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February 28, 2007
DEAR FRIENDS:
It has been a full winter in Hanover — and a cold February. For winter
carnival we had to haul in snow for the sculpture and a week later a snowstorm
caused us to close down some campus operations! Our ski team is undefeated
going into the nationals. Our men's and women's hockey teams won Ivy titles,
the first for the men since 1980, and now advance in the playoffs. This weekend
Susan and I saw men's basketball twice, including our first season sweep of
Princeton since 1946; men's hockey; and the main stage production of "Arms
and the Man." We met with a parents' group for a reception where the
Dodecaphonics entertained us. Last week we had thirty students to our house for
dinner and a discussion, and I had two student lunches in my office.
Last week Professor Ron Green of the Religion Department, the Director of
the Ethics Institute and the Eunice and Julian Cohen Professor of Ethics and
Human Values, gave the annual presidential lecture, a celebration of the work
of a distinguished faculty member. Professor Green's lecture addressed the
subject of bioethics. Dartmouth has received national recognition recently for
its sustainability efforts and for the accomplishments of the Greek system.
And, with all of this, students and faculty are quietly going about their work
to know more each day about those academic matters that intrigue them. It is in
this environment that I write to share with you observations on a few important
topics.
MISSION STATEMENT
Dartmouth's mission, as I have said on numerous occasions, has not changed
but organizations periodically should remind themselves what it is that they
are about. Following wide consultation, I have drafted a more concise mission
statement:
Dartmouth educates the most promising students
of this generation to be leaders of the next generation with a faculty of
scholars dedicated to teaching and the creation of new knowledge.
I plan on discussing the statement with the
trustees at the March meeting and will then finalize it. I am confident that
President Dickey would have recognized this as the mission of the College, even
as I am confident that fifty years from now it will continue to inform
Dartmouth's purpose — and be affirmed by the contributions of our
graduates.
In this process I also set out to describe a
series of core values that mark Dartmouth. As I met with groups of students,
faculty, staff from all levels including union employees, alumni and alumnae,
and with the trustees, I asked them what it was that best described Dartmouth
when it was at its best. What struck me through these many conversations was
how consistent the responses were. We are surely all united around these
values:
We are committed to academic excellence and to
a culture that encourages collaboration, creativity, and innovation.
We expect faculty to embrace teaching and
mentoring students with a passion and to be leaders in the scholarly or
creative work shaping their fields.
We welcome and respect difference and believe
that diversity is a key strength of our shared sense of community and
contributes significantly to the quality of a Dartmouth education.
We recruit and admit exceptional students from
all backgrounds, regardless of their financial means.
We foster a culture that instills a sense of
responsibility for the broader community and the environment.We encourage the
vigorous and open debate of ideas within a community that encourages mutual
respect.
If many fine institutions could claim to share
these values, few have this combination and none have them along with
Dartmouth's special legacy:
Since its founding in 1769, Dartmouth has
provided an intimate and inspirational setting for distinguished faculty and
talented students to come together in one of the finest academic communities in
the world. Dartmouth faculty contribute substantially to the expansion of human
understanding around critical issues. Dartmouth is committed to providing the
best undergraduate liberal arts experience in the world and is enriched by
excellent, historic professional programs in the Dartmouth Medical School
(founded 1797), the Thayer School of Engineering (1867), the Tuck School of
Business (1900) and the graduate programs in the Arts and Sciences. Together
they sustain an exceptional learning environment that emphasizes independent
thought, academic excellence, and the lifelong pursuit of learning.
Pioneering programs and continuing leadership
in computation and international education are hallmarks of Dartmouth. The
College provides a comprehensive out-of-classroom experience, including service
opportunities, engagement in the arts, and strong athletic, recreational, and
outdoor programs. Dartmouth graduates are marked by an understanding of the
importance of teamwork, a capacity for leadership, and their keen enjoyment of
a vibrant community. Alumni/ae loyalty to Dartmouth is legendary and their
engagement is a defining and sustaining quality of the College.
A couple of weeks ago, we posted the statement on the Dartmouth homepage and
invited feedback. I have been gratified by the number of people who wrote to
say that they thought it captured the essence of Dartmouth and who wanted to
tweak one part of it or another. Let me reflect briefly on a few of their
observations.
Some respondents wanted more explicitly to recognize the critical role
played by research as well as the contributions of the graduate schools. The
mission and values statement aims to be inclusive of all of Dartmouth's schools
and programs. We expect all of our graduates to assume leadership — as they
have done. And research — the creation of knowledge — is a vital part of
Dartmouth's contribution to a better world and this culture of discovery
energizes the teaching environment.
