From his days as a zinc-miner to his new era as the 16th president of Dartmouth -- James Wright has traveled a long way from his hometown of Galena, Ill.
"I used to be a powder man when I worked in the mines," Wright told The Dartmouth, "I certainly didn't start off on a trajectory where one might have predicted that I would be at this place at this time."
His grandfather was also a miner, and his father tended bar to earn enough money for his son's education.
Wright worked the mines throughout his undergraduate studies at Wisconsin State University where he majored in both history and English, never intending his hard-earned education would ever send him to Hanover.
"I expected I would come back, get a job and be a member of the [Galena] community," Wright said this summer.
Instead he was motivated by his professors to continue his education. His teachers had such an impact that Wright invited two of them, Roger Daniels and Tom Lundeen, to attend yesterday's ceremonies.
With the support of people like Daniels and Lundeen, Wright received his masters and doctoral degrees at the University of Wisconsin. Soon after, the mine shafts pointed north and Wright came to Dartmouth -- once again with underestimated expectations.
Beginning as an assistant professor of history in 1969, Wright expected to remain a teacher throughout his career in the Upper Valley, however the College had other plans for the miner from Galena.
In 1981, Wright served for four years as the College's associate dean of the faculty for the social sciences. Though he continued to teach history courses, a new, administrative page in Wright's career had been turned.
In 1987 he chaired a committee on residential life that issued the "Wright Report" recommending the College build a new campus center, reduce the influence of Greek organizations and increase the sense of community in residence halls -- themes he once again addressed in yesterday's inaugural speech.
Two years later, he accepted the position of dean of the faculty and served in that capacity for eight years.
In addition, Wright served as acting-president for six months in 1995 while then President James Freedman was on sabbatical recovering from cancer.
His time as president was quickly marked by personal troubles. One week into Freedman's absence, Wright's wife Susan, then associate director of career services, discovered she had breast cancer.
While Susan is now doing well, Wright said later the remainder of his tenure was spent learning more about the disease and its treatments than about the office of the presidency.
In 1997, Wright began serving as acting provost, replacing Lee Bollinger who left to serve as president of the University of Michigan. He held both this position and dean of the faculty until last summer when Edward Berger was named to the latter position.
Freedman then appointed Wright as permanent provost without conducting the usual search process. This deviation provoked faculty criticisms, and Wright announced he would resign at the end of one year rather than be "a point of contention between [Freedman] and the faculty."
"It was not fun -- I would not want to urge that experience on anyone because you find yourself sort of the focus of attention and controversy and I think that nobody wants to become a symbol of divisions," Wright told The Dartmouth. "Nobody wants to be embarrassed at a place that you've spent as much time at as I have."
Nearly 60 percent of the faculty signed a petition supporting Wright as a full-term, four-year provost, but he did not rescind his decision.
"I think I was gratified by the support that was reported," Wright said. "I understood what was going on and we worked through that."
After Freedman announced his plans to retire, Wright was urged to consider the position and realized he was interested in the job. Eventually he answered the search committee's inquiries that he would like to succeed his friend as president. Then the waiting began.
"There's no doubt, that if they hadn't asked me by April I would have been disappointed," Wright told The Dartmouth, but added "I dare to say I would have easily recovered from that and gone on."
Wright said had he not been selected as president, he would have had more time for his other interests like fishing. "I tried to take some time off this summer -- I never had a line in the water."
Wright told The Dartmouth, the one thing he would try not to let his busy schedule decrease is the amount of time he spends communicating with students.
"I have been out and about, but that is my style. I expect to be out more now that students are back," Wright told The Dartmouth. "I think it is just important to be out and see people and say hello to them and ask them how they are doing.
Wright worked with the Student Assembly this summer on implementing portions of its Visions project.
"Talking to people is how I ... began, I think, to decide that I want to do something right away this summer to try to expand the range of social opportunities available to students," Wright said. "I'm not always going to do what students tell me to do or ask me to do, but I will listen. I think the discussion is an important part."
Wright is so intent at interacting with students and preserving his role as teacher that he announced at a Monday interview with The Dartmouth and again at yesterday's inauguration he would teach a history course on 20th century American political history this Winter.
He also led every freshman through his newly renovated and brightened office during their matriculation saying he wanted them to know where his office is.
