New Hampshire Governor and ex-officio Dartmouth Trustee Jeanne Shaheen attended lunch with the Board of Trustees on Friday afternoon in an attempt to familiarize herself with the College and involve herself in higher education in the state.
In an interview with The Dartmouth before the lunch at College President James Freedman's home, Shaheen said, "I am really here to learn today and see how I can be helpful."
She said her visit springs from her dedication to education at all grade levels in the state.
"I have made education a priority in my administration," Shaheen said. Higher education is a $2.7 billion industry in New Hampshire, and it "is very important to our future," she said.
"Dartmouth is one of the best assets the state has," she said. "As an ex-officio Trustee it is important for me to be here to learn what is going on and to be supportive."
Freedman said the Board was "eager" to welcome Shaheen and added he hopes she will be able to attend future meetings.
Conversation at the luncheon included discussion of Shaheen's proposal for kindergartens, which passed the state House of Representatives last Thursday, Freedman said.
Shaheen already knows "a considerable amount about Dartmouth," and "she is eager for the state government to work closely with Dartmouth," Freedman said.
Shaheen is not a stranger to the Dartmouth campus despite this being her first Trustee meeting -- one of her daughters applied to the College. Shaheen also has met a number of Dartmouth faculty members in political efforts in past years.
Shaheen appreciates "the rich pool of talent" in the College faculty, Freedman said.
Young Democrats President David Schleicher '00 also met with Shaheen during her visit. Schleicher said Shaheen was "very curious about student activities and what students thought."
Shaheen was also very interested to see if College students were interested in New Hampshire politics. In particular, she was interested in the reception of her proposition to raise cigarette taxes in order to provide incentives to towns to provide kindergarten, Schleicher said.
Shaheen met with 10 of the most active members of the Young Democrats for approximately a half hour in Hinman Forum in the Rockefeller Center to discuss a "myriad of issues," he said.
Shaheen commented on her role in the national political scene compared to that of her predecessor, Stephen Merrill, as well as on campaign finance reform, Schleicher said.