<p>Announcing</a> Jim Yong Kim, 17th President of Dartmouth</p>
<p>Very interesting and impressive background. Born in South Korea, he also is the first Asian American president of an Ivy League college.</p>
<p>"Dr. Kim trained as both a physician and anthropologist, receiving his M.D. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from Brown University in 1982. A former senior official at the World Health Organization and co-founder of Partners In Health, he is internationally acknowledged for his leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other diseases. In 2004, in recognition of his many accomplishments, he was elected to the prestigious Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences....</p>
<p>Dr. Kim has 20 years of experience in improving health in developing countries. He is a founding trustee and the former executive director of Partners In Health, a not-for-profit organization that supports a range of health programs in poor communities worldwide. In 2004, he was appointed director of the HIV/AIDS department at the World Health Organization, where he launched an initiative to dramatically expand access to HIV/AIDS treatment in low- and middle-income countries. By 2007, the initiative had helped to provide lifesaving antiretroviral therapy to approximately three million people worldwide and had accelerated global efforts to fight other diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria.</p>
<p>“Our goal at the World Health Organization was to raise aspirations about what can be achieved in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, and I see the same vision and sense of purpose at Dartmouth today,” Dr. Kim said. “The College and its faculty truly excel at developing the sort of individuals who will be the leaders of tomorrow – and in driving forward the kind of collaborative, interdisciplinary work that is critical to success in the 21st century. With the help and support of the entire Dartmouth community, I know we will be able to further strengthen the unique Dartmouth experience and continue arming young people with the skills they need to go out and change the world.”</p>
<p>Dr. Kim immigrated with his family to the United States at the age of five and grew up in Muscatine, Iowa. He attended Muscatine High School, where he was valedictorian and president of his class and played quarterback for the high school football team. Dr. Kim received a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship in 2003 and was named one of America’s 25 ”Best Leaders” by U.S. News & World Report in 2005. In 2006, he was selected as one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World.” In a profile for TIME, Tracy Kidder, who described Kim’s work in the book Mountains Beyond Mountains, wrote, “One of his students told me that Kim was his most inspirational instructor; he made you believe you could change the world. I have no idea what he’ll do next. But looking forward to it gives me hope.”</p>
<p>The students seem pleased with the choice.</p>
<p>wow talk about an impressive resume!</p>
<p>Certainly an accomplished man! Two thoughts/questions, but please understand that it is not my intention to offend anyone as I ask them.</p>
<p>Why would he 'waste' such impressive an medical background to push papers, balance budgets and shmooze alums? What does Dartmouth see in him to offer him such a position? Guess what I'm really asking is...What does it take to be the President of a top-drawer institution of higher learning. </p>
<p>Again, he's clearly an impressive man with outstanding medical credentials and having taught at Harvard Med for a number of years he is, no doubt, an excellent teacher who has outstanding leadership skills. Guess I'm just surprised that he'd want to be an administrator and remove himself from direct contact with students and medicine.</p>
<p>In his words...</p>
<p>"At some point, you have to decide whether you are going to
keep throwing your body at a problem, which is what I have always done.
You realize that one person can't do that much. So what I want to do is train an
army of leaders to engage with the problems of the world, who will believe the possibilities
are limitless, that there's nothing they can't do. Being the president of an Ivy League
university is an amazing opportunity."</p>
<p>Dr. Jim Yong Kim plans to continue teaching undergraduates at Dartmouth.</p>
<p>^^except the job of training the army goes to the Lt's and Sgts. The goal of the Prez is to raise money, and lots of it.</p>
<p>jdjaguar, those are very noble words, but I don't see how being the President of an Ivy (or any other institution) is going to "train an army of leaders to engage with the problems of the world..." even if he does remain in the classroom. At most he would teach only a single class. BTW, his CV shows no prior undergrad teaching experience...</p>
<p>I agree with bluebayou. The job of the President is to crunch numbers and shmooze alums, and others, for donations....</p>
<p>The job of the President (of any institution) is to inspire, or should be. (and raise money of course).</p>
<p>perhaps Kim can break the mold you jaded types want to place him in, and do both.</p>
<p>and yes he has undergraduate teaching experience.</p>
<p>as an aside..</p>
<p>"Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don't you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?"</p>
<p>Oddball Kellys Heroes</p>
<p>
[quote]
Why would he 'waste' such impressive an medical background to push papers, balance budgets and shmooze ?
