Three months following his sudden termination, Reverend Jeff McArn will return to Hamilton in the spring semester as a Senior Lecturer. Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Ngonidzashe Munemo confirmed to

The Spectator

that the administration extended a Senior Lecturer position to McArn. Munemo also noted that he is “glad [McArn] accepted.”

McArn’s return comes nearly three weeks after a faculty meeting on Sept. 5 where a motion to recognize McArn and re-engage him with campus passed 110 votes in favor, two in opposition and eight abstaining. McArn accepted his offer as a Senior Lecturer in the Religious Studies Department, allowing him to teach two courses per academic year for three years. In the spring, the reinstated McArn will teach “Hamilton College and Social Justice” and “American Freedom and Religious Thoughts,” courses he has previously taught. McArn’s courses will also be connected to the Levitt Center.

Professor Heidi Ravven of the Religious Studies department expressed gratitude for McArn’s reappointment stating that “we are delighted to have Jeff McArn back at Hamilton. He will be able to continue his great contribution to the Religious Studies Department, for which we are very grateful.” However, to both faculty and students’ dismay, McArn was not offered his previous role as Head of Hamilton’s Chaplaincy, a position that he held for 27 years. Ravven stated that McArn’s “great expertise and decades of knowledge and devotion, however, are in the Chaplaincy and the spiritual and justice work with students and faculty and the campus as a whole that he engaged in. It is a terrible loss to the entire Hamilton community that he cannot go on with that work and also help the College transition to new models of spiritual and justice engagement.”

Social Justice Fellow Eva Jo McIlraith ’26 remarked, “to me, the rehiring is proof that he was never in a position of wrongdoing, but to go as far as rehiring him within the Chaplaincy would be the administration admitting that they made a mistake.” Similarly, Dani Bernstein ’24, All Beliefs Union Intern, echoed McIlraith’s view that “this move is the first concrete response from the administration in the wake of our chaplaincy crisis, and it continues to prioritize the school’s image over student needs. There has been no communication acknowledging that what happened was wrong and no movement to further chaplaincy programming or move in a ‘new direction.’” It is clear that from the case of McArn’s firing and rehiring, students and faculty seek greater transparency from the Hamilton administration.

In a conversation with

The Spectator

, Reverend Jeff McArn stated, “I have a deep love for Hamilton College that goes back 27 years and counting. Hamilton is made up of some of the most intelligent, creative and caring people — students and faculty/staff — I have known in my life, and its potential for forming a beautiful community of mutual acceptance and encouragement is vast. It has been a mystery to me that we do not work more intentionally to create this reality, and instead speak of it as if it were already accomplished. While I will deeply miss working in the new chaplaincy to continue efforts to help build a campus community of trust, I am grateful for the opportunity to return to campus in the capacity of a Senior Lecturer and to work with the Levitt Center, whose staff and mission I love and admire. I realize none of this would have happened without the strong voice of the faculty, including the amazing support and care of the following people who have advocated tirelessly on my behalf: Professors Justin Clark (Philosophy), Marianne Janack (Philosophy), Jaime Kucinskas (Sociology), Steve Orvis (Government), Brent Rodriguez-Plate (Religious Studies), and Benj Widiss (Literature and Creative Writing) and student leaders including Abigail Moone ’23, Eric Santomauro-Stenzel ’24, Gabriel Bit-Babik ’25, and Stephen Socolow ’25 and last, but not least, my long-time friend and colleague Amy James (Community Outreach & Opportunity Project). I also appreciate Dean Munemo’s initiative to turn this support into an offer to return to campus, and the care he has taken to reach out to me during this bizarre chapter in my life.”

Vice President and Dean of Students Christopher Card was not available to comment.