Larson Delivers Graduation Address at Mohawk Valley Correctional Facility

As the organizer of the Mohawk Consortium College-in-Prison program in 2014, it only seems appropriate that Doran Larson, the Walcott-Bartlett Chair of Ethics and Christian Evidences and Professor of Literature and Creative Writing, delivered the address at the program’s first commencement ceremony on Dec. 19. Hamilton has contributed two faculty members per year to participate in delivering the program which offers students the opportunity to earn an associate’s degree in general studies from Herkimer Community College.

Among those who have taught at the prison are Professor of Math Emeritus Larry Knop, Professor of Psychology Emeritus Douglas Weldon, Maynard-Knox Professor of Government and Law Frank Anechiarico, Publius Virgilius Rogers Professor of American History Maurice Isserman, Visiting Assistant Professor of Literature Stephen Schillinger, Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science David Perkins, and Professor of Comparative Literature Nancy Rabinowitz. Colgate University also provides two faculty members each year, and Herkimer supplies the remaining teaching staff.

Larson’s address suggested that, in pooling local goodwill and human resources to educate incarcerated people, they had taken a modest step back toward the attitude among Americans observed by De Tocqueville in the early years of this country.