Committee 

May 18–20, 2017

Chair Mary Dengler ’96 opened the meeting, introduced herself and Vice Chair David Silbersweig ‘82 and reviewed the agenda.

Dean F. Jon Kull ’88 presented a brief update about the School of Graduate and Advanced Studies. 85 students graduated with a PhD this year and 215 with an M.A. degree. The M.A. in Biomedical Data Science is a new program. Dean Kull is looking forward to the capital campaign and other fundraising for fellowships for graduate students.

Secretary Robin Albing Tu’81 gave an update on the Rassias Faculty Award. The first two awards were presented later in the day to Professors Don Pease and Steve Swayne.

Josh Kim, Director of Digital Learning Initiatives at the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL), reviewed the progress of the DartmouthX Mass Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Kim emphasized that the DartmouthX courses are a good way to keep Dartmouth alumni engaged as lifelong learners. DartmouthX provides a place for faculty to experiment, create new skills, and take risks. Another goal of the courses is to create awareness of the Dartmouth brand. 

Professor Steve Swayne, who has worked with a team to create and teach two DartmouthX courses, Introduction to Italian Opera and Introduction to German Opera, also shared his experiences. He emphasized that his courses have mushroomed into other opportunities for alumni to engage with Dartmouth, such as Dartmouth on Location programs and alumni trips. Professor Swayne also looks for ways for his students to connect with alumni directly.

Brandi Johnson ’01 was elected vice-chair of the committee.