Two tenured philosophy professors at Dartmouth will leave the College for Washington University in St. Louis at the end of this year, citing higher salaries and the ability to work with graduate students as the primary reasons for their departure.
Roy Sorensen and his wife Julia Driver, both professors in the College's philosophy department, have accepted senior offers at Washington University. Sorensen said he and his wife were attracted to the school's philosophy department, which includes a graduate program.
"I will be teaching more advanced courses, and it will be more my specialization," he said. "Dartmouth is well regarded as an undergraduate university in philosophy, and in terms of undergrad places Dartmouth is among the best. Washington University is just in a different league."
Sorensen and Driver were also attracted to Washington University because of the location and the benefits they are being offered by the university, he said. Washington University will provide a salary increase for both Sorensen and Driver, and will allow their two sons to attend Washington University for free, or will pay a large portion of their tuition if they decide to attend a different school.
"Dartmouth is a generous place, but this is more generous," he said.
Under Dartmouth's College Tuition Aid Program the children of tenure-track professors, like Sorensen and Driver, can attend the College for free, according to the Faculty Handbook.
Mark Rollins, chair of Washington University's philosophy department, said Sorensen and Driver are highly distinguished philosophers, which is why they were offered senior positions at the university.
"Their work attracts a lot of attention," Rollins said. "They're highly regarded so we're interested in having scholars of that rank as members of our department."
The addition of Sorensen and Driver is part of an expansion of Washington University's philosophy department, according to Rollins. The department has hired 14 new faculty members, Rollins said, and is in a period of upward growth.
Dartmouth philosophy chair and professor Amy Allen declined to comment for this story, as did all other philosophy professors at the College contacted by The Dartmouth.
Joanna Hamilton '10, who took Driver's Philosophy 8 class her freshman winter, said she was sad to hear of Driver's move because she had enjoyed Driver's class.
"I just remember I really loved her -- she was at ease with everything she knew, she explained really complicated things by making them seem so obvious," Hamilton said.
Both Sorensen and Driver began teaching at Dartmouth in 1999. Sorensen, who received a Ph.D. in philosophy from Michigan State University in 1982, has also written six books. Driver received a Ph.D. in philosophy from the Johns Hopkins University and has also written extensively.
Sorensen's reviews on the Dartmouth's Student Assembly Course Evaluation guide were mixed and tended to fluctuate drastically for different classes. The three reviewers for Sorensen's Philosophy 30 Fall 2003, course, titled "Theory of Knowledge," gave the course an average rating of C and Sorensen himself received C-, though reviews from the Fall 2004 Philosophy Foreign Study Program earned him average grades of A and A/A-.
Driver received better course reviews from students. One student, who reviewed Driver's Philosophy 8 "Introduction to Moral Philosophy" course in Winter 2007, stated that Driver was fair and kept students engaged in course material.
