The committee seeks a provost who will strengthen the undergraduate student experience, invest in faculty recruitment, retention and development, create an inclusive climate of diverse students, faculty members and administrators, promote collaboration between undergraduate and graduate schools and expand research and graduate education.
"The document represents a lot of committee hours and the search firm's time in spelling out not only the qualities that we'd like to see in the new provost but also the job requirements," said Bruce Duthu, head of the search committee and chair of the Native American studies program.
The full search committee last met with members of Isaacson, Miller in late July and will meet again in mid-September to develop a list of eight to 12 candidates who will be interviewed in early October. The committee will bring a slate of finalists to campus before Thanksgiving. Members of Isaacson, Miller are principally responsible for communicating with candidates and narrowing the pool of applicants.
The committee hopes to announce the new provost by early 2014.
While the new provost is expected to start before July 1, the precise date will depend on the individual's availability, said Lindsay Whaley, interim vice provost and associate provost for international affairs.
The search committee seeks a candidate whom faculty across the institution will respect as an academic leader with strong management experience and academic integrity, Duthu said.
Hanlon would like a candidate with experience in the liberal arts, and also stressed that the new provost should have substantial budget management skills, as the role includes assisting Hanlon in overseeing the College's budget, Duthu said.
Whaley said the qualifications compiled in the invitation to apply are consistent with past qualifications.
"Excellent provosts in general understand where the educational goals of the college meet operational goals and are good at bringing those together," Whaley said. "Dartmouth is defined by teaching and its academic mission, and if you have an individual devoted to that, then you have a person that will succeed."
Hanlon told search committee members that he would not necessarily prefer a Dartmouth faculty member over an external candidate, Duthu said.
Duthu contacted faculty, staff and students for information on the search and to request their input on July 1, and the provost position description was posted online on July 16.
"According to Isaacson, Miller, the response from the Dartmouth community has been impressive, helping to contribute to what they considered a higher than normal rate of nominations at this stage of a search," Duthu wrote in an email.
The new provost should reexamine distributive requirements and evaluate whether the current core curriculum is serving the liberal arts education well or if the College should explore other avenues, student body president Adrian Ferrari '14 said, adding that the invitation's focus on campus climate demonstrates that the new provost should be willing act on important student life issues.
Ferrari cited the recent controversy over the Right Rev. James Tengatenga's appointment to the Tucker deanship as evidence of the need for student opinion in the search process.
Other members of the search committee declined to comment. Wybourne and John Isaacson, president and managing director of Isaacson, Miller, were unavailable for comment.
