August 24, 2026 — A New Academic Year: Cultivating Humane Instincts

Dear members of the Davidson College community,

Happy first day of classes! Our 555 first-year and transfer students completed their orientation with a special ceremony last night, signing their names to the Honor Code. Scholar-athletes have been on campus for weeks, preparing to represent Davidson College in competition this fall. And students enrolled in Humanities traveled with faculty members and sophomore fellows to the mountains for the Sapere Aude program—together “daring to know” even before formal classes began.

I am grateful to colleagues across campus who have assisted with dining, residential life, physical plant services, advising, visa and travel support, financial aid information, accommodations, and everything else needed to reassemble the community for this new academic year.

 The summer of 2026 was anything but quiet! Here are just a few highlights:

• Faculty mentored more than 250 students in research across campus.
• Eighteen students benefited from the Davidson Research Network, working in top medical research centers across the country.
• Davidson offered faculty-led programs in Washington, Belfast, Cambridge, Cádiz, and Zambia, and dozens more students studied and researched around the world.
• Hundreds of students benefited from college guidance and funding as they completed internships across the country and world.
• We announced a simplified pricing model that begins with next fall’s incoming class, redoubling our commitment to make Davidson accessible and affordable.

In addition, Davidson hosted on campus:

• The largest Reunion Weekend since before the pandemic.
• The third annual Summer Promise Program on college readiness for Charlotte-Mecklenburg high schoolers.
• The inaugural faculty seminar for the Deliberative Citizenship Network, with colleagues from 25 colleges.

For this new academic year, let us focus our work together on a vital theme, one which helps anchor our Statement of Purpose: Cultivating Humane Instincts.

Why highlight this perennial commitment to humane instincts for this specific year?

Artificial intelligence dominates the news, the economy, and culture. There is no doubt that machine learning, big data, and generative and agentic AI are shaping incredibly powerful research tools. At the same time, it is clear that using or misusing AI can short-circuit the cognitive development that we all need in order to become critical thinkers, creators, and citizens.

Together, we must determine how best to use AI and how and when not to use AI in our educational mission. We must prioritize the question of what makes us human and, amid these turbulent times, treat our fellow humans with the dignity they deserve.

How to harness AI in this way is the dynamic, rapid, and critical educational task that we are taking on together. One-third of our faculty devoted a week of their summer to exploring options and strategies for incorporating AI into students’ work in ways that support authentic learning. For each course they were preparing, they started with the core objectives they hold for their students’ learning and development. 

As I recently wrote, multiple CEOs have recently told me that they desperately need critical and broad-minded thinkers to join their companies. They want graduates fluent in employing AI and continuing to learn as AI develops, but more than that, they need future leaders with historical context and judgment. They want colleagues who draw upon humane instincts in their work. 

Early success of the Martin Institute for Public Good shows how Davidson is playing a national role in infusing humane instincts into public life. In addition to the Deliberative Citizenship Network, we will host our third annual national convening of honor councils. We are now the administrative home of the PSRI—the Personal and Social Responsibility Inventory—serving other colleges and universities who foster ethical reasoning, civic engagement, and social responsibility in students.  

Cultivating humane instincts shapes how we live together on this campus. True learning happens when community members from varied backgrounds and beliefs have honest, open exchanges of ideas and experiences. Free expression works when it is matched by a willingness to listen and to treat others with respect.

In the coming weeks I will share with you continued progress updates on our Strategic Plan. I’ll mention two here that connect to the quality of our community.

First, you’ll see in Baker Sports Complex parking lot that we have installed a solar canopy in partnership with Duke Energy. This was a win-win-win for sustainability, vehicle weather protection, and energy efficiency.

Second, even as the George Lawrence Abernethy Library construction continues on schedule, and we prepare to renovate Phi and Eu Halls and Elm Row, we are planning for major improvements to student health and well-being on campus. Those changes won’t be visible this year, but in the future they will enhance the facilities and programs that support health, dining, and fitness/recreation areas for students.

Davidson has always and will continue to prepare students for lives of leadership and service by nurturing disciplined, creative minds and developing humane instincts. Throughout the 2026-27 school year, let us reflect upon and celebrate our shared humanity.

Best,

Doug Hicks '90
President