College President James Wright's announcement earlier this week of his plans to step down in June 2009 has aroused discussion of his legacy -- a legacy that began at his inauguration in the fall of 1998. After reminding the crowd of his background as a historian, Wright took a moment to examine two different sources of tension at Dartmouth: tension between continuity and change in Dartmouth's history and future, and tension between the individual and the community on our campus. "This implicit tension between self and community is inherent within the academy," he said. "It is a tension that results in tremendous fragility, on the one hand, and tremendous strength, on the other."
Months after taking office, Wright rolled out the Student Life Initiative, which has since tumbled into the darkness of infamy. While the SLI undoubtedly left its mark on our campus culture and attitudes, it certainly fell short of its expressed goal -- creating a more inclusive Dartmouth. At a school that is perennially tormented by infighting -- between trustees and alumni, alumni and the administration, the administration and students and, more often than not, students and students -- Wright's 'One Dartmouth' now seems strangely distant.
The fallout from the late '90s sent a resounding message that the administration will not succeed in trying to reform the student-created, student-perpetuated and student-populated social spaces on campus, even if it is in the name of inclusion.
What the administration can control, however, is access. At the 195th meeting of Dartmouth's Alumni Council this November -- what hindsight has termed Wright's opportunity to set the agenda for his final months -- Wright outlined a plan with the potential to increase access in four areas: academic experience, sophomore summer, financial aid, and diversity and community.
Here, access doesn't just mean opening the "Dartmouth Experience" to students for whom Dartmouth was previously out of reach; access also means ensuring that Dartmouth's undergraduates can take full advantage of the College's resources. Growing, supporting and sustaining a stronger, broader faculty, restructuring sophomore summer, overhauling financial aid policies and cultivating a diverse student body will encourage students to capitalize on the potential of our liberal arts educations and invest in our intellectual community.
Maybe in his 10th and penultimate year, Wright has realized the steps to achieving the goal he set in his first. In the next 16 months, we will see if Wright has figured out how to leave Dartmouth more inclusive than he found it. Will accessibility translate into inclusivity, and will the Wheelock Succession leave Wright with the legacy that his intentions deserve?
