College President James Wright promised "comprehensive and bold" recommendations from the steering committee on the Social and Residential Life Initiative at Monday's annual general meeting of the faculty in Alumni Hall.
"I do not wish to repeat the history of previous attempts to change" the College, Wright said, making reference to the fact that efforts to alter Dartmouth's social and residential systems have historically been diluted rather than resulting in significant change.
Still, Wright called speculations about what those recommendations might be premature.
In his second mandated address of the president to the faculty, Wright -- speaking to approximately 100 faculty members -- addressed the Initiative first, saying it had dominated much of campus discussion this year.
He stressed that the Initiative is about "addressing long deferred capital needs," and ensuring residential and social options support and enhance the College's mission as above all an academic institution.
He said the Initiative is about changing Dartmouth culture and that whatever the steering committee's recommendations to the Board of Trustees will be, they will force the College to think about its culture currently and in the future.
Wright said the Initiative will also be looking at the relationship between the community and alcohol and other drugs, an issue on every college campus across the country.
As a community, Dartmouth prides itself on offering many choices for its students, Wright said. "I'm not very interested in policing individual behavior."
During the portion of the meeting open for faculty questions, Wright said he assumes that whenever the steering committee's recommendations come out, the faculty will get to meet to discuss them.
Wright was also asked about the money that will be allotted to implementing possible changes in residential and social life.
Wright answered that "tens of millions of dollars" was the figure first associated with the Initiative. He said new social spaces could be funded through donors and that new beds -- possibly numbering up to 400 -- could be paid for through borrowing or bonds.
Wright said he has no doubt that the College will commence in the near future a new capital campaign -- addressing academic life issues -- will commence.
Wright said the Initiative is not the only issue on hand for the College. He outlined again the three goals for Dartmouth he mentioned in his inaugural address and his first address to the faculty last October.
Those included the need to enrich the out-of-classroom experience, the desire to enhance faculty research strength while maintaining the College's commitment to undergraduate teaching, and the importance of diversity.
Wright said he wants to "protect and enhance the quality of the faculty" and that, however Dartmouth is ranked in magazines like U.S. News and World Report, he feels the College is among the top ten universities in terms of undergraduate educational experience.
However, Wright outlined ways he feels the College can improve the undergraduate and graduate teaching and research experiences, and steps the College has already taken.
He mentioned the self-assessment studies resulting from the upcoming re-accreditation processes as ways to look at what the College does well and what could be improved in the future.
Wright also thanked Dean of Admissions Karl Furstenburg and the Admissions office for recruiting the most diverse class in the College's history and that the task to make Dartmouth more diverse does not end with each individual class.
The steering committee is officially known as the Committee on the Student Life Initiative.