President outlines Dartmouth’s accomplishments, work yet to be done
President James Wright delivered his annual
address to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at its general meeting on Oct.
8. Balancing his remarks around goals accomplished and work still to be done,
he noted that this was the 10th time he had delivered the address in as many
years. Wright described the general state of the College as “excellent,” but
said “It is a crucial time to look ahead. We are not yet finished and I would
like to share with you a few initiatives that I seek to advance during the
remainder of my service as president.” After updating the faculty on the events
and accomplishments of the past year, he said he would focus on improvements in
several areas: bringing a more strategic focus on Sophomore Summer, building on
progress already made in the student advising process, enhancing faculty
compensation, and the need to renew Dartmouth’s commitment to diversity. Wright
also said he would identify resources for increased financial
aid.
President James Wright addresses the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on Oct. 8.
(Photo by Joseph Mehling ’69)
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Referencing the current debate over governance at the College, Wright said
to the faculty, “As president, my focus is on your work, on our ability to
recruit and to sustain faculty, on our ability to continue to recruit here the
best students and provide them an exceptional experience, and to protect and to
always seek to enhance the intellectual and fiscal strength of the
College.”
The faculty
Among the strategic goals met during the previous year, Wright cited growth
in the arts and sciences faculty that, in part, has made it possible for a
reduction in the student-faculty ratio to 8 to 1. “The FTE of A&S faculty
has grown from 380 to 430 over the past decade. In terms of authorized
tenure-track positions the numbers have gone from 352 to 411,” Wright said.
Faculty growth has also occurred in the professional schools. “Even more
important…,” he continued, “is the quality of the Dartmouth faculty. We
continue to attract our first choice of faculty and we will continue to work
hard to do this as well as to then retain them.”
Faculty compensation
“Significantly increasing the size of our faculty and simultaneously
improving our average compensation relative to our competitors has been a
complicated and expensive task—and it has been a necessary one,” Wright said.
He explained that the arts and sciences startup budget has grown since 2000
from under $1 million to over $5 million, and that compensation goals set for
the Faculty of Arts and Sciences had been met.
Admissions
Describing a trend towards larger applicant pools, greater selectivity, and
diversity, Wright said that undergraduate applications have increased from
10,600 nine years ago to 14,000 for the last cycle. Dartmouth’s acceptance rate
is now 16 percent, down from 21 percent. Students of color, who nine years ago
represented 20 percent of the student population, now constitute 30 percent,
and there has been a dramatic increase (from 4 to 9 percent) in international
students. Financial aid expenditures have doubled, from $24.5 million in 1998
to $50 million currently. Wright also described growing strength in the
academic experience, citing an increase in small classes (fewer than 20
students) from 57 percent to 65 percent. Pointing to the close interaction
between students and faculty across the institution, he noted that last year
students received 1,000 credits for independent study or similar projects.
“You should be particularly proud,” Wright told faculty members, “at the 98
percent of students who say they are satisfied with the accessibility of the
faculty.”
Facilities
While the character and scale of the Dartmouth campus has been carefully
preserved, there has been an aggressive effort to build needed facilities over
the last decade. The president described a broad range of projects, including
eight residence halls and two commons, Kemeny Hall and the Haldeman Center,
expansions and renovations to existing buildings, new athletic facilities,
housing for graduate students, and facilities at the professional schools.
Still to come are the Visual Arts Center on Lebanon Street, the Class of 1978
Life Sciences Center, the Koop Complex at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
(DHMC), the Class of ’53 Commons, and a dining hall to replace Thayer Hall. The
president also outlined continuing work on housing for employees and graduate
students.
Capital campaign
Wright said that the $1.3 billion Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience was
on track towards meeting its goal. He announced two major gifts (see story on
page 1) and said that the Presidential Scholars program begun by the late James
O. Freedman would be renamed in honor of Dartmouth’s 15th president, effective
immediately.
Academic strength
Wright described the “core strength of Dartmouth” as “faculty who are
defining their fields and who have a passion for sharing their intellectual
passion with their students.” He went on to say that continued faculty
expansion should advance “clear strategic goals,” such as increasing the number
of smaller classes and ensuring that faculty growth was based on “strategic
intellectual growth and not just on meeting current enrollment pressures … As
always, we need to focus on quality in allocating hires—and we need to engage
new and emerging fields and build upon interdisciplinary opportunities.”
Sophomore Summer
Wright described Sophomore Summer as a valuable, yet untapped opportunity.
“I aspire to make this a showcase of what Dartmouth can do,” he said. He has
asked Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Carol Folt to work with faculty
members on developing “initiatives that build upon the unique opportunity we
have to share the richness of learning and the responsibility of the
learned.”
Access
To further enhance the financial aid program, Wright said he would identify
the resources necessary to move to need-blind admissions for international
students, provide a leave term with no earning expectations for financial aid
recipients, and cover the incremental expenses associated with off-campus
programs. He also said that he wanted to further reduce loan expectations for
students receiving financial aid.
Diversity
Echoing his remarks at Convocation, Wright spoke about the College’s
historic commitment to creating an inclusive environment, and described
diversity as a thread “woven through those things that make Dartmouth the
exceptional place it is and seeks to be.” But he expressed concern that “not
only do we not take full enough advantage of this, we too often allow it to be
marginalized. We all share in the benefits of having here a diverse community
of faculty, students, and staff. Consequently, we all share in assuring that we
continue to seek a diverse community.”
The president concluded his address by thanking faculty members for “all you
do to enrich the experience here—and for making my work so rewarding,” and he
expressed gratitude to administrators for providing creative and continuing
support to the academic enterprise. “This old faculty member,” he said, “is
proud to be in the company of the staff and officers of the College, as I am
pleased to be here today in your good company. The state of the College is
strong—thanks to all of you who make it so.”
By LAUREL STAVIS
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