The parallels between College President Jim Yong Kim and President Barack Obama have only become clearer with time. Both came in with a lot of hype, and both are now feeling the consequences of underperformance. And while disgust with Obama's performance manifests itself in a Congressional midterm loss, Kim's failings manifest themselves in the form of widespread criticism both earned and unearned.
You don't have to look very far to find yourself some good ol' Kim-bashing. Fellow columnists have railed against both his policies ("Out of the Loop," Oct. 6) as well as his grandiosity and fame ("The Obama Effect," Oct. 8, 2009). Or, take a look at the Verbum Ultimum, published weekly in this newspaper. This term, The Dartmouth Editorial Board has criticized Kim and his administration for talking rather than actually acting on H-Po crackdowns, on sexual assault on campus, and on the appointments of various administrative positions.
Professional critic and blogger Joe Asch '79, once an avid fan of Kim, has since turned Dartblog into a dartboard with Kim's face on it. While some of the criticism is substantive, much of it is not. For instance, Asch writes, "To date, Dr. Lim [Kim's wife] has been quite invisible in Hanover. Although she officially is on the staff of the Dartmouth Medical School, she does not appear to teach classes there or see patients in the Upper Valley." This criticism is trivial; we did not select Dr. Lim to be a figurehead on this campus, we selected Kim to lead our College.
Kim's performance as College president has been underwhelming particularly given the hype surrounding his arrival. In his first year and a half on campus, he has failed to make some of the substantive changes that he initially promised, but the truth of the matter is there are two reasons outside of Kim's control that can explain the wealth of criticism from the Dartmouth community.
The problem with high expectations is that when you fail to meet them, it's a long fall back to reality. The hype surrounding Kim's arrival in Hanover was almost as undeserved as Ke$ha's. And right now those in the Dartmouth community are looking sadder than the 12-year-old Hanover middle-schooler listening to Tik-Tok in Leverone. When Kim was selected as College president, he was billed as an administrative and Dartmouth "outsider." He was a worldwide medical problem-solver who had come to a small New England town to tackle the issues facing the College. But Kim's celebrity status turned out to be a source of weakness. If Kim could take down AIDS, couldn't he be expected to handle a stubborn police chief? Wouldn't binge drinking and sexual assault be no problem for public health expert? How could over enrollment task a man with such an extensive track record for success?
But we should not have been so nave to assume Dartmouth could be so easily fixed. Bureaucracy is a slow-moving ship, and not even the most skilled of captains can do a donut with an aircraft carrier. Students are resistant to changing their ways, and even more stubborn when they're told they have to. When Kim failed to fulfill his early promises, the media and student body were quick to turn on him.
It's undeniable that Kim came into office at a difficult time. With a first round of budget cuts occurring before he was even inaugurated, Kim was expected to cut the right programs without laying-off employees, cutting wages or affecting student life. Sound like an impossible task? It was, but Kim handled budget cuts without largely impacting students' educational experiences.
Kim was also dealt a blow when Hanover Police began waging what now seems like a campaign against Greek life. Students were suddenly being arrested for what they had been doing for years. But Kim, along with student leaders, did manage to thwart Hanover Police's sting operations and open a dialogue between the College, town officials and Hanover Police; an unprecedented step toward reducing town-gown tensions.
Kim was dealt a difficult hand as president. He may have failed to live up the hype that once surrounded his appointment, but rather than dwell on the shaky first year, we should look ahead to the next year of Kim's tenure. Many will continue to criticize him, but we should reserve judgment until we see how these current problems are resolved and as he begins to enact his own long-term policies. If a year from now he still hasn't done anything, that's cause for concern but maybe he'll give us reason to change our minds.
