Director of the Dickey Center for International Understanding Kenneth Yalowitz will leave the College in December, he said in an interview with The Dartmouth. Yalowitz said his primary reasons for vacating his position were being in closer proximity to his family and wanting "a new stage" in his life.
"[My wife and I] have grandchildren in Virginia and wanted to be closer to our son and his family," Yalowitz said. "We've been here [at Dartmouth] for close to nine years, and it was time to move on to the next stage and challenges in our lives."
Yalowitz, a former U.S. ambassador to Belarus and Georgia, was appointed the Norman E. McCulloch, Jr. Director of the Dickey Center in 2003, according to the Dickey Center website. He said he does not have any information regarding who will assume the role of Dickey Center director after he leaves.
He said he hopes to teach as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and other universities in the Washington, D.C., area. He also plans to work as a consultant, he said.
"We've had a very enjoyable time at Dartmouth, and we've accomplished quite a bit," Yalowitz said.
Under Yalowitz's leadership, the Dickey Center has added numerous programs and conferences, including the Great Issues Lecture series, the Global Health Initiative and the Institute of Arctic Studies, and has sponsored the international studies minor, according to Yalowitz. These programs have been crucial in increasing Dartmouth's international presence, he said.
"The Institute of Arctic Studies has become internationally known, and Dartmouth has become a major player in climate change and Arctic studies," Yalowitz said. "I think that the Dickey Center has played a key role in heightening the interest in international issues and the understanding of the importance of these issues at Dartmouth."
The international studies minor has proven to be "extremely interesting and popular with students," Yalowitz said.
"It's something that any individual who wants to learn about the international issues of the day can take, and I'm very happy that we've added this international dimension to the curriculum," he said.
Colleagues of Yalowitz lauded his leadership and his efforts to widen the scope of the Dickey Center's outreach.
"He's been a wonderful addition to the campus community and we're all going to miss him a lot," Ross Virginia, director of the Institute of Arctic Studies and environmental science professor, said. "Ken has taken a very personal interest in the geopolitics of the Arctic region and has done a lot to put Dartmouth on the map internationally."
Yalowitz made the Center accessible to students, according to Fan Zhang '11, who has interned at the Dickey Center since his sophomore Winter.
"It's always incredible for me to see the amount of time that he makes for students," Zhang said. "His door is always open if you want to come in and talk. Working with him is a really incredible experience, especially with his background and all the expertise he brings from working abroad on a range of international issues."
Zhang is a former member of The Dartmouth Staff.
Yalowitz said he has been "very satisfied" with the collaboration between the Dickey Center and various Dartmouth-affiliated organizations that have established a strong global program in Tanzania and fostered connections with India through Dartmouth Medical School.
There is "a full schedule planned" in the fall to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Dickey Center, including a conference in September on the relationship between the United States and Canada and the nations' security issues, Yalowitz said. The celebration will be one of his last major events at the College, he said.
"We have a very busy and productive fall," he said. "We're hoping to increase cooperation with Canadian universities as part of a broader effort to study Canada, and how these close neighbors look at security so differently."
Yalowitz said he was "touched" by the outpouring of messages from faculty and students in response to his decision to leave.
"I've been touched by the gratitude and satisfaction that people have expressed for me and our work at the Dickey Center," he said. "The warm relationships with the faculty and students I've been very close to, and to receive their appreciation and gratitude for what I've done is something that I'll take away and that is very meaningful."
Yalowitz previously served as a career diplomat and member of the Foreign Service in the U.S. Department of State for 36 years. Yalowitz received the Ambassador Robert Frasure award in 2000 for peacemaking and conflict prevention for his work to prevent the Chechen war from spilling into Georgia, according to the Dickey Center's website.
