Mitchell Kurz '73 was unanimously selected in a vote held by the Alumni Council this afternoon as a candidate for the Dartmouth Board of Trustees.
Kurz is an academic dean, director of college counseling and chair of the mathematics department at the Bronx Center for Science and Math. He left his position as CEO of the Young & Rubicam advertising agency to pursue a career teaching in inner-city middle and high schools.
Kurz said he began working with Dartmouth in a serious way in 2006 when the Tucker Foundation asked him for help identifying a partner school in New York City for the College's Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth program, which supports students from under-resourced backgrounds in the college admissions process.
Kurz said he traveled to the College with his students from the Bronx who participated in the program and had the opportunity to meet sophomores who mentor and tutor his students.
"They are involved in a way that has given me incredible insights into what the current Dartmouth undergrad is like and how different it was from my history with the College," he said. "The incredible intensity behind public service that so many young people have which unfortunately was not as prevalent when I was on campus."
Kurz said that as a member of the Board of Trustees his focus will include increasing the College's reputation for excellence in teaching and undergraduate experience.
"The vision that I would like to see is for Dartmouth College to be seen as strong and leading an entity as it actually is versus the impression that people have. Dartmouth is better than its impression," Kurz said. "It's frustrating to me that there is a gap, that Dartmouth is better than it's image."
Kurz's nomination will be put to a vote before the alumni body between Feb. 12 and March 12. If his nomination is confirmed, the Board of Trustees will have a final vote on whether to seat the candidate.
