When College President James O. Freedman took over Dartmouth's helm in 1987, the school's reputation was suffering, and the College's faculty, students and alumni were all at war with the administration. Ten years later, Freedman leaves a Dartmouth redefined.
James Freedman, the introverted scholar, has arguably not been much of a campus figure. While John Sloan Dickey shoveled Hanover sidewalks and was seen as "one of the boys," Freedman preferred a more humble, low-profile life on campus. All the while, he was quietly making intellectualism and diversity the cornerstones of the Dartmouth community, and the school is a better place for it.
At the time of his arrival, only 19 percent of the entering class were minorities, and less than 40 percent were female. Today, close to 30 percent of the freshman class is made up of minority students, and Dartmouth has achieved gender parity.
The students are not the only ones who have been influenced by his reforms. Approximately half of the current Dartmouth faculty -- which now includes the highest percentage of tenured female professors in the Ivy League -- were recruited during his 10 years as president.
Fundamental changes such as these have led to a consistent increase in the quality and diversity of Dartmouth's applicant pool. In addition, Freedman's endeavors have received attention from the national media, replacing and overshadowing much of the negative publicity of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He stood up for the rights of every member of the Dartmouth community, and decried the "irresponsible, meanspirited, cruel, and ugly" people who tried to sully the College's reputation.
Besides raising Dartmouth's intellectual level and academic reputation, Freedman's fundraising efforts and ambitious capital campaign more than doubled the College's endowment, securing its financial future and commitment to need-blind admissions, endowed professorships and modern facilities.
Freedman's legacy will probably speak louder than the shy scholar ever did. The students respect him, the faculty admire him, and the alumni have come to accept him. James Freedman has transformed Dartmouth for the better over the past 10 years, and, like other members of the College community, we are saddened by his resignation.
