This summer, as sophomores settle into new leadership positions on campus, several new administrators will also adjust to their offices at the College. With a new dean of the College, incoming directors of Greek Letter Organizations and Societies and the Center for Women and Gender, three new trustees and a variety of other new administrators, many of Dartmouth's top offices will soon see major personnel changes.
Times of administrative change often bring the potential for disorder and gaps in services. Although former Dean of the College Sylvia Spears stepped down on Thursday, incoming Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson will not assume her position until July 21, resulting in a three-week gap. While the Office of the Dean of the College may allocate the responsibilities to various other individuals and Provost Carol Folt will continue to oversee the division, we hope the first several weeks of July are not marked by lapses in cohesion and efficiency. Given that Spears will not be present to guide Johnson during her transition process, the new dean must focus on shedding formalities of her predecessor in order to focus on the student body and real actions and initiatives.
Most of the incoming administrators have expressed a respect for Dartmouth traditions and a desire to reach out to the student body to better inform themselves about campus culture and issues, and we hope that they will fulfill these promises in the coming months. This connection to students constitutes an important part of any new administrator's agenda, and sophomore Summer is an optimal time to accomplish this goal. With most students keeping more relaxed schedules, the Summer term provides an ideal opportunity for student meetings and focus groups that may be more productive than large committees or attempts to solicit input from the entire student body.
This should not be the sole concern of the new administrators, however. While the reduced size of student body and relaxed atmosphere of Summer term offer unique opportunities for discussion and learning, these factors also make it an opportune time for experimentation and action. Administrators both new and old should use this summer as a time to explore new policy options and try out novel solutions to campus problems. This interest in "test runs" is evident in academic programs such as College President Jim Yong Kim's Leading Voices in Politics and Policy lecture series, the success of which should encourage the nonacademic sectors of the administration to experiment as well. Changes to Special Event Management Procedures and Center for Women and Gender programming, for example, could be piloted during the summer.
We also encourage the new administrators to continue to keep in mind the recent commitments by College officials and members of the Board of Trustees to improve transparency and communication with the student body. Students have often taken issue with what they see as violations of these virtues. Recent months have seen improved efforts at transparency, and an email from Chairman of the Board Steve Mandel '78 sent this week, though lacking in clarity regarding the specifics of the Board's agenda, confirms that the trustees hope to continue that pattern.
By focusing on student reactions and the need for transparency, the new additions to the Dartmouth community can settle more comfortably into their new roles and define trajectories for their futures at the College. We hope they remember that meaningful change is rarely possible on campus without student involvement and a commitment to clear communication, and that they use the perks of sophomore Summer to their advantage.
