Arctic Program

WITH THE APPOINTMENT October 22 of Dr. Vilhjalmur Stefansson, noted explorer and authority on the Arctic, to the staff of the College Museum as Arctic Consultant, Dartmouth completed arrangements for a program of Arctic study believed to be unique among undergraduate colleges in the United States.

According to Donald H. Morrison, dean of the Dartmouth faculty, the program's three objectives are: (1) to create an awareness of the Arctic and its' role in the world today; (2) to promote an understanding of the Arctic as a new frontier of study and development; and (3) to furnish practical experience in training and instruction of living techniques and use of polar equipment.

David C. Nutt '41, a veteran of five expeditions to the far north, has been appointed to the Museum's staff as Arctic Specialist and is currently on a leave of absence to accompany a U.S. naval expedition to the Antarctic.

PROGRAM AIMS OUTLINED

Dean Morrison said the considerations which led to the inauguration of this new program were (1) the increased postwar interest in the Arctic as a new frontier, as a source of raw materials and as a route of air travel; (2) the participation of many Dartmouth alumni, students and faculty members in Arctic activities; and (3) the proximity to the Dartmouth campus of Mt. Washington and Mt. Moosilauke, both of which offer excellent opportunities to study first-hand Arctic-Alpine conditions.

During the college year, Dr. Stefansson will deliver a series of lectures and classroom talks under the general title, "The Arctic, Our Frontier for War or Peace." He spoke November 4 on "The Role of the North American Arctic." Other lecture topics for. January, March and April are "The Soviet Arctic," "War in the Arctic," and "Peace in the Arctic."