It's time that the presidential search committee took a page out of Barack Obama's playbook and started looking for not just another College president who will continue the same policies of the last 10 years but one who embodies, quite simply, the "Change We Need."
Thankfully, Dartmouth is not in nearly as bad shape as our federal government, and James Wright is certainly no George W. Bush. Our administration has not run up a massive debt, nor has it been plagued by corruption, incompetence and an irrational compulsion to stymie progress. In fact, one could argue that Dartmouth is in better shape than it has almost ever been. President Wright has guided, as stated in the search committee's leadership statement, "a dramatic growth in every part of the College's finances, faculty and infrastructure."
Many people would be content, it seems, with an incumbent party, status-quo president. The leadership statement specifically suggests that the next president "build on a rich tradition and an impressive trajectory." And undeniably, the chosen leader must have a deep appreciation and respect for Dartmouth's storied history. Our liberal arts college experience, set in the gorgeous hills of New Hampshire with the resources and programs of a large university, cannot be matched anywhere. But any president who lets his or her great affinity for Dartmouth's past accomplishments inhibit a momentous shift in policy would do great harm to the College's future.
It would be folly to not use this leadership change as an opportunity to profoundly rethink and reshape the College's vision if Dartmouth's true goal, as stated in the leadership statement, is to provide "the finest undergraduate education in the world." The ideas and approaches of the Wright administration, especially increasing financial aid and building a number of state-of-the-art classrooms and dormitories, have improved the daily life and educational possibilities of Dartmouth students.
Yet there are still many problems that the College's next leader must address, including: Greek life and social spaces; affordability and financial aid; building projects and expansion; teacher performance and accountability; educational requirements and grade inflation; integration of the professional and graduate schools; recruitment of the best students; governance problems and bureaucracy. These multifaceted topics require a fresh lookthat another in-house candidate cannot provide.We need a leader who is not afraid to probe the darker underside of higher education in Hanover, debate issues that the current administration has been either unwilling or unable to address and sift through the muddy intellectual waters of discordant opinions, rather than simply embellish Dartmouth's dazzling exterior.
None of these needs automatically preclude a current administrator or alumn from ascending to the top of Parkhurst Hall -- in fact, such experience could give strong background from which to review various aspects of the College. But an "insider" choice would bring mostly the same approaches to the forefront. By instead picking a "change" candidate who will approach the office with a new perspective, we can ensure that the Dartmouth we love will consistently attempt to raise the bar of achievement, rather than sit by contentedly as the world moves forward.
If our mission is truly to "confront the challenges faced by higher education and to define academic excellence for the 21st century," we must never be satisfied with the status quo. Dartmouth students are constantly asked to better our community and ourselves by reflecting on our deepest principles and reviewing our personal actions. The College should also strive to re-examine its commitments and policies by reaching out to new perspectives. President Wright's last 10 years have been great for Dartmouth, and together we can raise the standard of success even higher over the next decade if the search committee is willing to take advantage of this momentous occasion and select a candidate for change as the 17th president.
