Future Think

It's unknown what President Phil Hanlon '77 will do with the strategic planning reports he inherits from interim President Carol Folt, who becomes chancellor at the University of North Carolina in July. The reports are aimed at articulating "a compelling and aspirational vision for Dartmouth at its 250th anniversary in 2019," according to the Colleges website. There's certainly no shortage of interesting and controversial ideas in the nine documents, all of which are available online. Here are a few:

► Eliminate grades for first-year students so they can focus on learning rather than final grades.

► Offer a one-year "genius award" of funding to outstanding Dartmouth graduates who can use the money to research a topic of their choice, with the expectation they would return to campus to present their work to undergraduates.

► Fund competitive proposals for internal faculty sabbaticals for the purpose of faculty professional development.

► Create a school of advanced studies that focuses on advancing research, scholarship and creativity for faculty and students.

► Use the name "Dartmouth University" to refer to the institution as a whole, and use "Dartmouth College" to refer to the undergraduate schools of arts and sciences.

DID YOU KNOW?

66th Anniversary of the Dartmouth Aires a cappella group celebrated in April, when more than 60 alumni held an Aires reunion and performed with current members