Last month, College President Sian Leah Beilock announced that Dean of the College Scott Brown would leave Dartmouth at the end of July. He had served as Dean of the College since October 2022, following a period as interim dean beginning in August 2021. Associate dean of student support services Anne Hudak and associate dean for student life Eric Ramsey will serve as interim Deans of the College. The Dartmouth sat down with Brown — whose connection to the College dates back to the early 1990s, when he served as an area officer for the Office of Residential Life — to discuss his tenure as dean, his departure and his future plans.
Can you tell me about your decision to leave Dartmouth before the end of your term? When did you decide to leave, and why?
SB: The big thing behind my departure is this proposed Arts and Sciences transformation project — the proposal is to have a new Dean of Arts and Sciences who’s really thinking about the entire undergraduate experience in and out of class, on and off campus. Essentially, the Dean of the College role is going to be transformed, and there’s slated to be a new Dean of Undergraduate Student Affairs. The role as it’s been for the last 131 years will be very different.
With that transition and the changing of the role, I thought it was a good idea to transition out, being able to do all the work I had hoped to do. I think it just makes a lot more sense in our world to do it at the end of an academic year and before another academic year, even though the search for a new Dean of the College got delayed. I like to say that Dartmouth is the longest and most wonderful story there is, and I felt very fortunate to have a small but perfect beginning, middle and end for my arc.
What are your future plans?
SB: I’m excited to take a sabbatical for the first time in 35 years, and I’ve got a great deal of travel slated for the fall. Then I want to think about what my next adventure will be.
How would you describe your tenure at the College?
SB: It was a real honor to be in the role. You may not know this, but I started my career here in the early 1990s. I’m a first generation college student and a first generation American on my mom’s side from Los Angeles, and I had no idea a place like Dartmouth existed. This is the place to get an incredibly unusual, desirable and consequential education. Former Dean of the College M. Lee Pelton told me he rode his bike around campus because “people should know who their dean is” — I’ve always thought about that. Dartmouth was such an important place to me, and I had the opportunity to come back 26 years later.
What’s best about Dartmouth is that it’s timeless, but it’s also incredibly meeting the moment, and it gets better every single year with every single class. To be a part of that and work with students during the most dynamic parts of their lives is a real privilege.
I also met my wife on a blind date at the Dirt Cowboy Cafe 31 years ago.
What were your proudest moments during your time as Dean of the College?
SB: It’s watching students bloom. I take a lot of honor and pride in seeing all that our students do and become, which is why I would love to show up to anything that I could — whether it was on the sports fields or performances or academic presentations. Students are so wonderful and complex. As you know, getting into this place is no joke — but getting through it is a journey that no one else can take for you. It’s just an honor to be good company with all my colleagues for our students along the way.
What have been the greatest challenges you faced as Dean?
SB: The greatest challenge is always what can we do to help our students belong, learn and thrive — understanding that that can be difficult because of things that happen on campus and off campus. The number one difficulty is the loss of a student. We hope you know how much we think about our students. We cherish our students and want what’s best for them, so their health and safety is the most important thing.
What will you miss about your time here?
SB: Everything. Mostly, it will be the opportunity to get to see students in their element. Even though I’m no longer in this role, it does not mean I will cease to care about our students’ success and the people I had the good fortune to work with.
Many students are sad to see you leave — you had the highest approval rating, 57.99%, of the administrators listed on the 2024 Senior Survey. What advice would you give students — particularly those who relied on you for support — going forward?
SB: Students should know that every single person here is here because of students, full stop. They should know how hard people work on their behalf, either directly or indirectly. I like to say even the most magnificent buffet in the world is self-serve. As students think about the important relationships they’re making with their peers, they can brighten any person’s day by looking to make a relationship with staff and faculty. When people give me thanks, I very much hasten to say I will thank the 250 plus people who are doing this very difficult, noble work and may not always be seen or understood or appreciated but are there.
Similarly, what advice would you offer to Hudak and Ramsey?
SB: You are lucky that they are very thoughtful, wise and experienced deans. They’re great. They’re wonderful folks who’ve been here for a long time and do a lot of work that you have already benefited from — that you may not know. I hope that they continue to develop the relationships they’ve developed and use this different role to reach even more students.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
