The historian in James Wright must recognize the significance of his first year in office.
In just 14 months, events such the Board of Trustees' decision to radically change the College's social and residential life have ensured that Wright's presidency will be a debated part of College history.
Despite his turbulent first year -- some aspects of which he deeply regrets -- Wright has found his job as the 16th president of the College highly appealing.
"I've found this job more stimulating and rewarding than I thought it would be," Wright said.
Looking back
Reflecting on his first year, Wright said his greatest regret was the manner in which the Five Principles announcement was handled by the press and interpreted by the community.
Although he still firmly believes that the Dartmouth experience needs constructive restructuring, Wright said, "the common perception was that we had announced a conclusion, when we announced the beginning of a process."
Wright said that if he had the opportunity to alter the past, he would have shared the Trustee announcement with the community first before the media leapt on the story. An avid historian, however, Wright acknowledged the past could not be changed.
After the intitative announcement, "I received some fairly nasty mail and supportive mail but no member of the community was violent or unpleasant," he said.
Maintaining himself as a "defender of the College's traditions," Wright said he was not bothered by the "nasty mails" he received or by the chanting of the "Lest the old traditions fail" line of the Alma Mater during the 1999 Winter Carnival Opening ceremony.
Wright said fraternity brothers had shouted the same line when protesting the admission of women to the College. Few fraternity members would object to the co-education decision now, Wright said.
Wright was unsure of the timing of the final Trustee decision, adding the Dartmouth community will be informed first after the steering committee ends its deliberations on what to recommend to the Board.
Justifying Dartmouth's fall in the U.S. News and World Report national universities' rankings, Wright said, in recent years, the magazine has largely based their rankings on expenditures per student which favor larger institutions like MIT and Caltech with strong science and engineering programs.
"I get frustrated when our ranking drops because I know we are among the very best institutions," Wright said.
The fine line
Wright's job as president has often blurred the fine line between his professional and private life.
Both parts of his life take place on campus. Throughout most of his day, Wright spends his time in his third floor office in Parkhurst Hall. In the evening, he walks back the president's house on Webster Ave., located right next door to the Sigma Nu fraternity and across the street from Alpha Chi Alphi fraternity.
Perhaps the distinction between professional and private became most blurred, shortly after the announcement of the Social and Residential Life Initiative, when more than 1,000 members of fraternities and sororities marched onto his front lawn singing the alma mater.
"As president you have no on and off time," Wright said. "I also spend most weekends represnting Dartmouth and particpating in college activites."
Many of his weekends are also cluttered with Dartmouth-related activities, attending campus events or fundraising for the College.
Even though his first year as been extremely busy with work, Wright said he is not complaining and has fully appreciated the job.
Looking ahead
Recollecting his vision of Dartmouth as a "place of discovery," Wright defended his goal for the College to strive for success as a "research university."
The College must facilitate joint learning between the faculty and students, instead of "students passively sitting back and being taught," he said.
In this last year, Wright said he has discussed the research issue with the faculty, who have affirmed the importance of research and strengthening Dartmouth's intellectual vitality.
Wright said that in this past year, he has tried to meet as many students as possible, taught a 1999 Winter term history class -- his first time teaching in a decade -- and participated in discussions and move issues that needed to be addressed.
Recognizing that Dartmouth's historic strength is its residential and academic community, Wright said, in the coming years as president, he wants to affirm and further strengthen these qualities by encouraging diversity, improving the out of classroom experience and increasing research opportunities.
Wright said he wants to leave Dartmouth a far richer place by building upon the things that the community values.
Like all strong institutions, "Dartmouth must always remain in a process of change, in a state of becoming something," Wright said.
