On May 15, the Dartmouth community will pause to honor the memory of late College President James O. Freedman. I assume that most undergraduates know only a little about Freedman, and that very few actually had the pleasure of meeting the man in person. I was fortunate both to attend Dartmouth when James Freedman became the 15th President of the College, and to work at Dartmouth during his presidency. Just as most current students may not fully appreciate President James Wright's role as a leading voice on intercollegiate athletics or access for first-generation college students, I am certain that as an undergraduate I never fully understood the importance of Freedman's vision and leadership.
During the summer of 1987, I attended Freedman's inauguration and listened to the first address that he delivered as the president of the College. I have to admit that, at first, the significance of Freedman's courageous invitation to welcome "the daring dreamers" to Hanover was somewhat lost on me. What did strike me that summer day (and many times afterward) was Freedman's ability to distill complex ideas into clear, forthright language with real "staying power." Those of us who heard him speak remember the words that he spoke and the messages that he delivered. During my undergraduate years and my first few years in the work place, Freedman helped me see that Dartmouth had a significant role to play in the larger world and that each of us who benefited from Dartmouth's largesse had a responsibility both to serve and to lead in that world.
As the son of a Dartmouth alumnus, a student leader and the member of a fraternity, perhaps I was one of those students who some thought would feel threatened by Freedman's efforts to create a campus environment that was more welcoming of intellectual endeavor and unbounded passion for the life of the mind. Not only did I not feel threatened in any way by Freedman's vision, I came to understand that his efforts improved upon Dartmouth's unique strengths. Some people falsely accused Freedman of trying to "Harvardize" Dartmouth. I could never figure out how providing more resources to faculty, decreasing class size and increasing funding for undergraduate research projects would make anyone believe that Jim Freedman wanted Dartmouth to be more like Harvard. If anything, our 15th President made it clear that we were very different from most premier institutions of higher education, in that Dartmouth actually wanted its undergraduates to work independently with their favorite faculty members. Thanks in large part to Freedman, today's Dartmouth students are blessed with many opportunities to receive money from the College to travel, study, research and generally chase their passions around the world.
In the articles and editorials that have followed his death, Freedman has been portrayed as an intellectual giant, a courageous cancer survivor, a lover of books and an ardent Red Sox fan. I am sure that he was all of those things. While I met Freedman on several occasions and had the pleasure of hearing him speak many times, I did not know him personally. From listening to his speeches and reading his reflections on the value of a liberal education, I know that in addition to everything else he was an honest, consistent and steadfast man of principle. I looked up to him when I was a student, admired his determination during his public battle with cancer, and tried in vain to follow his good example when confronted with those who not only disagreed with me but were disagreeable as well.
Freedman's actions and words inspired many Dartmouth students of my generation to pursue our dreams, to stand up for our principles, and to appreciate the perspective of those whose views differed from our own. In addition to strengthening the academic options available to undergraduates at Dartmouth, Freedman's quiet but strong leadership also made it easier for Dartmouth students to choose their own path in life -- even when it might not have been what others "expected" of them. When your President has stared down The Dartmouth Review, emerged from a battle with cancer, and successfully argued that Dartmouth should not complacently settle for being "good enough," taking a small risk in your own life appears to be relatively easy.
Today's Dartmouth is a stronger and more open community than it was when I arrived as a student in 1985, and students have more freedom and opportunity to pursue their intellectual and personal passions than ever before. James Freedman contributed greatly to that freedom and opportunity, and I am deeply grateful to him for helping us reach where we are today.
