Daniel Potts, an archeologist who studies the Middle East, and Johnny Clegg, a South African musician and activist, will be next term’s Montgomery Fellows. The program brings internationally-recognized figures to Dartmouth to speak publicly to and engage informally with students. While no fellows will visit the College this winter, students have participated in informal meetings to discuss their thoughts about the program and ideas for its future.
Potts will remain on campus throughout spring term to teach an anthropology class, while Clegg will visit campus for a few days in mid-April and perform a concert at the Lebanon Opera House.
Christianne Wohlforth, who became the program’s director last fall, said focus group meetings will gauge student opinion on the fellows program and solicit suggestions on how to improve it.
The first focus group met for lunch on Monday to discuss who they would like to see on campus, how they would like to interact with fellows and what fields future fellows should represent. Focus groups will continue to meet in the coming weeks, Wohlforth said.
Because the program competes with other campus events for student attention, she said, it is important to provide opportunities that students can easily take advantage of when fellows come to campus.
“We are really using this time to look at the program from all angles,” Wohlforth said.
Arianna Vailas ’14 said she used Monday’s focus group to reflect on her experiences at the College and the interests that she has pursued outside of class.
“It was great to have the chance to communicate the things that were meaningful to me in a way that is impactful on campus and to connect with other students that are doing the same,” Vailas said.
Wohlforth has also met with faculty to discuss the nomination process, she said. While in the past the Montgomery Endowment Steering committee has only accepted nominations from professors, in future terms Wohlforth said she may take student opinions into account.
The time necessary to complete arrangements for each fellowship makes soliciting student nominations difficult, Wohlforth said.
“I would hate for students to nominate someone only to find that they aren’t coming until after they graduate,” she said.
By setting up student focus groups, Wohlforth said she can get a sense of what students hope to gain from the program.
The program, established in 1977 by Harle and Kenneth Montgomery, is also restructuring how it communicates with the Dartmouth community, aiming to connect fellows with students who will benefit from having meaningful conversations with them.
During their time at the College, which can last from less than a week to several months, fellows deliver Montgomery Endowment lectures or performances. Many choose to teach a class course.
In the fall, the Montgomery Program brought filmmaker Werner Herzog, philosopher and writer Rebecca Newberger Goldstein and actor and director Alan Alda to campus.
The Montgomery House is the cornerstone of the program, providing a place for students to interact with fellows in a comfortable atmosphere, Wohlforth said.
“These kinds of interpersonal, informal interactions tend to be the most meaningful for students,” she said.
