Dartmouth's sensational response to the crisis in Haiti led by Students at Dartmouth for Haiti Relief, has exceeded all expectations. SDHR has already surpassed the initial fundraising goal of $100,000. Most of the monetary donations solicited by SDHR and various other campus organizations have been directed to Partners in Health, a charitable organization co-founded by College President Jim Yong Kim. Recently, Kim sent e-mails to the parents of all Dartmouth students, asking if they might consider a donation to Partners in Health. This decision has left some questioning Kim's lack of subtlety in promoting an organization to which he has such close ties. Parents already contribute a formidable amount to the College financially, so was Kim's appeal for more money justified?
Despite the forceful fundraising tactic, Kim made the right decision to leverage his influence with both PIH and the Dartmouth parents to raise money. Kim's incredible work in the field of global health is part of the reason the Board of Trustees brought him to Dartmouth. It makes sense that he is doing everything in his power to help people he cares deeply about.
Besides, Partners in Health is a reputable organization. Kim did nothing to mislead the parents he solicited for donations, nor did he guide them to a substandard charity. That Kim once had a stake in Partners in Health seems more a coincidence than anything else in my opinion.
More important than the e-mail sent to the parents is the fact that President Kim is making good on the rhetoric of his inaugural speech. In that address, fittingly-titled "Passion and Practicality," Kim harkened back to the words of President John Sloan Dickey, "embrace the world's troubles as your own." The response to this natural disaster has been the first test of Kim's ability to inspire and motivate our campus to tackle the problems of the world as if they were our own. Rather than passively preach to students, Kim has led the charge in providing solutions to Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas. The e-mail to Dartmouth parents only demonstrates the passion and seriousness of the administration, rather than their disregard for the financial crisis that may be affecting the families of students.
In this sense, Dartmouth's pairing with Partners in Health is not awkward or motivated by self-promotion. Instead, it is President Kim's attempt to connect this small college to the global community. Often Dartmouth is criticized for being too isolated both physically and figuratively. This new administration has actively rebuked this notion of distance by giving students the tools they need to participate in the national community of service and goodwill. The result: Dartmouth's reaction to the crisis in Haiti is a model for colleges and universities across the country.
Any possible lack of discretion in Kim's letter to the parents of the student body is irrelevant in light of what he has done to motivate the campus in the face of Haiti's dire need for support. In no slight to former College President Jim Wright, who connected veterans in America to Dartmouth in a way no other president could have, the question remains: had this disaster happened a year ago, would the reaction have been the same? I have no definitive answer, but my guess is that Jim Yong Kim's presence on this campus has mobilized those who are already passionate, and expanded the now substantial number of people who care about the world outside the Hanover bubble.
