Competing in a field of candidates from predominantly corporate and legal backgrounds, former ambassador John S. Wolf '70 says he will bring a global perspective to the Board of Trustees, a group whose members are largely pulled from corporate America.
Wolf, who serves as the president of the Eisenhower Fellowships -- a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that sponsors leadership programs and works with emerging world leaders -- is parlaying his diplomatic background into a campaign centered around attracting international students and faculty and keeping Dartmouth "globally competitive."
"Dartmouth is a well-kept secret," he said in an interview. "If you go to places where I travel and you say the word 'Dartmouth,' it doesn't get resonance. We're not going to be in a big city but it doesn't mean that one doesn't go out and compete and get international students and teachers."
He expressed frustration with what he sees as a growing homogeneity in the Dartmouth student body as he asserted that every student's experience will improve with an increased international presence.
"One thing that I spy that does concern me about the student body is that about 50 percent of students are from the same geographic zip code and in that case you're likely to end up with a narrower range of opinions and experiences," he said. "Should the cauldron have more in it? Should there be more bubbling in it? I think the answer is definitely yes. There should be more ingredients in it that make up the Dartmouth student experience."
Wolf also noted that if the College wants to remain one of Booz Allen's top 10 enduring institutions -- as it was named in 2006 -- it must be able to keep up with other schools both in the United States and abroad.
"There are schools popping up here and abroad that attract better students more and more," he said. "We want to have the best faculty in the world, people who are at the frontier of their scholarship."
He denied that Dartmouth's remote location discourages a large international presence as he stressed the urgency of the College becoming globally competitive and cutting edge.
"If one pays well and provides scholarship and an opportunity to teach the very best students in the world, you can certainly get the best international faculty -- Dartmouth needs to do a better job of mobilizing its resources," he said.
He continued, "You can't just stay in your niche, because your niche is under attack, figuratively speaking. Others are competing for the best teachers, the best students, the best resources -- and they will very well get them if you don't compete."
A mid-career Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton, Wolf served in the Department of State and joined the Foreign Service in 1970. Wolf held the post of ambassador to Malaysia and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in the 1990s.
He also served as the assistant secretary for nonproliferation and chief of the U.S. monitoring mission for the Middle East peace process. He won the Secretary of State's Award for Distinguished Service in 2004, the President's Meritorious Service Award in 1992 and 2000, and the Asia-Pacific Council of American Chambers of Commerce Award for Distinguished Service in 1996.
He listed other issues of his campaign as maintaining the teaching-research balance at the College and "changing the tone of dialogue on campus, [on] the Board and among alumni," as he pointed to the sometimes vitriolic nature of the debate over the rejected alumni constitution this fall.
The other three alumni candidates for the seat on the Board of Trustees vacated by resigning Trustee Nancy Jeton '76 in December are Richard "Sandy" Alderson '69, Sherri Oberg '82 Tu'86 and petition candidate Stephen Smith '88.
The Alumni Council Nominating and Trustee Search Committee, comprised of 12 alumni, picked Alderson, Oberg and Wolf from more than 300 alumni nominated by their peers.
Voting among alumni on the next trustee will take place from Apr. 1 through May 15.
