Taking over in a time of transition for the College, Provost Lee Bollinger said he has now settled into his job and feels that he accomplished many important things in his first year in office.
Immediately thrown into dean searches and campus development plans upon his arrival from Michigan Law School last fall, Bollinger has had the opportunity to deal with a number of important issues that will affect the College's future.
According to Bollinger, one of his most formidable tasks was finding new deans for the Thayer School of Engineering and the top-ranked Amos Tuck School of Business Administration.
Bollinger said helping to select Elsa Garmire as Thayer's new dean and Paul Danos as the new dean of the Tuck School marked the highlight of his first year at the College.
"The qualities they bring to the positions and the responses of the various constituencies we're concerned with make those decisions all the more outstanding," Bollinger said.
Bollinger said he also found the campus expansion project very satisfying.
"Planning for the development on the north side of campus, I feel, is one of the most important projects for Dartmouth College," Bollinger said.
He said helping to develop the structure and form of the Northpart of campus, particularly the new psychology building and Berry Library, has been "exhilarating."
But aside from these satisfying and rewarding experiences of the past year, Bollinger said he has also faced many challenges like trying to balance the College's budget for the fiscal years 1996 and 1997. Bollinger noted although the 1996 budget is balanced, it is "barely balanced with nothing left over."
"Dartmouth College is still suffering from an absence of funds to support new academic and extracurricular activities," he said.
Bollinger said originally College officials thought there would be "serious problems" for the 1997 fiscal year budget, with an estimated deficit of three to four percent.
But he said it appears the work of the past six months is "bringing us gradually to a successful conclusion." He said the College could come out at the end of the year with a smaller deficit than had been originally projected.
As part of his responsibilities as provost, Bollinger said he has also been actively involved in the College's $500 million Will to Excel capital campaign.
Bollinger said in everything he has done at the College so far, he has been extremely impressed with the quality of both the faculty and students at the College.
"Working with the faculty and students on various projects, I have had confirmed for me two things -- the tremendous quality of both of these groups and the deepest commitment they hold for the institution," Bollinger said. "You just can't ask for more."
