Trustees on the committee gathered student input when the Board held an open forum with students Friday in Moore Hall. The forum, organized by Student Assembly, focused primarily on the presidential search, although students also asked about budget cuts and their potential impact on diversity at the College.
One student pointed out that since "one sixth of the world comes from South Asia," it is time that Dartmouth added a Hindi language program, like the other Ivy League schools.
Mulley responded that Dartmouth's commitment to international relationships and foreign programs is represented in the committee's leadership statement, released on Oct. 1, which outlined characteristics the next president must possess and described Dartmouth's unique learning environment. Mulley added that Dartmouth was the first in the Ivy League to offer study-abroad options.
Andrew Palmer '10, president of the Dartmouth Outing Club, asked the trustees how the DOC fit into their agenda and the presidential search, in light of the club's centennial celebration next year. Board Chair Ed Haldeman said the Board acknowledged how fundamental the DOC is to Dartmouth.
"It is really distinctive in how we differentiate from other [institutions]," Board Chairman Ed Haldeman '70 said.
The Committee's leadership statement has been valuable for the committee primarily as a resource for potential candidates, Mulley said, because it has been helpful for those candidates who are not familiar with the College.
"One of the things that clearly resonates is this sense of not being about 'either/or,'" Mulley said, because the College represents both "teaching and research, graduates and undergraduates."
"[It's] committed to excellence across the board," he said.
The leadership statement emphasizes Dartmouth's position as a leading research institution "constantly ranked among the world's greatest academic institutions," but adds that "in size, temperament, warmth and abiding commitment to teaching, it remains the College."
The search committee, formed of six trustees, six professors, one alumna and one student, will meet again this month, Mulley said. Members of the search committee have been meeting in sub-groups, as well as communicating through conference calls throughout the past few weeks.
These sub-groups have also been meeting with potential candidates and experts in higher education who could be additional resources for the search, Mulley said. Formal interviews with candidates will not be conducted until the beginning of 2009, he added.
Until then, the search committee is gathering input from the Dartmouth community on the leadership statement and is still seeking nominations, Mulley said.
The Board of Trustees is heavily focused on the search for Wright's successor, Haldeman said at Friday's forum.
"By far the most important issue that we've been dealing with is the presidential search," Haldeman said. "President Wright was really kind to the Board and the institution by announcing early that he would be stepping down."
"This is only the 17th time we've gotten to pick the next president," Haldeman added.
Students at the forum expressed concern that the College's budget cuts would target diversity programs at the College, though Trustees reassured the audience that the College has a commitment to diversity.
One student said that programs such as the Office of Pluralism and Leadership and interdisciplinary academic programs "are not deeply institutionalized," and therefore could be "the first ones on the chopping block" when budget cuts are made. Another student asked how Dartmouth planned on providing additional support to its minority students, because, he said, affirmative action may be phased out soon.
"I think that the truth is that we value diversity and that means that in the process of identifying strong students, you can take into account life experiences," Trustee John Rich '80 said. "I think all of us embrace the idea that it's important to have and benefits everyone."
Trustee John Donahoe '82 acknowledged the difficult issues minorities face, but urged students to "embrace them as a learning opportunity."
Addie Gorlin '11 brought up the gender disparities she said exist in the Greek system, pointing out that men have 14 choices for joining a house, while women have only seven.
"I had three choices, and I ended up starting the fourth sorority at Dartmouth," Trustee Karen Francis '84 said. "It saddens me to think that we're still having this conversation 25 years later."
The conversation has opened up to include men and women, which is a positive sign, Francis said.
Of the approximately 50 students who attended, 30 of them have been involved with the Assembly.
