With the recent departure of former College President Jim Yong Kim, the Presidential Search Committee has a crucial opportunity to shape the future of this institution. Earlier this week, the committee released its position profile, which outlined the qualifications that the future president should possess and the challenges he or she will face.
According to the profile, the next president must articulate the vision of the College, engage in its strategic planning process, recruit the finest Dartmouth faculty, shape the intellectual atmosphere for students, affirm Dartmouth's position as a global leader and integrate the College's undergraduate and graduate programs. The profile's focus on promoting the student experience, rather than heightening Dartmouth's reputation, is highly commendable. We applaud the Presidential Search Committee's acknowledgement of some of Dartmouth's most pressing issues, such as hazing and binge drinking, even though this type of transparency could drive away potential candidates. The qualifications detailed for the position, which include academic ambition, a collaborative leadership style and a commitment to diversity, also effectively reflect the needs of the student body, faculty and community members at this time.
We, however, have additional expectations for the next president. The position profile states that, among other traits, Dartmouth's next president should show a commitment to the College's mission through an appreciation for the "teaching and research missions that are so essential to the Dartmouth identity." We believe that, in addition to fulfilling Dartmouth's teaching identity, the next president embrace and propel the College's unique culture and community. We want him or her to take an active and visible role on campus attending football games, theater productions, concerts and other events, much as Kim did during his tenure. The president should generate excitement among students through his or her love and appreciation of Dartmouth. Although we realize that the next president may have his or her own goals for the College, we hope that the president pursues these goals while ensuring a faithfulness to the long-held traditions of Dartmouth.
With less than three years as president, Kim's tenure was the second shortest in the history of the college. His time at the College, while productive, caused a series of fragmented leadership changes detrimental to various community members at the College. We hope that Dartmouth's next president will have solid intentions to remain at the College for an extended period of time certainly longer than three years. Kim spearheaded several heatlh and safety initiatives including the Student and Presidential Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee and the Student and Presidential Committee on Sexual Assault and many of these have stagnated without Kim's support and guidance. To make productive change, the next president must spearhead effective initiatives that have long-term results. To do this, the president must develop these goals with several years of foresight and support.
Most importantly, we hope that the next president will be able to transition smoothly and quickly into the new role. During this interim period, community members are waiting patiently for the selection of the College's next leader, who will usher in Dartmouth's next chapter. With many permanent appointments contingent on the selection of the next college president, the next leader must act expeditiously to close these gaps. We hope that this individual, undaunted by the challenges of being placed in a new position, can come into the presidency and make immediate and meaningful change while remaining transparent to the community. We also hope that he or she can strive to continue Kim's initiatives, particularly those related to sexual assault and alcohol harm reduction, and will tackle these obstacles vigorously and with conviction.
The future of the College will be influenced heavily by the choice of the next president. The search committee should seize the opportunity to rigorously scrutinize its choice and the best candidate for the job. The search committee's effort to gather student feedback through a campus-wide survey is a highly commendable effort to incorporate student opinion in this decision. We hope the committee thoroughly analyzes and takes into account this feedback in the selection process.