Other respondents noted, conversely, that we should not feature the graduate
schools since Dartmouth is an undergraduate college. For sure, we aim to have
at Dartmouth the strongest undergraduate liberal arts program in the world —
and we will protect and retain this position. We also have, and have had since
the 1790s, exceptional graduate programs that are themselves leaders in their
fields and that we can be proud of. They are fully a part of Dartmouth and
their strength adds to the College's strength.
Some staff were concerned that they were not represented explicitly in the
statement. I have always sought every opportunity to affirm the value of
officers and staff in making Dartmouth the place that it is, so we will make
what is implicit more explicit. A few students pointed out that we do not have
full financial aid for all international students. This is true —
although we have a very generous international financial aid program. Fully
two-thirds of our international students receive financial aid, compared to
around 45 percent of domestic students, and the aid package for the former
tends to be higher.
FACULTY
One of the most important groups at Dartmouth is the Committee Advisory to
the President, composed of six senior faculty members, selected by me from a
group nominated by vote of the faculty of Arts and Sciences. The Dean of the
Faculty is the agenda officer and the Provost joins in the meetings as well.
This group considers promotions and tenure appointments within the Arts and
Sciences, upon recommendation of the home department or program and upon review
of evidence of scholarly standing and teaching effectiveness. It is a very
responsible group that understands so well the importance of its decisions, for
Dartmouth as well as for the individuals under review. In their third
year in rank we consider faculty for reappointment and in their sixth year we
review them for promotion and for tenure. This month we reviewed a number of
reappointment cases from different departments and programs. This was an
inspiring and reassuring session. Many of these colleagues are publishing
articles and books, receiving grants, giving papers, and taking on professional
leadership. And most have established themselves as teachers. The promotion
materials included the following comments from students: the "best
course" at Dartmouth; "This course makes me think in a different
way"; "cares about his students"; "The best teaching I have
seen"; "challenged us to question accepted ideas." These faculty
are Dartmouth's future.
TRUSTEE ELECTION
This spring the alumni/ae will be involved in an election to nominate a
trustee. The election is important, and I hope that all alumni/ae will
participate. Dartmouth trustees are dedicated individuals who volunteer their
time, expertise, and talents to ensuring that Dartmouth — at the end of the day
and at the end of this century -- will continue to be an exceptional,
competitive institution that is a model for education.
I wish all four candidates well, and I have a request to make of them and
their supporters. Dartmouth is enriched by vigorous, informed debate and
strengthened by critical engagement. It does not, however, advance the College
to make allegations or to misstate the facts. Dartmouth classes are getting
smaller; faculty are as committed to students and to teaching as they have ever
been; free speech is alive and well; we are fully committed to strong,
competitive athletic programs; the Greek system is thriving; and administrative
positions have grown more slowly than the growth in faculty. We will be
recruiting students and faculty this spring, a very competitive process that is
vital to Dartmouth's future. We will correct the record if campaign rhetoric
interferes with these efforts.
Some people have claimed that one of the new trustee's assignments will be
to elect the next president. This statement will likely prove to be correct —
someday. For now though, to paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of my retirement are
premature. While I may look my age, I am not yet ready to act it. In my
thirty-eighth year at Dartmouth, I have things yet to do and I enjoy immensely
doing them. So let us hold off on the transition planning.
WOUNDED VETERANS
Many of you know that I served three years in the Marine Corps. Since 2005,
I have been visiting wounded Marines at Bethesda Naval Hospital. I have also
gone to Walter Reed Hospital. I go bed to bed talking to these young men and
women, all of them seriously wounded, and I always urge them to consider
returning to school. I have not sought to recruit students for Dartmouth, but a
week before Christmas when I visited I gave out twenty-five Dartmouth
caps! I am always moved by their stories and inspired by their courage
and sacrifice.
From the outset it was clear that these Marines needed more specific
educational guidance than any one person could provide. I contacted David Ward,
the President of the American Council on Education. He immediately agreed to
help develop a program that could respond to specific questions. I promised
that I would raise the money for the program if ACE could organize it.
President Ward assigned one of his colleagues, James Selbe, to the task. It has
proven complicated, but Mr. Selbe, himself an old Marine, has done this. I have
been pleased to help out in this effort. The counseling programs at Bethesda,
Walter Reed, and Brooke Medical Center will soon be underway. As a result,
these young men and women who served so unselfishly and bravely will now be
better served themselves. I wish we could do more. We can do no
less.
Sincerely,
James Wright
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