History Professor Jere Daniell '55 divided Dartmouth's past into four phases of founding, decline, revival and coeducation during a speech yesterday on the history of the College.
In his oft-humorous presentation -- sponsored by the senior society Palaeopitus -- Daniell discussed the events and traditions that shaped the Dartmouth students experience today.
Daniell began with an account of the famous Dartmouth College case and the ensuing take-over of the College by ministers whom Daniell described as "old farts who were looking backward as the world was looking forward." But he said these men were nevertheless instrumental in the growth of the school.
Daniell also expounded on the achievements of John Wheelock-- Dartmouth's second president -- arguing that Wheelock's founding of the Dartmouth Medical School represents "the single most exciting accomplishment" of College history.
According to Daniell, "phase two" of the College's history was an increasingly troubled time. With a rigid curriculum that focused on educating "primarily ministers, secondarily lawyers and a few potential teachers," enrollment rates dramatically declined and the student body became increasingly regional.
Instability in the administration increased the College's troubles, he said, and Dartmouth entered a state of decline.
But "phase three" signaled a revival of the College as it went from being "a slippery regional to a major national institution."
Critical to this was the succession of "architectural" presidents who were hired to shape the institution. William Jewett Tucker, Ernest Martin Hopkins and John Sloan Dickey helped develop Dartmouth into "not 'a' but 'the' premier undergraduate, liberal arts university," Daniell said.
They were also aided, Daniell said, by a number of external factors such as the increasing need for higher education and the growth of sports as a form of entertainment -- both of which contributed to the rapid increase in competition "for access to this place."
Daniell said he was "struck by the elements of continuity" in "phase four," or the last 30 years of the College's history.
Although the College has undergone a "massive demographic change in a relatively static academic framework," it has maintained its commitment to a small-sized undergraduate population and has ironed out the relationship between the graduate and undergraduate studies programs.
In conclusion, Daniell stated that "we are in the middle of something that we should all take advantage of to the best of our capabilities."
In response to Daniell's speech, Palaeopitus member Ann Chang '03 said that she was "really encouraged to see that Professor Daniell, who has been here 50-plus years and knows what it is to be a Dartmouth student, still has the passion to research and share the story of the College."
After receiving his Ph.D. from Harvard University, Daniell began his teaching career as a member of the Dartmouth faculty and served as chair of the history from 1979-1983.
Daniell has written several articles on the history of Dartmouth, including a chronicle of Casque & Gauntlet, a biography of Eleazar Wheelock and articles on the College Charter.
