The lecture which was initiated by College President Jim Yong Kim as an effort to reinstate former College President John Sloan Dickey's "Great Issues" course was established to "promote discussion of current global issues and supplement [students'] classroom experience with real life lessons on innovation, collaboration and leadership," Kim said during his introduction for Bloomberg.
Bloomberg who was accompanied by longtime girlfriend and current member of the College's Board of Trustees Diana Taylor '77 urged students to consider different perspectives and to strive for "common sense, common ground solutions."
Bloomberg denied the possibility that he will run for U. S. president in 2012 following a question about his potential candidacy that he joked was submitted by Taylor due to its complimentary nature.
"I'm gainfully employed," Bloomberg said. "I've made a commitment [to serving as mayor] for the next 1,263 days."
Several national news organizations, including the Wall Street Journal, that reported on Bloomberg's speech highlighted his assertion that he will not run for president in the next election.
In the speech, Bloomberg said he is often surprised by politicians' failure to challenge the status quo.
"One of the things that never ceases to amaze me is how many people in government are willing to accept conventional wisdom without asking the right questions," Bloomberg said. "Never make the mistake of thinking that any political party has the monopoly on ethics or good ideas."
Bloomberg is currently registered as an Independent, but has previously been a member of both the Republican and Democratic parties. He originally ran for mayor as a Republican, but became an Independent in 2007.
Immigration and public education are two of the most vital issues America faces today, Bloomberg said, adding that inefficiency in Congress and politicians' unwillingness to confront these problems have prevented the adoption of viable policy solutions in Washington, D.C.
Big risks yield big results and students should try to push conventional boundaries rather than "play it safe," Bloomberg said.
"The conventional wisdom [in politics] is to try to keep everyone happy," he said. "That's never been the approach that I have taken. I believe if you take on controversial issues, people will respect you for it in the long run."
Although Bloomberg's 2002 Smoke-Free Air Act which banned smoking in public buildings in New York City was unpopular and highly criticized upon its passage, Bloomberg cited it as a landmark decision that encouraged future innovation.
"Shortly thereafter, Europe followed, and many big cities in America followed," Bloomberg said. "By doing what was right, it turned out that people loved it, and that allowed us to take on other public policy issues."
Bloomberg recounted another formative experience in his professional life that prompted him to take a major risk being fired from his first job at Salomon Brothers in 1981. Although Bloomberg said people thought he was "crazy" at the time, the next day he took a chance and founded Bloomberg L.P. the financial news and data company through which he became successful.
In the speech, Bloomberg also encouraged students to volunteer in their local communities and around the world, citing city-wide programs such as NYC Service and Cities of Service that work to "answer [President Barack Obama's] call for a new era of service," he said.
"Not only will it put a smile on your face, [but service] is great for meeting people," Bloomberg said. "When you get out into the business world, one of the things you will find is a great deal of the networks and contacts that you make are built around philanthropy. In New York City, it's the major thing that pulls people together."
In order to face the world's issues, students should also focus on how to interact with people to best address problems, Bloomberg said.
"The truth of the matter is you don't know what opportunities will be presented to you," he said. "You don't know where you will succeed and where you will fail."
In response to a question from Kim during the question and answer session following the lecture, Bloomberg discussed the "habits of the mind" that he said he believes led to his successes in finance and public service. The engineering program at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, taught Bloomberg to constantly challenge convention, he said.
"In science, you have to be able to look in a mirror and answer the question," Bloomberg said. "You can't just say something and believe it. You have to show you're right. That discipline of not just taking people's word for it, or not just following what's generally accepted, has forced me to step back and say, Why?'"
In the question and answer session, Bloomberg also advocated for expanded executive powers in administrative leadership.
"The president can impose, the president can cajole, the president can influence," Bloomberg said. "But it's Congress that writes the legislation. The public's safeguard is every four years at the ballot box."
Students interviewed by The Dartmouth had mixed opinions concerning the content of Bloomberg's speech.
Randall Bryer '12 said that although the lecture was "interesting," he was surprised by the topics of Bloomberg's main points.
"I thought he would bring up some big issues and he did they just weren't the ones I expected," he said.
Other students interviewed by The Dartmouth said that the lecture was political in nature.
"Bloomberg has had such a full life a life that could be full of a lot of knowledge, information and insights that he could have provided for the students, which is I think a big part of the [Presidential Lecture series]," Daniel Lee '12 said. "But for me, it seemed more that it was very shallow yes, he was talking about his life, but it seemed like he was lambasting the government that is in place now."
Bloomberg received applause as he made references to recent Dartmouth events throughout his speech, including the closings of Homeplate and the river docks, which students said made the lecture more relatable.
"The way it was structured how he talked about Dartmouth and not really national issues it was more applicable to everyone," Vaidehi Mujumdar '13 said.
Bloomberg's political comments may have caused members of the audience who disagreed with his opinions to dislike the speech, according to students.
"A lot of it seemed quite controversial," Ben Rickett '12 said. "I was clapping frantically throughout, but some weren't. Guns and [abortion] are divisive issues."
Bloomberg's celebrity status attracted students to the lecture, according to several students interviewed by The Dartmouth.
"[Bloomberg] is pretty well known," Bryer said. "Had it been almost anyone else, I probably wouldn't have gone. It was Mike Bloomberg, so it was a big deal."
