Dartmouth may not be this year's hottest Ivy League school, but the College did receive the honor of hottest "tech-savvy" institution according to Kaplan and Newsweek's "How to Get Into College Guide" and the list of "America's 25 Hottest Schools."
While the guide is an annual publication released every summer by Kaplan and Newsweek to assist high-school seniors beginning their college search process, the "America's 25 Hottest Schools" supplement is a new addition, making Dartmouth the first-ever recipient of the "tech-savvy" title.
Dartmouth was a clear choice, according to Jennifer Karan, director of SAT and ACT programs at Kaplan.
"Dartmouth is actually unique among many institutions because of its technological history and continued application of technology," Karan said.
BASIC, one of the earliest computer languages, was developed at Dartmouth over 40 years ago by former College President John G. Kemeny and other Dartmouth professors, "and the school has a history of continued innovation," Karan said.
More recent technological accomplishments include the development of BlitzMail, the first-ever campus-wide e-mail system, which is still in use today.
Dartmouth was also the first college to require all students to have a computer and was the first school in the country to offer a completely wireless campus. Students can access the campus Internet via Wi-Fi access points across campus without having to use an Ethernet cord.
Dartmouth has also been experimenting with voice over IP phones, which provide telephone service over the Internet that is cheaper and more versatile than regular telephone service.
Robert Johnson, Director of Telecommunications and Computer Services, was pleased by the recognition but said that he and his staff are "just happy to bring relevant technology to the Dartmouth community."
Although the technology in use at Dartmouth is becoming increasingly widespread at colleges and universities across the country, Johnson said that what sets the College apart is that Dartmouth is "unique at being ahead of the curve."
Whether the technology is "homegrown" -- such as BlitzMail -- or applied technology -- such as the wireless network, Johnson said that when a campus need is detected the College tries to fill that hole and will either "buy it or develop it."
While the College received due credit for its technological innovation, it lost out in a few other "hottest" categories.
Yale University was named the hottest Ivy League school for 2005, coming off of a record admissions year in which the Yale acceptance rate dipped below 10 percent and even beat out perennial favorite Harvard for the most selective Ivy.
"Yale has been receiving continued interest among students and administrators," Karan said," meaning increased applications and enrollment."
But Harvard was not left completely high and dry, winning for hottest library. Harvard's Cambridge cousin, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, received the hottest architecture honor, and Tufts University, also in Mass., was considered the hottest place to study abroad.
The full "hot school" rankings as well as the complete guide can be found in the most recent issue of Newsweek Magazine, released this week.
