Letter from the President

Dear Friends,

This was another amazing year for Hampden-Sydney College. With each year of my tenure here, I am prouder and prouder to lead this esteemed institution. Two particular highlights in 2011-2012 were entering US News & World Report's Top 100 list of colleges and universities and having Ryan Carter '13 be named a Truman Scholar. This prestigious honor was given to only 54 students to help pay for graduate school in preparation for a career in government or public service.

After considerable, careful planning, our Board of Trustees approved a Strategic Plan for Hampden-Sydney that will guide us well into this century. As the plan's vision statement explains, it leads us "to become a model liberal arts college recognized for excellence in educating young men for the 21st Century." We now have a plan with goals centered on the development of good men, excellence in the educational environment, an efficacious community, marketing, and financial sustainability.

The efforts of our entire faculty and staff are paying off. This May we graduated 218 seniors, many of whom have gone on to leading graduate and professional schools, fulfilling careers, or service for their country. This fall we enrolled the second largest and most ethnically and racially diverse freshman class in our history. Three hundred forty young men have begun their commitment to character, integrity, honor, and academic excellence. I am excited to think about the personal growth these young men will experience during the next four years.

One reason Hampden-Sydney College stands apart from other colleges and universities is our faculty. As evidence, Dr. Alexander J. Werth, Elliot Professor of Biology, was named the 2011 recipient of The Virginia Foundation for Independent College's Hiter H. Harris, Jr. Memorial Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. During his 20 years on campus, Dr. Werth has consistently published academic articles while teaching a full load of classes, and his passion for biology is clearly evident to his students, many of whom have gone on to careers in science and medicine. Also, The Hampden-Sydney Journal of the Sciences, an on-line, multi-disciplinary scholarly magazine, launched this year under the direction of Dr. Michael J. Wolyniak, assistant professor of biology. This new venture gives our students the opportunity to navigate the process of publishing in an academic journal and of reviewing academic work submitted by others. I am certain this Journal will grow steadily in the years to come.

I am pleased to announce the arrival of Dr. Dennis Stevens, the new Dean of the Faculty and Provost at Hampden-Sydney College. He taught political science for 15 years before transitioning to administration. Before coming to Hampden-Sydney, he was the Dean of the College at Randolph College in Lynchburg.

Of course, not all of our successes this year occurred in and around the classroom. Thanks to the efforts of some enterprising students and the commitment of our Athletics Department staff, we introduced swimming as an intercollegiate sport. More than a dozen young men have made the commitment to the team, and we are proud that they will be representing Hampden-Sydney College as they compete around the Commonwealth. Meanwhile, the Hampden-Sydney football team continued to dominate the Old Dominion Athletic Conference and garner another championship.

As we strive to provide the best possible learning environments for our students, we have begun "Igniting Sound Learning," a campaign to equip more classrooms with modern educational tools. Our Parents Council is taking the lead on this important project, which will benefit students for many decades.

Finally, we are excited to announce a generous $1 million gift from the Carpenter Foundation to go toward the planning and design of a new fine arts center. Our fine arts majors are some of the youngest in our curriculum and this gift is crucial in supporting this growing department. Support like this from the Carpenter Foundation-and from people like you-ensures a bright future for Hampden-Sydney College.

See you on The Hill,

President Christopher B. Howard