April 5–7, 2024
Arts, Creativity, and Innovation is a centerpiece of Colgate’s transformational Third-Century Plan. One of the plan’s first initiatives reimagines the role of arts and creativity at the University through a rebuilt Middle Campus.
Learn More About Colgate's Middle Campus Initiative
Weekend Celebration at Colgate
Keynote Address
Amanda Gorman, poet and activist
Additional events will be announced soon.
About Amanda Gorman

Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. She is a committed advocate for the environment, racial equality, and gender justice. Her activism and poetry have been featured on the Today Show, PBS Kids, and CBS This Morning, and in the New York Times, Vogue, and Essence. After graduating cum laude from Harvard University, she now lives in her hometown of Los Angeles. In 2017, Gorman was appointed the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate by Urban Word — a program that supports Youth Poets Laureate in more than 60 cities, regions, and states nationally. Gorman’s groundbreaking performance of her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the 2021 presidential inauguration received international critical acclaim, inspiring millions of viewers with her message of hope, resilience, and healing.
Gorman appeared on the cover of TIME magazine in February 2021 and was the first poet to grace the cover of Vogue in its May 2021 issue. She was Porter Magazine’s July 2021 cover star and received The Artist Impact Award at the 2021 Backstage at the Geffen Awards. Gorman was one of five Variety Power of Women honorees and cover stars, as well one of three cover stars for Glamour’s Women of the Year. The special edition of her inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb,” was published in March 2021. Her debut picture book, Change Sings, released in September 2021, and her poetry collection Call Us What We Carry in December 2021 — both debuting at #1 on New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists.
“As the home of the Initiative in Arts, Creativity, and Innovation, the Middle Campus will be a hub of liberal arts activity, where new methods of teaching and learning encourage new modes of thought.”
President Brian W. Casey
Arts, creativity, and innovation is a centerpiece of Colgate’s Third-Century transformation, joining programs across the curriculum. For more information, visit thirdcentury.colgate.edu.