The Dean of the College position is one of the most influential at this institution, especially when it comes to the undergraduate experience. Student life here will be greatly benefited if the new dean is in touch with Dartmouth students and greatly hurt if the new dean is not. The new dean will immediately have influence over Committee on Standards reform, ever-evolving Greek life and countless other issues important to students. Because of the weight of this position, it is imperative that the Dartmouth community have a sense of each finalist before the end decision is made. Community scrutiny can give the committee insights that it would not otherwise have. Revealing the names of the candidates allows the public to look at their backgrounds and approaches and to assess their compatibility with this community.
But the current selection process has been kept from the community because, administrators say, the College must be able to guarantee secrecy to attract top candidates unwilling to risk possible embarrassment at their current institutions if they do not get the job. Such a concern is valid, but the loss of a top candidate would be less damaging than choosing a dean who does not fit in with this community and this institution. Perhaps the search committee -- which includes three students -- can pick the right candidate for the job, but community examination safeguards for the chance that the committee may falter.
As it stands now, the Dartmouth community knows a little about three of the four finalists. It would be better if we knew a lot about all of them. Dartmouth should guarantee privacy to those candidates who do not advance in the process, but the names of the finalists should be publicized and each finalist should be required to meet publicly with an array of students -- not just those who sit on Palaeopitus.
Dartmouth can find a great dean even if the finalist process is more transparent. One of the current finalists is unemployed, so her candidacy did not require a secretive process. Another spoke to The Dartmouth without hesitation. The worst-case scenario in this search would be the selection of a dean who cannot connect with this unique community. So, Dartmouth, who are these people who might become the next College dean?
