I hope President-elect Kim will focus his attention on the quality of Dartmouth's undergraduate education, increasing the number of top professors and the number of courses offered, and introducing an optional core curriculum. I also hope he will thoroughly pursue his stated goal of promoting public service-based careers.
--Peter Blair '12
Too often our "College on the Hill" can be isolated from the rest of the world, both physically and ideologically. From the top down, President-elect Kim can establish new and greater connections to the global community. He can ensure that Dartmouth provides both our traditional liberal arts education and a fresh cosmopolitan outlook.
--Brian Solomon '11
I hope President-elect Kim will use his extensive global expertise and connections to invigorate College fundraising and to put Dartmouth on the map.
--Tina Praprotnik '09
Dartmouth seems to be caught between its strong sense of tradition and its desire to be at the forefront of modern Ivy League institutions. President-elect Kim must prioritize our future, while respecting the traditions of our past. Expanding our global reach, updating our facilities to attract the best students and faculty, and maintaining the highest standards with regards to the undergraduate academic experience -- all of these goals must be addressed by the incoming administration.
--Ben Gonin '12
President-elect Kim should work to funnel more money into student-initiated programs, such as the off-term grants made by the Tucker Foundation and Dickey Center. These programs are the best way for students to further their education and gain real-world experience.
--Spenser Mestel '11
All too often we compare ourselves to Harvard, Yale and Princeton, and hold them as standards to achieve. I didn't come here, though, because I was looking for a school trying to be Harvard. Not only must President-elect Kim focus on helping Dartmouth achieve academic parity with the other Ivies, but he also needs to help our campus remember why Dartmouth is different.
--Chris Talamo '11
I expect the president-elect to raise the standards of excellence in education and work to ensure the absolute best quality undergraduate experience at Dartmouth. I respect and look forward to his research and graduate school experience, but only as it improves, or at least does not come at the expense of, undergraduate excellence.
--Jacob Batchelor '12
I hope President-elect Kim can bring world-class professors to Dartmouth. Yale has Tony Blair. Princeton has Joyce Carol Oates and until recently, Toni Morrison. Harvard, until recently, had Kim. Hopefully under his presidency, Dartmouth can become the type of school that attracts the world's most influential thinkers.
--Tom Mandel '11
One very important step President-elect Kim must take next year is to bolster the influence that students have in shaping College policy. By reforming how the administration interacts with Student Assembly and other student leadership groups, Kim will be able to create policy that more accurately reflects the goals and temperament of the student body.
--Kevin Niparko '12
President-elect Kim's invocation of John Sloan Dickey's legacy provides a glimpse of his vision for the College. Moving the Dartmouth experience to the cutting edge should be a priority. Kim can expand innovative research opportunities for students and encourage engagement with the "Great Issues" that affect us all as global citizens. Dartmouth can do this and so much more while providing an unparalleled undergraduate education.
--Isaiah Berg '11
