Since Deputy Provost Bruce Pipes left the College at the end of last term, Provost Lee Bollinger has restructured the Office of the Provost.
He said he is considering a number of adjustments to his office -- including whether or not to have a faculty member become the deputy provost on a permanent basis or to instead appoint a few people to take on the responsibilities of the position.
"Any time there is a departure or change it is a good time to reflect on the needs of the office and the institution," Bollinger said.
Bollinger noted that Pipes was "extremely valuable, but there may not be someone like him, so you may need to do something different," he said.
As part of the restructuring, Bollinger said there have been two promotions in the office. Former Assistant Provost for Development Margaret Dyer-Chamberlain is now associate provost, and Peter Gilbert, former senior assistant to the President, is an associate provost.
Assistant Provost Barbara Gerstner's responsibilities will not change, Bollinger said, because Gerstner "deals with an extraordinary and complicated array of assignments."
"Gerstner is the pillar of the office," he added.
One of Gerstner's many tasks is to serve as executive director of the Montgomery Endowment.
As part of his restructuring, Bollinger said he wants to try to bring in more people to share responsibility in the office. He said he is still not sure how he plans to accomplish this goal.
For example, he said he is considering whether to have faculty member become the deputy provost permanently.
Another possibility, Bollinger said, would be to have one or more faculty members taking on a limited commitment on a halftime basis or for a limited period of time such as one or two years so "people can rotate through the office and bring in fresh, new ideas."
Bollinger, who said he takes full responsibility for all appointments, appointed Michael Gazzaniga, a psychology professor from the University of California at Davis as a special advisor to the Provost.
Bollinger said he is also considering other faculty appointments in the office.
"One of [the office's] primary responsibilities is long-term academic planning, and I am very conscious of this responsibility," he said. "So it is of critical importance to me that a number of faculty has a close relationship with the office."
The Provost's office, Bollinger said, is in charge of academic matters and reports to the President. He said academic departments report to the Provost's office and then they report to the President.
Also included in the many duties of the office are fundraising and facilities issues such as the construction of the new Berry Library and psychology building.
"We are working on a variety of projects at the moment that are significant to Dartmouth's future," Bollinger said.
In addition to these projects, he said, "we need efforts to think about the future of the institution. What does it mean to be one of the best colleges in the country and how to maintain and improve this reputation."
"Any fine institution worth its salt must apply to itself the same self-critical approach that it does in research and teaching about ideas," he said.
Bollinger added that the Provost's office must be the source of the stimulating self-reflection and the source of this desire to improve.
