After a decade on the Board of Trustees, Susan Dentzer '77 and Peter Fahey '68 Th '69 are readying to retire from their seats in June.
Originally elected as alumni trustees in the early 1990s, Dentzer and Fahey have witnessed tremendous changes at Dartmouth.
In 1998, Dentzer, Fahey and their fellow trustees appointed James Wright the 16th President of the College. Together, Dentzer and Fahey co-chaired the board's Committee on the Student Life Initiative and in 1999 introduced a plan that would implement widespread changes to Dartmouth's social life and provoke a fury of protest. In more recent years, the two have managed critical financial challenges.
While she recognized "a number of important decisions along the way," Dentzer cited the appointment of Wright and implementation of the Student Life Initiative as critically important during her tenure. Dentzer said she considers the SLI her greatest accomplishment during her 11-year tenure, although she acknowledged the early difficulties it faced in being accepted by the Dartmouth community.
Dentzer said a major challenge for the Board would be assuring that the SLI continues to progress and promote new and refined social interactions on campus. "We're a long way from achieving what we had in mind," Dentzer told The Dartmouth.
She also remains concerned about the financial health of the College. "It's an enormous challenge to carry out the needs of this institution," Dentzer said. "An ongoing challenge will be attracting and accumulating those resources and then putting them to work throughout the College."
Dentzer, a health correspondent for "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer" on PBS, was elected an alumni trustee in 1993. She became the first woman to chair the board in June 2001. When her second alumni term expired in 2003, Dentzer was appointed a charter trustee for one year. She plans to remain involved in Dartmouth affairs by continuing to teach and give lectures.
Fellow trustee Peter Fahey, elected to the board in 1994, said he shared a sense of pride. In an interview with The Dartmouth, Fahey recalled several highlights but said he remains most proud of Wright's appointment.
"Setting the leadership course of the College is a big deal. I feel very good about the decision we made," Fahey said.
Fahey also viewed his involvement with the SLI alongside Dentzer as a major accomplishment. His greatest regret during his tenure was the "unfortunate public relations disaster" that took place upon announcing the SLI. "We should have taken more care in relaying our intentions," Fahey said.
Student life has been a passionate issue for Fahey. In addition to his involvement with the SLI, he has continued to remain involved with the concerns of the undergraduate student body.
"I've always had an interest in student life, in large part influenced by having my children on campus pretty much since 1988," Fahey said. "I have insights other people don't have."
In discussing student affairs, Fahey mentioned Greek life as a major component of social life at Dartmouth.
"We want the CFS system to be as good as it can be," he said.
While he admitted to frustration with the progress of the residential projects the College is pursuing, Fahey said he believes the most formidable challenge facing the College is the successful completion of the upcoming capital campaign.
"It will be a daunting task to raise the money to make the College competitive" with its peers institutions, Fahey said.
A retired limited partner with Goldman Sachs, Fahey says he has "no detailed plans" for his post-trustee life. Two of his children currently study at the College.
Dentzer's vacancy, as a charter trustee, will be filled by a vote of the trustees. Fahey's seat will be filled by one of four alumni candidates who will be nominated by a vote of alumni over a two-month period beginning Friday. The two new trustees will begin their tenure July 1.
Both Dentzer and Fahey will sit at the two remaining Board meetings of the fiscal year, one this weekend and the other in summer, before their seats expire on June 30.
