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Outgoing Student Assembly President Jorge Miranda '01 and Vice President of Academic Affairs Michael Perry '03 presented a report on the direction of College academics at the weekly Assembly meeting last night.
The report, entitled "The Soul of Dartmouth: The Academic Direction of Dartmouth College," is a broad-reaching appraisal of the college's shifting emphasis on both teaching and research, according to Miranda.
It comprises opinions from over 800 students divided among the four classes, as well as interviews with over 30 faculty members, who each offered their views on the state of Dartmouth's academic programs.
During the course of their presentation, Miranda and Perry emphasized the doubts many professors had about the increasing prominence given to research-based academics at the college.
"We're seeking a balance between research and teaching, and many students and faculty fear that balance is being lost," Miranda said.
Jeff Beardsley '04, who helped in the preparation of the report, said that one professor he had contacted, who has taught at the College for decades, declined to discuss the topic, saying that it had been a very painful issue for him.
Another assembly member, Joshua Marcuse '04, noted contradictions between the accounts of different professors within the same department.
Marcuse found that a professor in a position of authority in a department supported changes the administration was making to the structure of Dartmouth's academic program, while several other professors in the same department had reservations.
"This difference suggests a divide between what professors are told to say and what they actually feel," he said.
Miranda and Perry also said that Dartmouth's support for its teaching program has been inadequate, citing a lack of teaching awards relative to research awards and grants, as well as an overemphasis on research-based work when considering professors for tenure.
"The talk is there, but the institutional support just isn't," Miranda said.
A final point made by the report deals with Dartmouth's image and traditional role as a institution dedicated to undergraduate education and teaching excellence.
The report states that "Dartmouth does not need to become a Harvard in the woods ... students want Dartmouth because it walks the line between college and university, offering the benefits of both."
Survey results published in the report indicated that 72 percent of the 800 students polled felt teaching was a high or the highest priority of the College.
Miranda said he hoped the report would serve a number of purposes.
"I think on one level that it's informing students, and on another level it provides recommendations for things next year's assembly will push for," he said.
Others saw the report as an answer to those who claimed the Student Assembly deals only with student services, rather than broader, more important issues.
Molly Stutzman '02, Student Body President-elect, endorsed the findings of the report.
"People come here for the academics ... I think one of the important things [the report] says is that [research] doesn't always complement teaching, but can be a detriment to teaching."
The full report will be made available to students online by Thursday.
At the meeting the Student Assembly also passed a resolution that will provide for DASH access to three vending across campus -- a move intended to gauge student demand for such a feature.
