And More

Any report such as this one is bound to omit many important events. I hereby apologize to all those whose contributions have been slighted, but I would like to mention briefly a few other events of the past five years. For many years we hoped that some day Dartmouth might have its own university press. Given the size of the institution, and the cost of publications, this did not seem to be a realistic hope. Thanks to the intellectual leadership and imagination of Ed Lathem and the very generous help of the late Victor Reynolds '27, who served as the first director of this publishing venture, we were successful in putting together a consortium to share in a university press. Under the able leadership of David H. Horne, the University Press of New England has proved itself an enormous asset to its member institutions which now include, in addition to Dartmouth, Brandeis, Clark, and the Universities of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. At a very modest annual cost (made possible in part by a generous foundation grant), it is publishing works of high intellectual quality and of very high typographical standards. It serves both as a private outlet to the member institutions and as a publisher of works of general interest to higher education.

In this connection, I must mention a monumental project undertaken under the leadership of Professor Charles Wiltse. In publishing the collective works of Daniel Webster, Dartmouth is paying tribute to its most famous alumnus. The first milestone was the publication of a microtext version of the collected works, and the first volume of the letterpress edition has just been published by the University Press of New England. It is a project in which all alumni of Dartmouth can take enormous pride.

The eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth presidents of Dartmouth have all spoken of the importance of continuing education. We have continued our highly successful Alumni College, supplemented with Dartmouth Seminars both in and outside of Hanover, and with the week-end Dartmouth Horizons programs. Our new entry in continuing education has been the Dartmouth Institute. This is a one-month intensive program taught by several of the stars in our undergraduate faculty. It provides a period of intellectual refreshment for business executives, doctors, lawyers, government officials, labor leaders, and others who want to profit from a liberal arts experience. Under the able direction of Gilbert Tanis '38, formerly executive officer of the College, and under the academic leadership of Professor Harry Bond '42, the Institute has, in just three years, acquired a reputation as one of the highest quality programs in the country. Many businesses and other organizations have sponsored participation for key executives and professionals and their spouses. Given the outstanding testimonials received from the participants, I am convinced that this will be one of our most successful and significant programs.

In 1970 the College received as a gift from Mr. William Paley an elegant vacation home, located on a beautiful spot on Big Squam Lake, to be used as a conference center. The center, which has been named in honor of John Minary '29, is near enough to Hanover to make it easily accessible and yet far enough to prevent frequent interruptions. In addition to serving a number of outside groups, it has played an important role for the College in providing opportunities for retreats for faculty and administration. ministration.It has also provided a site for the Board of Trustees for an annual informal gathering that allows leisurely discussion of long-range issues that the hectic pace of regular Board meetings does not permit.

A memorable event was turning over the Gile forest to the State of New Hampshire, to become part of the State's green belt. The College was far-sighted enough two decades ago to purchase this important piece of land at a very modest price. And the Trustees were in a position both to protect the financial interest of the College and to make a generous gesture towards the citizens of the state by selling the land at a price significantly below its commercial value while realizing a handsome return on the investment.

I must also mention the Dartmouth Dining Association. Complaints about food are a favorite student pastime - except at Dartmouth. The quality, quantity, and variety served are excellent; and a remarkable job has been done in keeping down costs. While only freshmen are now required to eat there, the continued demand for Thayer Hall meal contracts by upperclassmen is the most eloquent testimony to the quality of the DDA's meals.

Note should be taken of significant changes both in the membership and the practice of the Board of Trustees. A very large change in membership resulted from the Board's vote to impose a 15-year limit on the service of Trustees. Of the 14 elected members at the time of my inauguration as President, only three still serve. And of those three, one retires in 1976 and one in 1977. While the retirement of a long-time member of the Board is always a sad occasion, the Trustees have recognized that because of the small size of our Board, many alumni who are fully qualified and deserving of membership never have that opportunity. Therefore, limitation on the terms of service was established. The size of the Board has been kept at 16, however, a fact that makes it significantly more effective than that of many other institutions, and every Trustee considers membership one of his most important responsibilities.

Changes in Board practices came about partly as a result of the enormous number of changes at Dartmouth, partly because everything in life seems vastly more complicated than it was in the past. Trustees meet more frequently and for longer periods of time than had been customary. For example, at their most recent meeting, half the Trustees had to be present for three full days, working morning, afternoon, and evening. I do not believe that there is any board of any type in the country that works harder than the Dartmouth Board of Trustees, nor are there better chairmen than Lloyd D. Brace '25, Charles J. Zimmerman '23 and F. William Andres '29.

I have chosen not to report in detail on Dartmouth athletics because it is an activity that receives a great deal of publicity and is closely followed by all of Dartmouth's constituencies. But it is worth noting that participation both in intercollegiate athletics and in intramural programs is at an all-time high. And there is now major interest and participation on the part of women students. A great deal of credit is due to Seaver Peters '54, one of the ablest athletic directors in the country. He has risen admirably to the challenges of coeducation and of maintaining programs of the highest quality in the face of the necessity to reduce costs throughout the Ivy group.

Without attempting to summarize the many successes and periodic failures of our athletic teams, I must take note of the fact that Dartmouth became the first school in the Ivy group to win the championship in football five years in a row. In case Bob Blackman should ever read this report, I would like to report that I have carried out a promise I made to him shortly after being elected President: in the future Yale and Harvard will each play in Hanover once every four years, and we will never again have seasons when our team is forced to play six of their nine games on the road.

Finally, I would like to comment on town-and-gown relations. The history of Hanover and Dartmouth College has been inextricably tricablyinterwoven for the past two centuries. I have always had strong feelings that good relationship with a town that takes such a deep interest in the College, and from which we have received so much support, was extremely important. My wife and I have long taken an active interest in town affairs, and I once served a term on the Hanover school board. I have placed very high priority on maintaining the best possible relations with the town of Hanover and the neighboring communities. I was deeply gratified when early this year the retiring Hanover town manager came to say farewell and to express his appreciation of what he viewed as excellent cooperation between the College and the town.