Kim inauguration to feature academic, gov’t leaders
By Hank Nelson, The Dartmouth Staff
Published on Sunday, September 20, 2009
Web Update
Jim Yong Kim will be officially inaugurated as Dartmouth’s 17th President in a formal ceremony on the Green on Tuesday. The 11 a.m. ceremony, which will also serve as this year’s convocation, will be open to the public and broadcast live on the College’s web site. The Dartmouth will provide live coverage of the event, including commentary and photographs, at TheDartmouth.com.
Kim, a physician, global health advocate and professor, is the first Asian American to lead an Ivy League university. He is also the first medical doctor to serve Dartmouth’s president.
Delegates from over 60 academic institutions will be in attendance at the event, along with representatives from U.S. and foreign news agencies.
Gov. John Lynch, D-N.H., Ruth Simmons, current president of Kim’s alma mater, Brown University, and Harvard University Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Alan Brandt will all offer greetings at the event.
Lynch serves as an ex officio member of the College’s Board of Trustees, as have all New Hampshire governors in recent years.
Student Body President Frances Vernon ’10 will also deliver an address at the event.
Kim will be introduced by his long-time friend and Partners in Health co-founder Harvard professor Paul Farmer, as well as Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter.
The inauguration will be followed by a “Community Celebration” event at 1 p.m., showcasing College dance and musical groups.
Tuesday’s inauguration will be preceded Monday night by a panel discussion, “Reflections on Leadership for Social Change,” moderated by Tuck School of Business professor Sydney Finkelstein. The panel will feature Kim, Dartmouth Board of Trustees Chairman Ed Haldeman ’70, and GE CEO and Dartmouth Trustee Jeffrey Immelt ’78, as well as Farmer, Porter and Simmons.