No dedication to research
By Derek Brand
Published on Wednesday, January 17, 2007
To the Editor:
Jacob Baron '10 notes ("The Rural University Paradox," Jan. 16) that Dartmouth is ranked low on two highly respected rankings of international universities. He jumps to the conclusion that this is because of our rural location. Citing an inherently weak arts scene and a conservative campus as reasons, he claims that there is no way that Dartmouth can excel in research and scholarship, and therefore shouldn't even try.
His conclusions are based on shaky assumptions. While Dartmouth ranks 61st in the Times Higher Education Supplement, Cornell ranks 15th, even though it is farther from a major city. Princeton, 10th, is not exactly a thriving metropolis, and New Haven, home to No. 4 Yale, is hardly what people think of as a vibrant city.
Schools that excel at research are those that dedicate themselves to it. College President James Wright has tried to move the college in that direction, but has faced strong opposition from those who would like to limit Dartmouth's scope to that of a "teaching college." These people fail to realize that faculty research stimulates the intellectual atmosphere of campus, adding greatly to the undergraduate experience. A true "teaching college," on the other hand, would be nothing more than an expensive high school.