President Phil Hanlon ’77 and the Dartmouth Board of Trustees, at the board’s annual June meeting, discussed advancing academic excellence across the institution and the challenges faced by higher education in general and by Dartmouth in particular.
“A liberal arts education is the best possible preparation we can provide students before they head out into a rapidly changing world,” said President Hanlon at the June 9 meeting. “An unwavering commitment to reason and evidence, a thirst to gather a diversity of perspectives—historical and contemporary—courage to take on even the most daunting challenges, and a critical, creative mind—these are the outcomes of a liberal arts education and Dartmouth makes a difference by producing graduates who embody these qualities.
“Led by our faculty, we will continue to provide Dartmouth students with the meaningful experiential learning opportunities they crave through coursework and research,” he said. “It is imperative that we continue to advance our expertise in teaching while fostering faculty scholarship and increasing our global impact.”
Also at the meeting, board members took part in diversity training, paid tribute to two retiring trustees, welcomed two new board members, and participated in graduation activities, including the commencement ceremonies on June 11.
The diversity training is part of the College’s Inclusive Excellence initiative, launched last year to create a more diverse and inclusive community at Dartmouth. The board spent part of the day in the training exercise to ensure that every part of Dartmouth, from the top down, shares the institution’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, said outgoing Board Chair Bill Helman ’80.
“This is a hard topic, and that’s the point of doing the work,” Helman said. “We believe that the only way to become best in class is to make diversity and inclusion an important part of everything we do.”
Members of the board honored retiring charter trustees Denise Dupré ’80 and Helman at a luncheon and thanked them for their eight years of service to the College. Trustee Laurel Richie ’81 succeeds Helman.
“We are deeply grateful for the invaluable service and leadership of our retiring board members,” said Hanlon. “Their commitment to enhancing the Dartmouth experience reflects both their love of the institution and their shared belief in the transformative power of the College’s liberal arts education. In particular, I’d like to thank Bill for his tireless work as board chair, and for his enthusiasm, big ideas, and outstanding sense of humor.”
The trustees elected two new board members, Richard W. Lewis ’84 and Elizabeth Mahoney Loughlin ’89.
“We’re thrilled and fortunate to welcome Ellie and Ric to the board,” said Helman. “They are talented and energetic, with a long history of service to Dartmouth.”
Board members also reviewed and approved appointments and promotions to faculty positions in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Geisel School of Medicine, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business.
Building Projects Advance
The trustees voted to approve $1.5 million to complete the removal of building materials from the interior of Gilman Hall this fall. Gilman, which has been empty since 2011, had housed the life sciences before the opening of the Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center.
Board members voted to approve an expenditure of $200,000 for planning and feasibility studies of the renewal and/or replacement of undergraduate housing. The board also received updates on current construction projects, including the restoration of Morton Hall, construction of the new Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, and the renovation and expansion of the Hood Museum of Art.
2017 Commencement
The trustees remained in Hanover through the weekend to participate in activities related to the graduating Class of 2017. Events included class day exercises for undergraduates; investiture ceremonies at the School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Tuck, and Thayer; the Phi Beta Kappa induction ceremony; the ROTC commissioning ceremony; and the annual baccalaureate service for all graduates.
The trustees also attended a luncheon with members of the Class of 1967 who were on campus to celebrate their 50th reunion.
Commencement drew about 12,000 guests to the Green on Sunday. The College awarded almost 1,900 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in undergraduate and graduate programs from the Geisel School of Medicine, the School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business.
Honorary degrees were awarded to CNN chief Washington correspondent and news anchor Jake Tapper ’91, who delivered the commencement address, and to the founder of the American University of Kuwait, Sheikha Adana Naser Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah; Frances Arnold, professor of chemical engineering, biochemistry, and bioengineering; NCAA champion runner and Olympic athlete Abbey D’Agostino ’14; philanthropists Bob ’57 and Dottie King; Jim Sinegal, co-founder of Costco Wholesale; actress, playwright and teacher Anna Deavere Smith; and C. Fordham von Reyn ’67, Geisel professor and director of DarDar International Programs.
About the New Trustees
(Courtesy of Richard W. Lewis)Richard W. Lewis ’84
Is chief executive and chairman of Tristan Capital Partners, an independent, London-based real estate investment management company. Prior to forming Tristan, Lewis founded and served as chief executive for Curzon Global Partners and was the chief investment officer and board director of AEW Europe.
Lewis has served as a member of the Nelson A. Rockefeller Center’s Board of Visitors and as a Dartmouth College Fund volunteer. He is a governor of King Solomon Academy, chairman of the Institute of Imagination at the London Children’s Museum, and a member of the International Council of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
He is a trustee of the Eastside Young Leaders Academy and The SpringBoard Bursary Foundation, a board director of Sported, and the founder and chair of The Black Heart Foundation. Lewis holds an AB from Dartmouth. He and his wife, Ilina Singh, a professor at the University of Oxford, live in London with their two children.
(Photo by Robert Gill)Elizabeth “Ellie” Mahoney Loughlin ’89
Is a member of the Dartmouth President’s Leadership Council, co-chair of the Campaign Planning Committee, a district enrollment director, head agent, and member of the Centennial Circle Committee.
Her past Dartmouth volunteer roles include president of the Class Presidents Association, president of the Class Officers Association, alumni councilor, and member of the Dartmouth College Fund Committee.
She is the winner of the Dartmouth Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award and the Dartmouth Alumni Award, and a member of the Stephen F. Mandel ’52 Society.
Loughlin is a former associate director of admissions at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School. She volunteers at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Beacon Academy, and the National Pancreas Foundation. Loughlin holds an AB from Dartmouth and MEd degrees from Harvard University and Lesley University. She and her husband, Phil Loughlin ’89, live in Cambridge, Mass. They have two children who are members of the Dartmouth classes of 2017 and 2018.
