Faculty members seemed excited and enthusiastic about the recent announcement that a familiar face, Professor Barry Scherr, would take the provost's position, which has seen frequent turnover in the past several years.
"The problem with the position of provost is we've had a series of provosts and none of them has lasted that long. Having someone like Barry who knows the college ... provides the stability and continuity that I think is sorely needed," said Asian and Middle Eastern Language and Literature Department Chair Dennis Washburn.
Scherr, a professor of Russian literature, consistently received positive reviews from faculty contacted by The Dartmouth -- perhaps a sign of the clout he has gathered in his 27 years at the College. Scherr has held a wide variety of administrative positions, experience that could be useful as the primary liaison between the faculty and the administration.
Classics Department Chair Roger Ulrich said, "he's a fine person to work with -- he knows the faculty well and cares about the program. At this point, for the college, it's good to have an insider who's served at so many other administrative levels. From my point of view, it's just a great appointment."
Ulrich added that Scherr was internationally recognized for his academic work and had a major part in creating the Leslie Humanities Center at Dartmouth College from his previous post as Associate Dean of the Faculty of the Humanities.
Provosts are usually lawyers or scientists, according to Anthropology Professor Deborah Nichols. "It's interesting to have someone who comes from humanities, but is broadly knowledgeable about the college."
Comparing Scherr's experience with the College to previous provosts' perspective from outside, Chair of the Biology Department Mark McPeek said, "I think there are advantages to him knowing the Dartmouth situation as well as he does, and there are disadvantages.
"He's aware of the issues we are addressing, so he can hit the ground running. Because he's one of us, he thinks like us already, so you don't get that cross-pollination of ideas. But on balance, I think he's going to do a really good job."
Few faculty members neglected to mention Scherr's dedication to Dartmouth, the humanities and liberal education.
Professor William Fischel, the Economics department chair, claimed to know Scherr better personally than professionally -- the two came to Dartmouth around the same time, in the mid-'70s.
He's a very warm guy. He cares a great deal about people," said Fischel. "He has a full sense of humor, a dry sense of humor sometimes. He's just a guy who likes scholarships, likes ideas. I'm very happy with the appointment."
