President Hanlon took office about a week before the class of 2015 arrived in Hanover for sophomore summer. Since then, he has been frequently sighted meandering around Occom Pond with his wife and two dogs or eating breakfast at King Arthur Flour. Exhibiting a sincere interest in a community brimming with diverse peoples, passions and priorities, Hanlon has not waited for individual students and groups to reach out to him. Instead, he has taken the initiative to visit a wide variety in their own spaces. But how long can the president continue to personally schedule students into his lunch and dinner calendar, especially when academic and administrative schedules become busier in the fall? Our advice to Hanlon is this: Start penciling in blocks of time now.
Given the turbulence of the campus climate this past spring, this summer has been a breath of fresh air. Hanlon's arrival seems to have reinvigorated the current student body with hope. While many have been severely disillusioned with the administration over the last couple of months, Hanlon seems to have turned the tables already, instilling a renewed enthusiasm for civil interactions between students and the administration.
But as a new president in his first term on campus, forming relationships and listening to campus opinions are at the top of his job description. President Jim Yong Kim was similarly successful in connecting with students on a personal level, developing a sense of trust in his early tenure and quickly re-energizing the Dartmouth community when he began four summers ago. This energy was all but depleted by the time he left. Hanlon needs to continue to make time for students. By staying in touch with the happenings of everyday Dartmouth life, he will maintain the positive climate he has created so far.
The "Who is Phil Hanlon?" question that has puzzled campus since his selection in April has quickly changed to "Where is Phil Hanlon?" Beyond successfully introducing himself to the class of 2015, Hanlon has stirred up an excitement as evidenced by the now Dartmouth-trending two-word tweet, "Spotted: Hanlon." Perhaps the administration can again be friend and not foe.
By identifying pressing college issues with leaders on campus, reminiscing in his own Dartmouth experiences with current students over dinner or making time to swim in the Connecticut River, Hanlon has shown his face on campus and engaged in the everyday lives of the student body. Students are anxious to both meet and build a personal relationship with him. But as he listens to students at two-way discussions hosted at his private home, in Greek or affinity houses, on the Green, in Alumni Gym, or wherever it may be, Hanlon should take note of what the Dartmouth voices of the class of 2015 have to say about the state of the College now. Using the incoming freshmen class of 2017 as his guide, in two years from now, during their sophomore summer, the concerns they articulate about our Dartmouth should not be the same ones we have challenged him to do something about today.
