1935

The question before the house, or at least 20 members thereof, is "If you were chairman of the Presidential Search Committee, what three qualities would you think the most important criteria for evaluating a candidate?"

Before I get into the collective wisdom of the Great Class on that subject, however, there are a few loose ends of personal intelligence to get into the record. For example, Bob McLellan provided some interesting comment on his current lifestyle in a letter that reached me too late to be included in last month's column. The greatest pleasure he and Lois have derived from retirement is the freedom to do what they feel like when they feel like it - which has permitted them to "delve into avenues of self-expression that we never seemed to have time for before." Now they're in the throes of deciding whether to leave Cape Cod for Florida a decision which is the thing in life they'd most like to be relieved of. Maybe we should make the pros and cons of a Florida move the subject of a future column.

From the "Brookline Citizen" comes news of another Massachusetts classmate (signed former Class Secretary, Dartmouth '35). It seems that one Charles Nayor had "two hairy encounters in the same courtroom in one week," having obtained a $20,000 verdict for a women who lost her hair after bleaching and a $135,000 award for a man who had already lost his and didn't get it back with a transplant. Maybe Charlie could offer some advice to any of you guys who may be contemplating the transplant route - we certainly have enough eligibles. Having achieved at least a temporary state of baldness, I know whereof I speak.

A card from Cramp Carrick tells of three months in Naples, Fla., where he enjoyed visits with the Hemphills and Sherwoods, attended a Dartmouth luncheon, "stumbled around the golf course" and played some bridge - only to return to the "clouds and the gook" of a Syracuse winter. Don't feel too bad, Cramp - I just got back from a long weekend in Sanibel to find snow on the ground in Atlanta!

Getting on to the principal business at hand, I have some interesting but not always compatible suggestions as to what qualities the Presidential Search Committee should be looking for. Perhaps the most thoughtful - or at least the best documented - contribution comes from CharlieGanzel, with an enclosure detailing an important project undertaken by Lehigh's new president, Peter Likins. Charlie feels Lehigh did an outstanding job in 1982 selecting 45-year-old Likins, whose background was primarily academic, as a professor and associate dean at UCLA before going to Columbia as dean of engineering and applied science, then university provost. Charlie lists as his three recommended criteria", broad experience and background in the field of higher education; ability to command the respect of faculty, administrative staff and student body; and demonstrated competence as a fund-raiser and ambassador at large.

Frank VanKirk, who missed the 50th because of a complicated ailment that is too technical to describe, followed by a hip problem that has mercifully and "miraculously" been overcome with a total hip replacement, wants a president for Dartmouth with "integrity, guts, and intellectual honesty." Which is not too different from Charlie Nayor's prescription of academic qualifications permitting a return to the objective of teaching rather than sponsoring causes; allegiance to both the standards of the alumni body and the needs of the student body; and "guts enough not to knuckle under to the fads and idealism of those who seek a change to the left."

Bill Bury's recipe is short and simple: intellectual prowess; managerial/cum business background; communications ability. And Jack Irish shares Bill's enthusiasm for a business background: basically a businessman with an appreciation of scholarship, aware of the need for teaching and emphasizing the basics of integrity, honesty, and idealism which were important in our upbringing.

Joe Fellows would have someone able to perceive and appreciate the beliefs, thoughts and peculiarities of people, with the objective of building harmonious relationships; academic qualifications sufficient to impress the faculty, coupled with business and administrative abilities acceptable to the alumni; and the ability to attract financial support for the College's fund-raising efforts. Joe concludes with a plug for the Sarasota area and a note of appreciation for the hospitality of the Al Ritchies and Ken Websters.

That's all of it for this month - once again a return of about 30 percent from 20 letters sent out. Oddly enough, no mention of the one quality I would rate most important - a proven talent for the kind of practical innovation that the new president will need in leading the College into the uncharted areas of higher education that almost surely lie ahead.

Peace and love to you all.

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