When the Class of 2010 takes its final curtain call this month, they will exit stage left to thunderous applause. Many on the Hanover Plain will sing their praises most vociferously. After all, as former College President John Sloan Dickey used to say at convocations, students are, in fact, "the very stuff of this institution" and "what [they] are, it will be." Of course, the same can also be said about staff and administrators at Dartmouth, and this year, thanks to deep budget cuts, the College has lost a good deal of its stuffing.
Consider, for example, the more than 100 administrative and staff retirees who are "graduating" this month as participants in the College's voluntary retirement incentive program. Most of these retirees are loathe to call attention to themselves, content to depart quietly, satisfied with the knowledge that they have served the College, long and well. Come June, they will have no desire to deprive current seniors of their well-deserved place in the sun. After all, for these retirees, it was always all about the students in the first place.
While most of these retirees might opt to leave no trace behind, their passage will not go unnoticed. Indeed, for many observers this vanishing breed literally defines Dartmouth. Scratch the surface of the current list of retirees who prefer to remain nameless and you will find recognizable names everywhere you look. You will find individuals of integrity who have represented Dartmouth proudly to the outside world, as communicators and artists. You will find household names who have come to symbolize Dartmouth's deep commitment to community service and diversity, not to mention the promotion of better town and gown relations.
And, you will find no shortage of stalwarts whose fundraising prowess has kept financial coffers overflowing or whose technical acumen has made classrooms really smart. You will also find employees who have kept buildings clean, grounds immaculate and smiles on the faces of countless students whom they have helped navigate through seemingly impenetrable administrative thickets.
But, to be perfectly honest, these functional skills can and will be replaced by equally talented administrators and staff. What is not as easily replaced are the memories that these retirees will take with them of another era at Dartmouth. While this group of retirees leaves much behind, they will take with them memories of a different time when there was no perceived gulf between the academic and administrative sides of this institution. This was a time when faculty and junior administrators shared a common sense of purpose and a shared sense of community. This was a time when these faculty and administrators knew each other by name, having served together as first year advisers or first year trip leaders or having lunched together at a faculty club. A time when communication was done in person or by phone, before BlitzMail.
Having observed countless comings and goings over the years, my guess is that the over 100 retirees will soon follow the example set by those who went before. Many will depart blissfully, genuinely excited by the prospect of a (re)newed life after Dartmouth. Some will depart reluctantly, secretly wishing that they had been provided more incentives to stay than to go. Still others will depart angrily, resenting the frequent references they keep hearing to efficiencies to be gained' or redundancies to be lost' as a result of their departures and other administrative layoffs.
Most, however, myself included, will depart wistfully, anxious to move on but wishing that we could have done more to serve this institution called Dartmouth for which we have an abiding love. Those of us who will be leaving Dartmouth wistfully can well relate to one of former Dean of the College James Larimore's parting quotes ("Larimore to interview for Swarthmore job," April 14, 2006) "I have some pretty big aspirations for the place and for what the student experience here can be," he said. "I'm always going to feel like we can be doing more than we're doing or can be doing something better than we are."
As for myself, I will take particular satisfaction in going out with such a distinguished group of retirees, knowing full well as Dickey oft reminded us at commencements that "in the Dartmouth fellowship, there is no parting."
