Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has accepted a position as a distinguished visiting fellow with the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth.
The former Democratic presidential candidate, a blunt, no-nonsense physician from Burlington, Vt., will spend at least six days on campus this summer, engaging students and faculty in discussions related to political participation. Dean will hold office hours, attend lunches and dinners with students and faculty and possibly take part in a class.
"The focus of his visit is on bringing new voters into the electoral arena, although obviously, his reflections on his experiences as a candidate will be of interest, as well," said Linda Fowler, the director of the Rockefeller Center.
The Rockefeller Center contacted Dean about the fellowship because of the focus his campaign placed on increasing political involvement, which relates to the Rockefeller Center's 20th-anniversary theme of civic engagement.
After withdrawing from the presidential race in February, Dean founded Democracy for America, an organization that hopes to sustain the grassroots political participation that Dean's presidential campaign generated.
According to its website, the group will fight for progressive policies and for an America in which "candidates and office holders tell the truth about policy choices and stand up for what they believe."
"Dr. Dean will be travelling a lot to promote the mission of his new organization and to campaign for various Democratic candidates," Fowler said. "Dartmouth will give him a quiet and relaxed atmosphere to reflect and perhaps to write."
Echoing this theme, Rockefeller Center Assistant Director Jeremy Eggleton said Dean will be a "practitioner-in-residence" who will utilize his time to step back, relax and interact with students and the community.
Adam Michaelson '06 added that Dean's presence this summer will benefit the many sophomores who will be directly involved in leading campus clubs and political groups.
"He can be very inspirational. His time in the public eye can serve Dartmouth in a really positive way," said Michaelson.
Dean will visit Hanover Wednesday, April 14 to deliver a lecture titled "The Long Term Implications of the Presidential Election of 2004" at 7 p.m. in the Dartmouth Medical School's Kellogg Auditorium.
The speech will be one of several the former governor has made at Dartmouth. Dean visited the Hopkins Center two days before the Jan. 27 New Hampshire Democratic primary to participate in a women's issues forum. Two days prior to that, he read off comedian David Letterman's nightly "Top 10" list from Lou's Restaurant on South Main Street.
Dean won every town in the Upper Valley in the Jan. 27 primary, though he lost handily to Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry statewide.
