This week, College President Jim Yong Kim unexpectedly announced that Provost Barry Scherr would be stepping down after more than eight years as Dartmouth's chief academic officer ("Scherr to Step Down as Provost," Oct. 5). The announcement of Scherr's retirement as provost comes after a series of rapid resignations and departures by high-level officials in the Kim administration, including former Dean of the College Tom Crady and former Dean of Undergraduate Students Rovana Popoff.
While the circumstances behind these moves may never be fully known, it appears that Kim is taking swift steps to build his administration. Three months into his presidency, the College has seen at least three senior positions vacated. And, although this abrupt transition process comes as an uncomfortable change of pace, we understand that Kim and others may believe change is needed.
Still, Kim is walking a fine line between efficient transition and disarray.
Scherr's departure from the provost's office originally scheduled for 2010, and later for 2011 is just one example of a transition that has been bungled by the Kim administration.
Four days have passed since the announcement of Scherr's resignation, and the only further news out of Parkhurst has been that his exact departure date and temporary successor will be announced "very soon" ("Scherr to Step Down from Post as Provost," Oct. 6). The nebulous timeline has not helped the administration appear stable during this period of widespread change and upheaval.
The position of chief investment officer at the College which has remained vacant since former CIO David Russ left Dartmouth in June similarly seems to be in limbo. While it is essential that we ensure that our next CIO is of the highest caliber, after four months, there has been no public evidence that the College's CIO search has made significant progress a precedent that does not bode well for the other vacant or temporarily-filled positions at the College.
The abrupt nature of several of these departures, coupled with the as yet-undefined plans for Scherr's replacement, have led students across campus to question just what is going on in Parkhurst's halls. While these questions may well be unfounded, students, left reeling after repeated administrative shifts, can't be blamed for being a little confused.
If he wants to maintain the confidence of the student body, Kim needs to make it one of his top priorities to fill vacated, and soon-to-be vacated, positions in Parkhurst. Interim substitutes must be expeditiously replaced with permanent candidates.
While we understand that this process cannot be completed immediately, until it is over, the College will continue to appear to be in a position of instability and flux and students will continue to wonder.
