great start [

Editor’s Note: As of Dec. 5, the campaign has received $203,900,000 in gifts and commitments.

] The College has done a number of capital campaigns over the past few decades, and we have a set process to ensure a continuous calendar of engagements, events, and outreach in order to sustain the activity of the campaign. I’m very confident that we’ll execute on these fronts and meet the campaign goal.

JL: We will have a series of personal and group meetings throughout the country where members of the Board and other volunteers for the campaign will meet with alumni to talk about the campaign and ask for donations. This is how we have done it in the past and it has worked well for us.

S: The scope of the campaign is as ambitious as its financial goal. Are there areas in which you see the six priorities as interconnected in their purpose?

JL: I think [the six priorities] are all about keeping the Hamilton experience relevant to today’s students. We also want to make sure we are up-to-date with all the best practices of our NESCAC peers, competing with the best so we can get the very best students. Once they are here, we want to make sure students have the best possible Hamilton experience.

DS: Hamilton is a great school and a great liberal arts college, but the world is shifting and we need to continue our ability to attract the highest caliber students and help Hamilton remain strong. This requires us to be bold in expanding our initiatives with respect to our curriculum, activities, and opportunities for students. The [campaign’s] initiatives around digital learning — and the expansion of our commitment to improving it — is important given the role that technology is playing in disrupting the way people consume information, learn, and communicate. We want to make sure that Hamilton is in a position where we are a leader in this area. As a college, we don’t just need to be need blind and have scholarship aid, we also need to have curriculum, support, and resources that are state-of-the-art and place the College in such a leadership position. These digital initiatives are just one way that we are trying to be forward thinking in the coming years.

S: What is one aspect of the campaign you are particularly excited about?

DS: I’m passionate about scholarship aid. I was fortunate to attend Hamilton and it has had an important impact on me personally and professionally. I want to make sure that in giving back I do everything I can to make that education, experience, and the opportunities that come from them available to the broadest group of people possible. It’s a big reason why most of my contributions to the campaign will be put towards this area.

JL: We’ve tailored the campaign so that it addresses features of Hamilton that are important to a wide range of potential donors, who have different passions related to the College. Personally, I have always been a facilities person. I believe that if you have great facilities, you can attract great students. A lot of students come to campus as part of their college visits and make snap judgements based on the look of the college. It’s important to me that we have wonderful facilities, not only because we want to attract students, but also because when they’re here, we want them to have a great experience.

S: Moving on to your own Hamilton experiences, how have you applied what you learned at Hamilton in your career?

JL: I learned a lot about people and myself as a student. It broadened my horizons. I was a product of a privileged upbringing, and when I came to Hamilton, I was exposed to a lot of people who had a different upbringing. It was an eye-opener for me and an experience I’ve always valued because I think it has made me a better person. I made wonderful friends who are still friends today, and I’ve been lucky enough to have a business where I’ve hired many Hamiltonians, which has allowed me to maintain a connection to the College throughout my career. As a trustee, I’ve made many friends too and found them to be a tremendously dedicated and capable group of people working to make the College a better place.

DS: Hamilton emphasizes critical thinking and communication skills and both have been helpful to me in building a foundation that has allowed me to succeed professionally over a long period of time. I feel very fortunate to have gotten a broad education that has helped me to be an effective critical thinker and strengthened my communication skills.

S: What’s one piece of advice you have for Hamilton students as they think about their futures?

DS: For one, you don’t have to have the answer or arrive at your desired destination right away. You need to find a place to start your career, get some experience, meet interesting people, and continue to learn. That first job out of Hamilton is an extension of the learning process. While you’re still at Hamilton, work on your writing and practice public speaking. I’ve also said before that everyone should take a basic accounting course because it provides a critical thinking foundation that helps you understand business and opportunity no matter what you do.

JL: Don’t always do what’s comfortable. Some of the most valuable courses I took at Hamilton were ones that I didn’t really want to take and didn’t necessarily feel comfortable going into them. Of course, afterwards, I realized that I’d really gotten a lot out of it. I think that’s a message you hear over and over again from alumni.