Self-promotion is a necessary skill in today's world. To get anywhere, whether at Dartmouth, in graduate school or in a leadership position in business, you need to be able to sell yourself and your strengths. Yet many interviewers and applications ask the question, "What are your greatest weaknesses?"
It doesn't seem in your best interest to answer; after all, you don't want to damage the credentials on your resume, and if they did not ask the question, you certainly wouldn't answer it of your own volition. Can you imagine saying, "Sir, I've had a great interview, but I just wanted to add that I regularly ignore my responsibilities and defy authority?"
The funny thing is that disclosure is not only a sign of self-awareness, but also the first step towards solving problems. Just ask Kirsten Gillibrand '88, the newly appointed senator from New York. She has become infamous among her colleagues for her daily "Sunlight Report," which discloses her every meeting with politicians, interaction with lobbyists and decisions on earmarks. Her candor has made her colleagues look dishonest in comparison. In the process of opening her record to criticism and her decision-making to scrutiny, Gillibrand has improved her image and most likely strengthened her future leadership as a senator. Transparency has won her votes, confidence and a Senate seat.
Dartmouth isn't applying for a job or running for public office, but the College does have to sell itself to a new class of the best and brightest every year, as well as to the alumni who support it through donations. The College administration obviously has a stake in disclosing positive developments. When College President James Wright speaks about Dartmouth, he describes our strengths and undying principles. He only discusses problems when a solution is on the way.
But what happens when problems arise without immediate solutions? What happens when the tendency to hide our weaknesses cripples our ability to see and address real problems? This is the tragic flaw of corporate governance: the institution's need to correct mistakes is often ignored in favor of preserving power, prestige and the status quo.
It may not be pretty, but divisiveness, criticism and controversy are necessary to address institutional flaws and chart a bold course for the College. And there is no better way to bring about productive discussion than by way of transparency and accountability. Gillibrand accepted this and placed the crosshairs of her critics on her established record. When transparency demonstrates Gillibrand's strengths as a leader, she gains support and power to continue her good work. If she makes mistakes, her constituents can hold her responsible. For the College, transparency presents similar opportunities for positive change and constructive dialogue.
We can start by pressuring the administration to release comprehensive statistics on the current state of the College. I recently sent in a request for class enrollment statistics to the Office for Institutional Research. Dartmouth proudly declares that 64 percent of classes have between two and 19 students. Yet it also says that only 35 percent of students are enrolled in this block of small classes, and that almost an equal number (27 percent) are enrolled in classes with more than 50 students. Besides, these small-class numbers include first-year seminars and Writing 5 courses. These numbers prompted me to ask for the statistics regarding upperclassmen, broken out by major. If small classes for upperclassmen in popular departments are a myth, then we are fundamentally failing our mission as a small, liberal arts college, and we have a responsibility to reevaluate. Unfortunately, the Office denied my request for these statistics, saying they could only offer what they had already publicly released.
Imagine sunlight on every facet of Dartmouth College. Students and alumni critics would see where money was spent, programs prioritized, faculty eliminated and initiatives underfunded. Such transparency would be completely unheard of, but incredibly courageous. As a small college full of passionate men and women, we are perfectly positioned to take this important first step toward improvement. With problems out in the open, pressure builds to find solutions. As a new era of Dartmouth's governance and financial status comes nearer, let's take the opportunity to be bold.
