Newly appointed College Provost Susan Westerberg Prager officially assumed her role as Dartmouth's second highest ranking administrator yesterday, filling a position vacated last August by College President James Wright.
Prager, the former dean of the law school at the University of California at Los Angeles, replaces Acting Provost Constance Brinckerhoff, who has been serving in the position since Wright became president Aug. 1.
From her new office in Parkhurst Hall, Prager told The Dartmouth yesterday that she sees the first few months of her tenure "as a time for me to learn and absorb as much as I can" about the College.
"I come to this school as an outsider, and I feel I should spend this time learning what this school is all about," Prager said. "You can't make a lot of judgments until you really get to know Dartmouth."
Praeger arrived on campus from California last Thursday during the midst of snowfall.
"For the first time, I saw this picture perfect winter campus -- a remarkable depiction of what Dartmouth looks like in the snow," Prager said. "I saw it as a wonderful time to begin this job."
Prager told The Dartmouth in last November, when her appointment was first publicly announced, that she is committed to improving the interdisciplinary study between the College's undergraduate and graduate programs.
She lauded the College's "historic devotion to teaching" and said it should not waver as this process is explored.
Prager also told The Dartmouth in November that she looked forward to discussing with students different needs for additions to student life at the College.
This past weekend, Prager said she spoke to several students about the recent changes to Collis Center -- the addition of the late-night coffeehouse, the Big Green Bean, and the renovation of the game room -- and how it has affected the social life at the College.
"I hope to get a feel of what additional social spaces are needed," Prager said. "The issue of finding a place for gathering seems to be a very real concern for many students here."
Prager's new position puts her at the helm of Dartmouth's three graduate schools -- the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, the Thayer School of Engineering and the Dartmouth Medical School.
She is also responsible for the College's libraries, computing and other academic support programs, as well as overseeing the construction of Berry Library and other academic buildings.
With the Berry Library still under contruction and the Moore Psychology building slated to finish this June, Prager steps into her new administrative role at a time when building projects at the College are in midstream.
Prager graduated from Stanford University where she received B.A. and M.A. degrees in history. She obtained her J.D. degree from UCLA, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review. In 1979, she was named associate dean of the UCLA Law School.
Prager served as Dean of the UCLA Law School from 1982 through June 1998. While there, she oversaw the enhancement of programs in international and comparative, environmental, public interest and business law.
After her undergraduate studies at Stanford, Prager worked in the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives and the California Legislature. She tesified in front of the House Judiciary Committee as it considered legislation prohibiting affirmative action in federal programs.
Prager has a 20-year-old daughter who studies at the Art Institute of Chicago and a 13-year-old daughter who is in 8th grade. Her family is still living in California and will move to Hanover in June when the current school year ends.
