College Provost James Wright, just two months into office, informed College President James Freedman earlier this month that he will step down from his position after June 30, 1998, stemming from faculty criticism that Freedman deviated from the normal procedures in the search for a new provost.
Wright -- who had been serving as acting provost since January after former Provost Lee Bollinger's departure to become president of the University of Michigan -- was given the full-time appointment in August by Freedman, who did not consult with a search committee.
Freedman explained in a letter to the faculty that he felt "it was important at this time for Dartmouth to have in the Provost's Office the experience and continuity that Jim Wright could provide."
Wright informed Freedman of his decision to step down in a letter earlier this month. He wrote that he has "the fullest appreciation of and respect for the important role the faculty has in the governance of the College" and said he no longer wishes to serve as Provost "when some of my colleagues contend that the circumstances of my appointment were inappropriate.
"Your exceptional service and record as President should not be marred by a contentious argument within the faculty, and I will not allow myself to become an instrument for such an unfortunate development," Wright wrote.
Wright, a professor of history, has been a member of the Dartmouth faculty since 1969.
He is no stranger to the College administration either, having served two consecutive four-year terms as Dean of the Faculty and as Acting College President for six months in 1995 when Freedman was on sabbatical. For a short time earlier this year, he simultaneously held the posts of Dean of the Faculty and Acting Provost
In his letter to the faculty, Freedman wrote that the current ongoing searches for deans for two of the College's three graduate schools -- the Dartmouth Medical School and the Thayer School of Engineering -- as well as the Berry Library construction prompted him to make an exception to normal procedures and appoint Wright as the new provost without an extended search.
A formal search process involves convening a search committee composed of members from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and requires the review of several candidates before making a decision.
"I regret very much that on this occasion I did not consult with the faculty in an effort to convince them, as I am convinced, that this was one of the rare instances in which an extended and formal search was not in Dartmouth's best interests," Freedman wrote in his letter to the faculty.
Wright called on Freedman to begin a search for the new Provost and said he will remain in his current post until June 1998 or until his successor assumes the office.
Wright's decision to step down as provost came ironically just weeks before Freedman announced last Thursday he was resigning the College presidency after Commencement next summer.
