Behind Every Grad, A Great Teacher

A COMMENCEMENT INNOVATION inspired by a 1995 Thomas Friedman column in The New York Times brought four former teachers of graduating seniors to campus for the ceremonies in June and—as winners of the inaugural Dartmouth Prize for Exceptional Teaching—public recognition of their influential roles.

The awards capped a selection process announced last fall, when seniors were invited to nominate teachers who had inspired them, whether in kindergarten, high school or somewhere along the way. The 36 teachers nominated represented all academic levels, public and private schools and a variety of subjects, says selection committee chair Jay Davis, an instructor in the education department who heads Dartmouth's teacher education program.

Manchester (New Hampshire) High School, nominated by Dieu-Thi Nguyen '07; and math teacher James Cocoros of New York City's Stuyvesant High, nominated by Alana Bond 07, a student of his when Cocoros taught at Brooklyn's Sheepshead Bay High School.

A Cornell Grad who practiced law before turning to teaching, Cocoros says Bond was one of many students to whom he recommended Dartmouth—sight unseenrather than his own alma mater. How did he feel about coming to Hanover himself, if only for a weekend? "It's good to see what I'm recommending," he says.

Whether Bond, who is planning her own career as a teacher, will be recommending Dartmouth to her future students remains to be seen, but her class has already demonstrated noteworthy loyalty. With encouragement from a testimonial-laden Web site created by Jeremy Debate '07 (www.seniorgilft2007.com) a record- breaking 80 percent of the class contributed to a $15,145 gift, up from the 73 percent record set in 2006.

There was also "family tree" news at Commencement: sisters Ashley, Brittany and Courtney Henry of San Diego were the first set of triplets to receive diplomas, and the class of 1967 passed along stewardship of the Lone Pine to the graduating class- 40 years after being charged with same by the class of 1927.

HOW MUCH DO THEY MAKE? The average pay of full professors across the Ivy League: SCHOOL SALARY Harvard $177.4Princeton $163.7Columbia $162.0Yale $157.6UPenn $156.5Cornell (private colleges) $141.8Dartmouth $138.5Brown $134.9Cornell (public colleges) $121.7 Source: American Association of University Professors. Shalaries are reported in thousands of dollars and rounded to thenearest hundred. They are adjusted to a nine-month work year (2006-07 academic year).