Last month, College President Sian Leah Beilock announced that co-interim Dean of the College Eric Ramsey will leave Dartmouth at the end of July. Ramsey has been serving as co-interim dean alongside Anne Hudak since August 2022, after the departure of former Dean of the College Scott Brown that July.
Previously, Ramsey served as the associate dean for student life, beginning in 2014. The Dean of the College role will be eliminated with the implementation of the new undergraduate School of Arts and Sciences, which will be under the purview of new deans of arts and sciences, undergraduate student affairs and undergraduate education. The Dartmouth sat down with Ramsey — who first joined Dartmouth in 2004 as an advisor to the Council on Student Organizations and the first-year class — to discuss his tenure as dean, his departure and his future plans.
Can you tell me about your decision to leave Dartmouth? When did you decide to leave, and why?
ER: It was a really hard decision. Dartmouth has been a big part of my life for over 20 years, and many of the people here are like my family. The opportunity to go home to Arkansas, where my family is, was really compelling, and it felt like the right time.
What are your future plans?
ER: I’m going to be working with student community development and accountability at the University of Arkansas, and I’m going to be living near my mom and the rest of my family in my hometown.
What are the proudest moments from your tenure?
ER: I am really proud that every day I had the opportunity and the privilege to put students first. In every program that we planned, every initiative that we sponsored, we made sure that students and student learning was our highest priority. I’ve had really wonderful experiences like creating the Twilight ceremony, doing orientation, updating the bonfire and adding the Green Key concert. We updated traditions and made Dartmouth a more welcoming and inclusive place over the years.
What challenges did you face during your tenure?
ER: In a place like Dartmouth with so many bright, creative people, change is inevitable. It can be difficult when we want to try new things and reformat or redo things based on current needs. Navigating all the iterations of change over the years to continually put students first and keeping the staff and others motivated and moving forward in positive ways have been great opportunities, but at times it’s been really challenging.
What will you miss about your time at Dartmouth?
ER: I’ll miss the people here. It has been the privilege of my life to work at Dartmouth and support all the students that I’ve seen. Over 21 years, I have developed such meaningful relationships with my colleagues, and I will miss every part of that, and so much of my life still is here in the Upper Valley. I won’t be a stranger.
What advice would you give the next dean?
ER: Be present and in community with students. Listen carefully, act with courage and put the student experience above all. Be a fierce advocate, be in dialogue and learn from students every day.
How would you compare your tenure as interim dean of the college to your tenure as associate dean for student life?
ER: I think my tenure as co-interim dean has been a privileged culmination of my experience at Dartmouth. Each of my experiences have built upon each other. The ability to not only support the student life area, which I’ve done for many years, but also support the dean’s office and central administration and Office of Residential Life has really tied together so many pieces of the Dartmouth experience that are important to me and I’ve been able to watch them get better over time.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