[/quote]
Believe me, as a department chair, this is what he already spends most of his time doing.</p>
<p>Read "Mountains beyond Mountains" (worth reading for its own sake anyway) - his work has really been about so much more than what traditionally thought of as medicine and teaching..</p>
<p>I agree with the majority here. When I read his bio, my first thought was why on earth does this guy want the job? Pres of Harvard or another major research U I could see, but why the college in the woods? Maybe even an "I want to change the world" type of smaller college. But this guy is planning to change the pre professionals at Dartmouth into world savers?</p>
<p>Don't get me wrong, he's sounds amazing and all feedback I've heard from the student view is positive. I'd love my DS to be taught by Kim too. I just don't see the fit.</p>
<p>"The goal of the Prez is to raise money, and lots of it."...</p>
<p>...and at Dartmouth right now, that means successfully reaching out to the large percentage of disenchanted alumni - which include some traditional very large donors. </p>
<p>Wonderful first speech. Very upbeat and positive. Very "Dartmouth".</p>
<p>Random blog post: "While exiting Spaulding Auditorium, I overheard one person remark that Kim has spent 40 fewer years at Dartmouth than Wright, and already understands the idea of the school better."</p>
<p>Reactions like that, and these (by some longtime critics of the current administration):</p>
<p>Trustee Peter Robinson ‘79 (petition trustee): “I would argue that of all the candidates with whom we spoke, Dr. Kim ‘got’ Dartmouth the best and most quickly,” Robinson said. “While we were considering him, he was considering us.”</p>
<p>Dartmouth Review Editor-in-chief Emily Esfahani-Smith:</p>
<p>"1. He seems humble, which is an important quality hopelessly lacking in our current power-hungry president. I think humility is a quality that too many leaders lack, yet need.
2. I think it is very exciting that President Kim highlighted former Dartmouth Pres. Dickey in his speech. This shows that Pres. Kim is taking Dickey to be a model and example for his own presidency; the D also points out that Pres. Kim hopes to revive Dickey's Great Issues course.
3. Finally, the new president seems charismatic, thoughtful--a man who has devoted himself to causes that transcend merely advancing in the administrative bureaucracy. </p>
<p>These are all good things. Maybe my expectations were low, but I think the Presidential Search Committee might have gotten it right."</p>
<p>Former Dartmouth AOA Board member Tim Dreisbach '71: "I agree with the comments above (Emily ...) ... His experience will smaller liberal arts colleges is limited, but his personal accomplishment and global involvement inspires. Let's hope all give him the benefit of any doubts. "</p>
<p>He seems to have made a strong first impression across the board - - which is a very good start.</p>
<p>Try downloading the transcripts to the videos found here - especially the first which addresses, in part, 'why Dartmouth' (for those who find this so extraordinary). You get a bit more sense of the decision. Views</a> from the President-elect</p>
<p>Or see this from an interview with the college newspaper "Admissions</p>
<p>"Kim said that he hopes students both domestically and internationally view Dartmouth as an ideal place to go to college, citing research that found that students perform better academically in natural settings than they do in urban areas.</p>
<p>“I plan to go out and make a very vigorous argument that, based on science, Dartmouth has all the elements that you would ideally want in the best possible undergraduate environment,” he said."</p>
<p>Also, there is already a greater sense of obligation to use a Dartmouth education for social good than is often understood.</p>
<p>This seems to be a Dartmouth Medical School hire. The talk about undergrad looks like window dressing.</p>
<p>^gosh no, you need to understand Dartmouth to know the med school's not even a consideration. This is about heightening Dartmouth's global reputation. Not sure if I would have chosen this goal, but the board clearly has.</p>
<p>Hmmm... if he is humble (as some one suggested) maybe his first order of business will be to rehire the 60 people the college "had to" lay off to "maintain its excellence"... or some such rubbish. He will then have made 60 instant friends of like mind -- humble -- that is!</p>
<p>OK. A vanity "prestige" hire, then. Suffice to say that, entering the most difficult period for higher education in decades, the guy has zero administrative experience in higher education. It's an odd choice, given the very difficult decisions that will be required of every university president over the next three years.</p>
<p>I think Dartmouth, as the only ivy truly focused on undergrads, occupies an odd place in the ivy lineup. They often come up short on international rankings because of this, it's size and it's location. Personally, I think Dartmouth should fully embrace what it is and go on being an. amazing undergrad school.</p>
<p>I spoke to a friend who sits on the board today about this choice. There are board members who feel D needs to be better understood and take a top place on the global stage. So be it, just so long as Kim is able to hold on to what makes the school unique. </p>
<p>It's hard to fault them for wanting such a mover and shaker leading the way. You can hire number crunchers and administrators. A great leader, more than anything, needs to be a great CEO. Let's hope Kim is.</p>