Dear Colleagues,
We invite you to attend the 2026 Liberal Arts Core Curriculum Retreat on Tuesday, May 12, and Wednesday, May 13 at the White Eagle Appley Center in Hamilton, N.Y. Our theme for this year’s retreat is “What Is a Human?” This question is especially relevant in the age of artificial intelligence and new knowledge about the ways that humans and other species are entangled in mutual bonds of interdependence, and yet it is also a question with enduring significance across the liberal arts. Questions about human origins and conceptions of humanity are central to many of our fields of study and form a key part of Colgate’s Core Curriculum. We plan a series of workshops around these topics to spur conversations about teaching and pedagogy.
This year’s retreat will be our second at the Appley Center, just a few minutes north of the Village of Hamilton. Our team is working to develop an engaging and useful set of sessions and will share more details about the retreat agenda and schedule in mid-April. As in years past, the retreat will be organized around a series of panels and breakout sessions during Tuesday, and on Wednesday faculty will meet with their component colleagues (Communities, Conversations, or Sciences). A lunchtime session on Wednesday will be devoted to First Year Seminars. Breakfast and lunch will be provided both days. Tuesday’s program ends with a social hour and evening meal.
Please be in touch if you have questions about the retreat or any suggestions about session topics in line with this year’s theme. We look forward to seeing you at the retreat!
Sincerely,
Chris Henke, Director of the Division of University Studies
Teo Ballvé, University Professor, Core Communities and Core Distinction
Laura Billings, Academic Divisional Coordinator, Division of University Studies
Ben Child, University Professor, Core Conversations
Peter Klepeis, University Professor, First-Year Seminars
Jenn Lutman, University Professor, Living and Learning Workshop
Jennifer Tomlinson, University Professor, Core Sciences