Dan Chambliss, Ph.D.
Eugene M. Tobin Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Hamilton College
How College Works: The Primacy of Personal Connection
With the cost of college nationwide reaching unsustainable heights for many families, students and parents alike are asking what benefits colleges really provide to their students. For their book How College Works, Dan Chambliss, Ph.D. and his former student Chris Takacs, Ph.D. closely followed 100 students from Hamilton College in New York State throughout their undergraduate careers and for years afterwards. They discovered that personal relationships – networks of friends, mentors, even passing acquaintances –played a decisive role, often more than majors or formal programs, in the academic and personal gains that students make. Relationships matter, and some higher education institutions foster them better than others. Prof. Chambliss’ talk will explain how colleges create strong friendship and mentoring bonds, and how students can – with modest effort – dramatically increase what they gain from their undergraduate experience.

Upcoming Events
After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People
Michael Geruso, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Texas at Austin
Katy Milkman, Ph.D.
James G. Dinan Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
ON ZOOM
Having It All: What Data Tells Us About Women’s Lives and Getting the Most Out of Yours
Corinne Low, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Jessica Calarco, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
ON ZOOM
Mastery: Why Deeper Learning is Essential in an Age of Distraction
Tony Wagner, Ed.D.
Senior Research Fellow at the Learning Policy Institute and bestselling author
Ulrik Juul Christensen, MD
Chief Strategist at the Area9 Group
Fernande Raine, Ph.D.
Historian, Social Entrepreneur, and Founder and Co-Lead of History Co:Lab
ON ZOOM