Academic Aesthetics

In building for the future, the College is dedicated to preserving the qualities that make it unique.

VISITORS TO CAMPUS OVER THE PAST couple of years may have noticed a great deal of construction. While the volume of construction is not unprecedented—the turn of the century and the 1930s both saw similar building programs—it is significant. The challenge we face is to meet the academic and residential facilities needs that we have while maintaining and preserving the historic character of the campus. The Dartmouth campus is one of the most beautiful anywhere. The open spaces, the Green and Dartmouth Row, the predominantly Georgian architecture of the rest of the campus and the surrounding countryside combine to provide the overall aesthetic that is Dartmouth's academic village.

As we expand we need to be mindful of how we build, and sensitive to the impact that such construction has on the campus and the surrounding community. On June 10 I held a public meeting with the community to discuss our current plans and to listen to neighborhood concerns. I emphasized then the need to maintain the campus aesthetic, to keep Dartmouth as a walking campus, to protect open spaces on campus, to design buildings of a scale that fit the character of the campus and to be sensitive to the broader environment. I was very pleased to announce Dartmouth's role in helping to preserve the Mink Brook area in Hanover. The College worked with the Hanover Conservation Commission to protect this important parcel of land for the community.

In the past year we have garnered awards for several projects. Rauner Special Collections Library won a 2002 Honor Award for Architecture from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for the transformation of Webster Hall into a beautiful library. McCulloch Hall, a residence for 80 undergraduates, won recognition as one of the best-constructed new facilities in New Hampshire and for its design, craftsmanship, attention to detail and safety. The American Institute of Architects New Hampshire recognized the environmentally friendly design of the McLane Family Lodge at the Dartmouth Skiway. Materials used to construct the lodge include maple from the Second College Grant and recycled materials from the old lodge. The building uses energy efficient lighting and heating systems.

Finally, the Vermont Forum on Sprawl recognized Dartmouth for two projects in downtown Hanover. The fo rum praised Dartmouth for encouraging "smart growth" in developing 7 Lebanon Street into a mix of retail, office space and parking and in adding 22 new rental units for employees on Park Street in a manner "consistent with traditional neighborhood development."

Rauner Special Collections Library, McCulloch Hall, the McLane Family Lodge and our downtown development each speaks to Dartmouth's commitment to construct facilities that are aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly, comfortable for their inhabitants and sensitive to their settings. These same principles guide us as we move forward with several projects called for by our strategic plan.

The strategic plan calls for a residential cluster for 500 to 600 students. Although we have no plans to expand the undergraduate student body, this critical project will relieve overcrowding in some other residence halls and will allow more students to live on campus, thus finally addressing the expansion of the student body in the 1970s. The cluster, along with a social and dining center, will be located at the north end of campus on the old hospital property, which was purchased for the purpose of expansion. We have been responsive to community concerns regarding this project by moving the residence halls further to the east and by moving an access road away from Rope Ferry Road to Maynard Street.

Other facilities projects for the next five to 10 years include a life sciences center that will bing together faculty in the Medical School and the department of biological sciences and provide them with more modern facilities. In addition, we will construct Kemeny Hall for the mathematics department, a facility for three academic centers and additional space for computer science. We will expand the Thayer School and renovate and expand our arts facilities. The Tuck School will construct a residence hall to house all first-year M.B.A. students.

The master plan for the campus, an on-going process overseen by Lo-Yi Chan '54 in conjunction with the facilities planning office, is critical. Lo-Yi, who grew up in Hanover, has a deep appreciation and love for the Dartmouth campus. For the past two decades he has served as our master planner, siting buildings and outlining where and how development should proceed. With his eye for finding the right balance among the competing elements of open space, building style, historic preservation and the needs of the academic and residential program, Lo-Yi has been an effective and able steward of the College landscape.

I take very seriously my responsibility for the Dartmouth campus and for our relationship with our surrounding communities. Dartmouth's location in the Upper Valley is a precious asset, one that we need continually to monitor and protect. Our further development, a necessary part of our academic mission, needs to be in harmony with the historic campus and our community.