Editor's note: This is the third installment in a series of articles reflecting on College President Jim Yong Kim's first year in office.
The media frenzy that accompanied College President Jim Yong Kim's appointment last year has shown no signs of fading as he comes to the end of his first year in office. Kim's continued work in global health from leading the College's response to the earthquake in Haiti to establishing the Center for Health Care Delivery Science last week continues to garner national attention through various forms of media.
Since his appointment was announced in March 2009, Kim has been featured in video segments on PBS's Bill Moyers Journal, Baek Ji-Yeon's Korean talk show "People Inside" and The Washington Post's online "On Leadership" feature.
"Generally we think, academic leaders yawn,' but what compelled us to take a second look was his background, especially being involved in Partners in Health and Haiti," said The Post's Andrea Useem '95, who produces and edits the "On Leadership" series. "It was the variety of his background that made him interesting. And he's historical in leading Dartmouth as the first non-white male."
Since the clip aired on March 31, it has been one of the feature's "most popular video segments of the year," Useem said.
Kim has also appeared in a number of YouTube clips, some of which have received over 15,000 views and feature Kim discussing a range of topics, from his proudest professional achievement to his family's move to Hanover.
Videos and live broadcasts allow Kim to reach a broader group of alumni and younger students, as well as making the College more accessible, according to Chief of Staff David Spalding.
"From the time he came on board, [Kim] has looked at getting himself out there using new media as well as old," Spaulding said. "It allows us to reach a larger audience in a more personal way than with just a flat article."
Both the announcement of Kim's appointment and his inauguration ceremony were streamed live and viewed by thousands of alumni who could not attend the events an "unprecedented" use of media for the College, Spalding said.
The use of the Internet and television shows help inform prospective students and potential faculty members about the College's projects and academic interests, according to Diana Pearson, vice president for communications at the Office of Public Affairs.
"We hope we're speaking beyond the Dartmouth community to those seeking innovation and excellence," Pearson said.
Kim has received many invitations to meet with major media organizations, according to Pearson. He has met with the education team of The New York Times, the editorial board of the Wall Street Journal and the editorial board of The Post. Kim also met with editors from the Chronicle of Higher Ed, Bloomberg News and several local publications, according to Pearson.
Kim's new initiatives including budget cuts and administrative restructuring were widely publicized in several of these publications. The announcement of the Center for Health Care Delivery Science was covered in eight individual stories in major media outlets, including a Post opinion piece co-authored by Kim and James Weinstein, director of The Dartmouth Institute.
In the aftermath of the January earthquake in Haiti, Dartmouth students received nationwide media coverage for their efforts, and many articles focused on Kim's role as a co-founder of Partners in Health.
Useem said coverage of Kim has presented the College in a more positive light in the media, which was previously dominated by coverage of alumni controversy.
"There's been so much bitter dispute among alumni," she said. "I got so sick of it I didn't want to hear anything about Dartmouth, period. I was in a phase of tuning out Dartmouth news. But for me, learning about [Kim] made me think, Wow, there's interesting things going on there other than the Alumni Board.'"
Spalding added that the positive coverage benefits the College.
"I think a more positive view by the alumni of what is going on at the College is always a help for alumni providing additional support for the College," Spalding said.
Kim has received an exceptional amount of media coverage in his first year as president in comparison to past presidents, according to Spalding.
"Over the last years of [former College President James Wright's] presidency, there was real excitement over his involvement with veterans," he said. "I think that President Kim has taken us to another level. There was good coverage of President Wright, but there's even more coverage this year of President Kim."
Korean news outlets took a special interest in Kim's appointment as the first-ever Asian-American president of an Ivy League institution.
Asian and Asian-American newspapers such as The Chosun Ilbo, The Korea Times, JoongAng Daily and Korean-American Science and Technology News ran numerous articles detailing Kim's selection, inauguration and first year at the College.
Kim's inauguration drew an unprecedented amount of international media coverage, The Dartmouth previously reported. Korean reporters covered the event because of a high interest among the Korean public.
In South Korea, readerships were mainly concerned with understanding Kim's path to success, reporters told The Dartmouth.
"Many Korean parents want to know how to raise their children like Kim's parents did," Young Shin, New York correspondent for the Dong-A Ilbo, said in a previous interview with The Dartmouth. "[Kim] is the famous Ivy League college president. There are a lot of students in Seoul who want to come study here."
International media attention also will help attract qualified international students to Dartmouth, Dean of the College Sylvia Spears said.
"So many of our programs are international in scope," she said. "If he can bring attention to those programs it only strengthens the College's reputation. It also provides us opportunities to really connect students to the globe."
Dartmouth serves as a model for other schools looking to increase their visibility in the media, according to Pearson.
"One of my colleagues at another school has recently reached out to ask how we're going about it, so I hope that we're off to a good start," she said.
