The Best of Both Worlds

More students than ever chose Dartmouth this year.

ON SUNDAY, September 20, I welcomed individual members of the Class of 2002 to campus. Over the summer I had decided to go back to an earlier tradition of shaking the hand of each incoming student in my office. I had heard so many graduates from the Dickey era tell me about this and how important it had been for them, that I knew that I also wanted do this. There are 1,100 members in the Class of 2002 and it took almost eight hours for them to pass, one by one, through my office. I told them that I wanted them to know. where to find me.

I had a chance to briefly talk with some of them. My wife, Susan, and I had already met many members of the class at a reception at our house and at the Ravine Lodge at Moosilauke. I was interested to talk to them about why they had chosen Dartmouth and about their expectations and their aspirations.

This year more students than ever came. The class of 2002 is the largest in Dartmouth history. This is not because of any plan to expand the undergraduate body—in fact, Karl Furstenberg's office set out to admit only 1,065 students. But this year the yield, the number of admitted students who chose to come, was up. So are the qualifications these students offer. The combined median SAT score is higher than 1400, and 88 percent ranked in the top ten percent of their high school class. A diverse group, the class includes a bagpipe player, a hypnotist, an auctioneer, a dancer, a volunteer firefighter, and a professional comedian. I am looking forward to getting to know them all.

As I speak to students about why they chose Dartmouth a number of reasons stand out. Our size is part of the attraction. Dartmouth is of a scale where students can get to know each other and their faculty. They can stroll across the campus in a comfortable ten minutes. A second reason is the quality of the educational experience. Students are attracted by the idea of having a world-class faculty along with facilities and resources typically found at much larger institutions. These two qualities—a personal scale and a rich educational experience—are, of course, connected.

The educational experience Dartmouth offers is largely the consequence of having a quality research faculty who are committed to teaching. Our most senior faculty teach courses from introductory first-year seminars all the way up to seminars for senior majors. Most classes at Dartmouth are small, and the faculty also work oneon-one with students in their laboratories, studios, and offices. Dartmouth faculty are excited about the research they do and excited about working with undergraduate and graduate students. This excitement contributes to the quality of the intellectual experience for undergraduates. Faculty engagement in their fields brings freshness and vitality to their teaching. Our students gain by participating in the creation of new knowledge. They experience the frustration of failed research as well as the thrill of a new discovery.

Dartmouth students want to work with faculty and be involved in research. We have many opportunities for them to do just that. These range from the First Year Research Program to the Presidential Scholars Program. As students progress through their majors they also work with faculty on independent study projects and theses. At present approximately 40 percent of students participate in an individual research project, and many of them participate in several. I would like to see this number increase significantly.

Ultimately, it is the relationship between faculty and students that is responsible for the quality of the undergraduate experience. And it is this historically strong relationship that I will foster and encourage in my presidency. Dartmouth will continue to hire the best faculty and we will continue to enroll the best students that we can get., Even as I work with colleagues to heighten the research accomplishments of the faculty, I will stress a commitment to excellence in teaching. Dartmouth has succeeded in attracting faculty who are at the forefront of their fields and are also dedicated teachers. We will continue to do so.

I am so enthused about the responsibility bility for enhancing this place—and about the privilege of sharing this enthusiasm siasm with all members of the Dartmouth community. The Class of 2002 is in for an exciting four years that will mark their lifetimes. I am pleased to share this experience with them.