During his first year as a physics professor at Dartmouth, Deputy Provost Bruce Pipes was greeted in class one morning by a student who, dressed in pyjamas, emerged from the cabinet underneath Pipes' desk and handed him an overdue laboratory report.
Today, Pipes will complete his 24-year tenure at Dartmouth to become vice president of academic affairs at Franklin and Marshall College, which contacted him during a search held a few months ago. He accepted the school's offer because it involved more authority and responsibility, he said.
"I am excited but also a little sad to leave Dartmouth," said Pipes. He said he feels he has established deep roots here as well as close bonds with his friends, students and colleagues -- even those who have worn pyjamas to class..
Pipes has spent his 24 years at Dartmouth challenging both his students and himself -- all while maintaining a sense of humor.
"When I think about teaching," he said, "I have two main intentions -- to have high standards and to let my students know that I work as hard as they do."
Aside from teaching physics, Pipes has held several administrative positions at Dartmouth; he has been at his current post since 1994.
Pipes recalled his feeling of surprise when he first visited Dartmouth in 1972.
"I had never seen so much snow before in my life," he said.
While doing post-doctoral research at Louisiana State University, he had chosen Dartmouth almost haphazardly out of a list of colleges and applied for a job as a physics professor.
He knew little about the school when he first received word of an opening in the physics department. Upon becoming acquainted with the College and getting used to the snow, he said he was struck by its strong emphasis on teaching.
"I had been looking for an institution which valued teaching highly," he said.
Pipes said one of his goals has been to spend as much time with his students as he can. He said he feels he has formed close ties with many of his students.
"I like to see my students not only as physics majors, history majors, or English majors but as my friends ... It seems like I have my best friends leave every year" as they graduate from Dartmouth," he said.
Students said they think Pipes' efforts have paid off.
Dan Clark '97, who took Pipes' course in quantum mechanics, described Pipes as an inspiring lecturer, and the class as both "excellent and demanding."
He also recalled some of Pipes' idiosyncrasies, such as his preoccupation with "methods," as in the "method of staring" and the "method of putting on hats," for which Pipes would invent formulas that would not normally appear in a standard physics textbook.
While he still usually teaches one physics class each term, Pipes' administrative duties take up the bulk of his time.
As deputy provost, he plays an active role in facilities planning, as well as approving grants and contracts and helping develop academic and administrative computing, among other responsibilities, Pipes said.
He has worked in a variety of areas to try to improve academic life and to make it more attractive for the nation's best students and teachers.
In recruiting faculty, Pipes has made efforts to convince highly qualified candidates to come to Dartmouth. He has also played a roll in evaluating faculty members for promotion and tenure.
Pipes' main goal throughout his administrative career has been to "break down barriers between the faculties," he said.
He said he believes in the importance of working across academic boundaries and tying an education in the sciences and a traditional liberal arts education closer together.
Pipes said Dartmouth has the advantage of providing a strong education in both these spheres. He said he sees the medical facility as an important asset to the sciences program and feels that it could be used as a good resource to provide a well rounded education.
In a world where the liberal arts and sciences are growing more and more interdependent, he feels that "the life sciences will become probably the most exciting" area of study."
Pipes' administrative colleagues seem impressed with his ideas and efforts, as well as his reliability.
Provost Lee Bollinger said Pipes "has been invaluable to me, as a colleague, as a resource about the College, and most importantly, as a fellow administrator upon whom we could all confidently place great responsibility."
He also mentioned Pipes' energy and upbeat character even during the "darkest of administrative moments."
Assistant Provost Barbara Gerstner, who has known Pipes for 20 years, expressed similar sentiments.
"He is a scientist," Gerstner said, "but with broader interests."
She commented on his honesty, fairness and straight-forwardness in dealing with people.
Gerstner also mentioned Pipes' ability, through his diverse interests, to help "bridge the gap between the humanities and the sciences as a member of the New Hampshire Humanities Council and Chair of the Board of the Montshire Museum.
Pipes' interests also extend to hobbies such as skiing, jogging and sailing, he said.
During the summer, he runs Dartmouth's summer sailing club.
Pipes' perhaps most unique interest is in genealogy.
With extensive research over the past few years, he has traced his family name all the way back to early 18th century ancestors in Connecticut.
Pipes also has a wife and two children. His son is a graduate chemistry student at the University of California at Los Angeles, and his younger daughter is a junior at New York University. He lives with his wife in West Lebanon.
