Council President's Page
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Danielle A. Dyer ’81, ’89Tu
President, 2011–12
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Greet the World from the Hills with a Hail!
To All Dartmouth Alumni:
I begin my term as president of the Alumni Council with a tremendous sense of optimism and opportunity. I continue to be inspired by President Jim Kim’s vision for Dartmouth and his commitment to both retain its traditions and build on its limitless opportunity to prepare students to impact the world. At his inauguration, President Kim challenged the College community to work together to chart a bold and aspirational path for Dartmouth’s future. The current strategic planning process is doing just this by establishing “a future that builds on the strengths and distinctions that have made Dartmouth one of the most outstanding and enduring institutions of higher education.”
In addition, this summer marked the inception of the Leading Voices in Politics and Policy lecture series, sponsored jointly by the Office of the President and the Rockefeller Center. This series, similar in some ways to the much loved “Great Issues” course of the 1950s and 1960s, was designed to address a major topic of current policy and political debate at the national level.
Dartmouth’s leadership is also visible at the campus level, with President Kim driving an innovative initiative to address binge drinking among college students. In the true spirit of partnership, the Learning Collaborative on High-Risk Drinking has challenged higher-education leaders across the country to address this serious health challenge on all campuses. Similarly, the Ivy League recently formed an ad hoc committee to examine the concussion issue and recommend guidelines. Co-chaired by President Kim, this committee positions the league in a leadership role to limit concussive hits — a national concern across a variety of sports.
Clearly, this is an outstanding moment to be a part of all that is inspirational and aspirational about Dartmouth College.
It is in this spirit that I challenge all Dartmouth alumni, and particularly alumni councilors, to deepen your understanding of the College as it is today and to contribute to what it can become in the future. It has long been acknowledged that the best learning comes from active participation. While it may be a “small college,” the physical and intellectual presence of the campus is vast. We benefit greatly from the integration of our undergraduate and graduate programs, while continuing to maintain our No. 1 ranking as the top undergraduate teaching program in the country. President Kim is committed to leveraging the individual assets of our schools to create “one campus” whose collective strength is unparalleled. It is critical that as alumni we continue to seek out opportunities to learn and communicate about the entire campus as it is today. This is one of the principle roles of the Alumni Council, and you have my pledge to communicate with you about all that we are learning about the College through this next year — and to seek out your perspectives along the way.
We have a very busy year ahead of us on the Alumni Council. The Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee, led by Pete Frederick ’65, is charged with identifying, screening, and recommending candidates to fill three alumni-nominated trustee vacancies on the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees. A significant portion of the Alumni Council’s December meeting will be dedicated to introducing and getting to know the candidates presented by the Nominating Committee. Following this meeting, alumni should look forward to hearing from at least one of the 125 alumni councilors about the candidates and the 2012 trustee election.
As I look forward to the coming year, I am eager to ensure that we, as alumni, embody President John Sloan Dickey’s goal to “bring the best of the past to the service of the present.” I am honored to be at the helm of the Alumni Council, ensuring ongoing learning about the Dartmouth of today, supporting the process that brings to you compelling alumni trustee candidates, communicating and interacting with you about your Dartmouth interests and passions, and continuing to serve our College on the Hill to the best of my abilities. Thank you for this opportunity. I look forward to working with you all!
Tho’ ’round the girdled Earth they roam,
Her spell on them remains.
Danielle A. Dyer ’81, ’89Tu |
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