Spalding said his departure is motivated by his desire to combine his business experience with his passion for education. The College's upcoming presidential transition provides a platform for his own segue to Iowa State, he said.
As former College President Jim Yong Kim's chief of staff and senior vice president and senior advisor to Interim President Carol Folt, Spalding said he worked closely with senior leadership to develop administrative goals, including strategic planning initiatives and alcohol policies.
"The administration has made real progress in these areas," Spalding said. "But there's still much more to be done. Issues like this require continued effort."
Under Kim's administration, Spalding supported harm reduction initiatives such as the National College Health Improvement Program and its Learning Collaborative on High-Risk Drinking.
During former College President James Wright's administration, Spalding was appointed vice president of alumni affairs. Wright said in an interview that he and the search committee were attracted to Spalding's good judgment and people skills and impressed by his understanding of the College's academic and administrative missions.
Spalding's tenure came under fire, however, in the summer of 2006, shortly before the Association of Alumni voted on a new constitution.
Former Gamma Delta Chi fraternity president Nick Stork '06 vocally criticized Spalding for intimidating and lambasting his opinions during a meeting. He posted his statement on a website for alumni "unwilling to accept the often misleading public relations material issued by the College."
After joining the President's Office as Chief of Staff in 2010, Spalding worked on budget reform and strategic planning. He served as a administrative "point person," who reached out to a broad array of constituencies both within the College and the Hanover community at large, chairman of the Hanover Board of Selectmen Peter Christie '78 said.
"The College's activities and the town's activities are so intertwined and we have so many common interests, so that liaison is very important," Christie said. "[Spalding] always represented Dartmouth's interests very well, but was also a great listener and understood the town's perspective. That made for a healthy relationship."
Athletic Director Harry Sheehy said that the athletics department benefited from Spalding's work. Spalding facilitated the athletic department's relationship with the President's Office and built close working relationships with his colleagues.
"David was incredibly smart and talented and he became a really valued colleague and friend," Sheehy said. "Dartmouth will miss him, and I, on a personal level, will miss him."
Christie said the relationship between the College and the town of Hanover grew stronger during Spalding's tenure as an administrator.
Several years ago, Spalding worked on a joint task force aimed to address binge drinking that included students, town manager Julia Griffin, the Board of Selectmen, Hanover Police chief Nicholas Giaccone and members of the New Hampshire court system.
Spalding said his efforts to build relationships with the community and faculty were a product of his "personal passion," not only a part of his job.
He said that his new roles will allow him to work more directly with faculty and students. He was appointed Dean of Iowa State's College of Business by an 18-member search committee.
"This is an opportunity for me to take academic leadership and to really pull together my experience of 29 years in business and eight years in higher education administration at Dartmouth," Spalding said.
While he does not know who his successor will be, Spalding said President-elect Philip Hanlon's administration will determine the candidates for the vacant position. He expects his successor to continue the administration's efforts in areas including sexual assault prevention and harm reduction, and hopes the relationship between the administration and the faculty will endure.
"I think it's important for the President's Office to be reaching out to the faculty," Spalding said. "I look forward to seeing the great progress this institution is going to make under President Hanlon."
