College Chaplain Richard Crocker was officially installed as the 12th dean of the Tucker Foundation in a ceremony held Sunday in Rollins Chapel. Crocker, who will serve a two-year, renewable term, has served as interim dean since Sept. 15, when then-Dean Stuart Lord stepped down from the position.
"I am pleased to be entrusted with the leadership of the William Jewett Tucker Foundation, which is known as the heart and soul of Dartmouth College," Crocker said in a College press release. "I am grateful to ... previous deans for their dedication to challenging the Dartmouth community to explore the centrality of faith and service in living a meaningful life. This will be my purpose as well."
Lord, who is also an associate provost, had served as dean since he first came to the College in 2000. He decided to leave the Tucker Foundation to expand his role within the Provost's Office, which includes working to develop and manage diversity plans, he said in a previous interview with The Dartmouth.
Harvard University chaplain and professor Peter Gomes, who spoke at the installation ceremony, said that Crocker must demonstrate the "joy of faith" to the Dartmouth community.
Gomes, a prominent writer and theologian, urged the Dartmouth community to help Crocker in his new role as dean. Crocker must articulate the moral and spiritual ambitions of the College and take care of the "hearts and souls" of the undergraduates, so that Dartmouth does not become "a cold place" that has "a lack of soul," Gomes said.
"When I first came in [to Rollins Chapel] today, it was empty and cold and I wondered if anyone would help poor Richard," Gomes said. "I'm encouraged by the number who showed up today because they have some connection with this College, some connection with this foundation and some connection with this being."
Crocker should meet with the College president and deans, Gomes said, so that the Tucker Foundation will remain an integral part of the College rather than being a "Dartmouth hors d'ouevre."
"You will take the raw material accepted by the strange ways of the admissions office and change them into nice, civil, decent, competent, able, compassionate people," Gomes said.
Crocker, who will assume the title of Virginia Rice Kelsey '61S dean, will carry on the legacy left by former College President William Jewett Tucker, Dartmouth's last preacher-president, classics professor emeritus Edward Bradley said at the event. Tucker was a transformational figure who modernized the College by building facilities and increasing the size of the student body, Bradley said.
Alessandra Necamp '09, the Tucker Foundation's student director, spoke at the ceremony about the organization's diverse objectives, which range from mentoring low-income children to helping Upper Valley residents winter-proof their homes. Approximately 4500 students participated in Tucker-affiliated groups last year, and 30 student leaders and interns worked at the institution, Necamp said. She described the foundation as "a rich mosaic that is constantly expanding and changing form."
Crocker first came to Dartmouth in 2003 as College Chaplain and has said he will continue to serve in that position. As chaplain, he leads the Tucker Foundation's Office of Religious and Spiritual Life and directs the United Campus Ministry, which is comprised of more than two-dozen campus ministers and religious advisors who promote multi-faith dialogue and programs at the College.
The event also featured several performances by student groups, which were followed by the reading of "the act of installation" of Crocker as Tucker Dean by Provost Barry Scherr and Jan Tarjan, senior program officer at Tucker.
"I'm delighted that Richard has agreed to serve as the Dean of the Tucker Foundation," Scherr said in a College press release. "As the College Chaplain, Richard has gained the community's respect for his leadership and integrity. I feel confident that the College's service programs and spiritual work are in good hands."
The original version of this article incorrectly stated that approximately 500 students participated in groups affiliated with the Tucker Foundation last year. In fact, that number should have read 4,500 students.
