David Wippman

Wippman graduated summa cum laude with an A.B. in English from Princeton University in 1976 after completing a 143-page long senior thesis titled "Malory and the Fall of Camelot." He then received an M.A. in English literature from Yale University, and a J.D. from Yale Law School. During law school, Wippman served as the editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal. He also clerked for Wilfred Feinberg, a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

After graduating from law school, Wippman practiced law in Washington, D.C., specializing in international law and political consulting. He served as vice provost of Cornell University for international relations and dean of the Cornell Law School. Prior to serving as president of Hamilton College, Wippman was dean of the University of Minnesota Law School.[2] He has also been a visiting professor at Ulster University. Wippman took office as president on July 1, 2016, succeeding Joan Hinde Stewart.[3][4]

On March 12, 2020, Wippman cancelled in-person instruction at Hamilton College for the rest of the spring semester. On June 1, 2020, Wippman co-authored an opinion piece in The New York Times about returning students to campus in the fall 2020 semester.[5][6] Wippman has previously authored op-eds in The New York Times, The Hill, and Inside Higher Ed.[7][8]

On May 16, 2023, Wippman announced his intention to retire on June 30, 2024. He expressed his gratitude and best wishes to students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and close friends and concluded with the following passage:

"At my inauguration, I paraphrased Rabbi Tarfon’s words about study of the Torah: “the day is short, and the work is plentiful . . . it’s not our responsibility to finish the work, but neither can we desist from it.” Sharing in the work of making Hamilton even better than it has been is what has made my time here so exciting. While this work is not – and should never be – finished, I will do all I can in the coming year to ensure continued success for Hamilton and its next president."[9]