In light of the recent announcement of the 14 members of the presidential search committee, what are your thoughts on the selection process and the composition of the committee?
As a final jab to the defeated alumni, the search committee is two-thirds Board-appointed. This final elbow in the sides of the AoA's former leadership is a poetic demonstration of the Board's strong grasp on the direction of the presidential selection.
--Zachary Gottlieb '10
I find it ridiculous that Martha Beattie '76, of all people, is on the committee. One of the most politicized Alumni -- to the point that she helped found Dartmouth Undying -- should not be on a committee to decide what is best for the future of the school. Additionally, the concept that Molly Bode, an '09, should be the only student member on a committee that will directly affect only the '10s and beyond is merely a reward for her loyalty to the administration on thegovernance issue.
--Phil Aubart '10
The makeup of the committee is largely unsurprising. Unfortunately, while I understand the need for the committee to be kept small, I believe it should include more students and undergraduate professors; currently, they account for only four of the 14 spots on the committee. Additionally, I disagree with the selection of Martha Beattie '76. Although members of the Alumni Council have historically held positions on presidential search committees, Beattie's close ties to the Dartmouth Undying propaganda machine (which ignorantly and inaccurately referred to its opposition as the "Dartmouth Review's Parity Slate" while engaging in the same exact tactics it claimed to abhor) should have disqualified her. The fact that Peter Robinson '79 is the only true representative on the committee of the nearly 40 percent of Dartmouth alumni who voted for the parity slate in the recent AoA election is equally troubling.
--Christian Kiely '09
The position of College president has less in common with academics and more in common with business operations. Accordingly, I am pleased to see that a number of committee members have the business experience necessary to screen candidates for the abilities needed to run the corporation that Dartmouth is. However, it is rather curious why those perhaps best suited for judging the qualities of corporate leaders (T. J. Rogers comes to mind) were not selected. Nevertheless, I'm sure that the present committee will be adequate in finding a new president.
--Nathan Bruschi '10
