While the recipient of Student Assembly's first Profiles in Excellence teaching award divides much of his time between researching, writing grant proposals and editing journals, Professor of Economics Jonathan Skinner does find room in his schedule for one extra class: teaching third graders to snowboard.
"This is why you shouldn't go to the [Dartmouth] Skiway on a Wednesday afternoon," Skinner said.
Skinner's casual, friendly manner and accessibility provide part of his appeal to students. The night before his class' final exam last Fall term, Skinner hosted a pizza party to talk over questions; he also invited students stuck on campus over the Thanksgiving holiday over to his home. He is currently recruiting participants for this year's Polar Bear Swim.
For his part, Skinner described the Assembly award as "like winning the lottery without buying a ticket."
A Newton, Mass. native, Skinner arrived in Hanover in 1995, after stints at the University of Virginia, University of Washington, Harvard and Stanford.
Regarding what attracts him to Dartmouth and New Hampshire, Skinner said of his current colleagues, "people have their priorities better aligned. They work hard, but they have other interests in their lives. They're people who have found some balance."Skinner also spoke of the "unique niche" Dartmouth fills among high-ranking colleges: while Harvard and Princeton employ a greater number of "academic gods", many such professors at these schools work almost entirely with graduate students. Conversely, small liberal arts schools put a tremendous emphasis on teaching but boast few researchers of great stature.
At Dartmouth, "you get really good people -- and they'll talk to you," he said.
One concern Skinner expressed during both his seminar discussion and interview with The Dartmouth was that students at times say that they only want good teachers at the expense of the research end. He noted that students should want "active participants" in their fields.
The greatest challenge Skinner said he encounters in his work is simply finding enough time each day. Since he only teaches one course at present, he is able to invest a lot of effort into it.
That course, Economics in the Public Sector, covers topics such as the generation of revenue and its expenditure through programs in welfare, health care and the environment.
Skinner's own economics career began when, as an undergraduate at the University of Rochester, he took a course equivalent to Dartmouth's Economics 1.
"I did pretty badly," he said.
But he decided to pursue the field anyway, taking more courses during his sophomore year and eventually deciding to enroll in graduate classes at the University of California at Los Angeles.
The first time Skinner walked into a professor's office, the job didn't quite appeal to him.
"I thought, uh, they spend all day sitting in the office," he said, noting that at the time professors did not even have the amusement of computers to keep them company.
However, as college went on, the idea grew on him. Skinner remarked repeatedly on his disbelief that he gets paid to learn about what interests him.
"I'm having a blast," he said.
When asked about his future goals, Skinner paused for a moment before responding, "I want to get my jumping better at snowboarding," he said.
A plaque bearing Skinner's name and subsequent Profiles in Excellence recipients to be named each term will hang in the Collis Center.
