President Beilock Defends Dartmouth’s Mission and Values in Reunion Address
Questions from alumni included challenges facing higher education and research funding
Speaking to alumni at June Reunions, President Sian Leah Beilock retierated her unwavering commitment to Dartmouth’s core values and opposition to government overreach into higher education.
Beilock spoke to the audience of more than 650 alumni and outlined her north star and the five areas of focus that are at the core of her strategic vision: mental health and wellness, lifelong Dartmouth, innovation and global impact, environmentally responsible campus and planet, and diverse lived experiences and free expression.
She also fielded questions from alumni in a conversation with Trustee Scott Stuart ’81 that addressed the pressing challenges facing all of higher education, including safeguarding institutional autonomy, supporting academic freedom, and maintaining a diverse and global student body amid federal scrutiny.
Beilock received a standing ovation as she declared her unwavering commitment to Dartmouth's mission and to the fierce independence of higher education. "We can do better, as institutions of higher learning to fulfill our goals and our responsibilities to the American people," she added. "There's no secret that we have work to do to make sure we are truly bringing that value to our country and the world—to be fiercely independent, to be centered, to make decisions that we believe are best. I will push to defend that freedom."
In closing, she outlined the impact Dartmouth has had on the country and the world—through research into the COVID vaccine, cancer immunotherapies, a therapy for cystic fibrosis, and more. She called on all who are concerned about the possible loss of federal research funding to visit dartgo.org/speak-up to learn more about how to support Dartmouth by contacting members of Congress, supporting research or financial aid through donations, or sharing the latest news from Dartmouth.