After a flurry of administrative resignations over the last several months, the College has seen a number of transitions in key positions over the past year. However, in light of the turnover, administrators say they are aiming to make the transitions as smooth as possible.
Carol Folt
Interim College President Carol Folt replaced former College President Jim Yong Kim on July 1 following his appointment to the World Bank presidency. Folt said that during this year, she will work toward continuing the strategic planning process that she introduced while College Provost. Strategic planning initiatives aim to select goals that the College should work toward in the future.
"Interim year is about experimenting and facilitating conversation," Folt said. "We want to bring in as many people as possible and try new ways of communication."
Folt chose not to seek the position of permanent president so that she could best focus on her role as interim president this year, she said.
Led by Chairman Bill Helman '80, a presidential search committee consisting of alumni, trustees, faculty members and Student Body President Suril Kantaria '13 is currently tasked with selecting the College's next president. A list of qualified candidates for the vacant position is being narrowed down at this time, Helman said.
Physics professor Martin Wybourne, former vice provost for research, was appointed interim provost following Folt's departure from the post.
On July 24, the Presidential Search Committee released the presidential position profile, which described desired qualities for the next president. The nine-page document 17 pages shorter than the profile released during the search for the previous president was an effort to make this search process more concise, Helman said.
The document cites as goals improving and building relationships between undergraduates and graduate students and presenting solutions to problems such as hazing, binge drinking and sexual assault. These issues were included in the document in order to portray campus issues in a realistic light, Helman said.
Steven Kadish
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Steven Kadish announced on July 9 that he would leave the College in September. Kadish, who was appointed to his current position by Kim, will become senior vice president and chief operating officer at Northeastern University, he said. Mike Wagner, the College's current vice president for finance, will become the interim chief financial officer following Kadish's departure.
The financial challenges faced by the College are unlikely to change in any significant way due to his departure, Kadish said.
"The basic finances of Dartmouth are in very stable conditions, and Mike [Wagner] played a huge role in that," Kadish said. "I really look forward to Dartmouth's continued trajectory."
Despite the timing of his departure, his decision to relocate was due to personal reasons and unrelated to leadership changes at the College, Kadish said.
Linda Snyder
Vice President for Campus Planning and Facilities Linda Snyder, who is also Kadish's wife, will leave the College in September to take a position as vice president of operations at Tufts University that begins on Oct. 9, according to the Tufts website.
William Anderson, executive vice president of the consulting firm Rise Group, will become interim vice president of campus facilities. Because Anderson assisted the College in consulting work related to facilities planning in the past, students are unlikely to be affected by this change in roles, Folt said.
Snyder was appointed to her position at the College in 2009, at which time the Department of Facilities Operations and management and the Office of Planning, Design and Construction were reorganized. During her time at the College, Snyder oversaw several projects, including the Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center and the remodeling of the Hanover Inn, according to the Campus Planning and Facilities website. Seven light towers were added to Memorial Field during Snyder's tenure, allowing the College to hold football games at night for the first time, according to Dartmouth Now.
April Thompson
Associate Dean of the College for Campus Life April Thompson left the College on July 6 after 11 years in order to accept a position as dean of students at Binghamton University. Thompson's departure coincides with that of her wife Pam Misener, the Office of Pluralism and Leadership's advisor to LGBTQA students, who will leave the College in January 2013. Thompson's experience at the College will allow her to succeed in her new role supporting Binghamton's parent and family programs, Greek life, multicultural programs and student activities, according to a Binghamton press release.
Her new position at Binghamton will allow her to interact directly with students, an experience that she enjoys, Thompson said.
While at the College, Thompson oversaw the Undergraduate Judicial Affairs Office, the Collis Center for Student Involvement, Greek organizations, residential operations, Dartmouth Dining Services and the Office of Outdoor Programs. Prior to her position as associate dean, Thompson worked as the College's director of the Undergraduate Judicial Affairs Office.
During her tenure, Thompson prioritized the creation of alternative social spaces, including a space in the basement of the Class of 1953 Commons. Johnson also oversaw the creation of the new dining plans in 2011, new hazing initiatives and improved sexual assault policy recommendations.
Notably, Thompson oversaw the judicial process involving hazing charges brought by UJAO against 27 members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity in March. Many students expressed dissatisfaction at the UJAO's handling of the process.
Although a successor has not been named, the many individuals involved in the Dean of the College's office will be able to compensate for Thompson's departure while a new dean is found, according to Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson. A replacement for Thompson will likely be found by next summer, according to Johnson.
