Standard 1: Mission and Purposes

The mission statement of Dartmouth College is admirable (see Appendix III). Although recently revised, it does not differ substantially from the mission statement of October 1990. The key idea is that Dartmouth works to combine the best features of a liberal arts college with those of a research university. This is an important and difficult undertaking, one that requires an outstanding faculty, highly gifted and motivated students, and very substantial resources. Few colleges or universities in this country can or should aspire to such a mission. Nonetheless, based on our review of the documents and on information obtained by interview, Dartmouth College is achieving the aspirations of its mission statement.

In his inaugural address, President Wright explained how the aspirations of Dartmouth's mission statement have a significant impact on various members of the Dartmouth community:

"What does it mean for us as faculty members that Dartmouth is both a college and a university? It means that we share institutional obligations, even as we remain active participants in the worldwide community of scholars within our disciplines. It means that our small size can be an advantage, because of the flexibility it affords. Cooperative endeavors and shared ambitions often bear more and better fruit than can result from individuals working alone. Cross-disciplinary collaborations in many fields not only enhance the teaching and research enterprises, but they also contribute to personal and professional satisfactions. Being a faculty member at Dartmouth provides the opportunity to teach and to work closely with some of the finest undergraduate students in the country, in a residential community that encourages and supports research.

What does it mean for you as undergraduate students that Dartmouth is both a college and a university? It means a size and scale and aspiration sufficient to afford a rich curriculum, but within a community that one can stroll across in 10 minutes and meet friends along the way. It means an unsurpassed range of off-campus opportunities and arts programs that are incredibly rich and accessible. It means the opportunity to study with faculty who are committed both to teaching and to scholarship. Perhaps most important, being a student at Dartmouth means being encouraged to take one's self seriously as a young scholar -- a person of promise who has a rare and valuable opportunity to learn and grow. It means that here students are not merely passive recipients of information, but are active participants in their own learning process. It means also that the out-of-classroom experience complements and supports the central mission of the College. Whether it is in athletic competition or recreational sports or artistic pursuits, or in conversations at the residence halls or dining tables, we recognize that learning here has never been — nor should it be — limited to the classroom.

What does this synthesis mean for you as graduate or professional school students? It means that your professors are as committed to teaching and to the quality of your academic experience as those who teach only undergraduates. It means that you, too, benefit from studying within a community large enough to be intellectually vital while it remains one of a human scale — where you have an opportunity to know not only your classmates and colleagues, but also the faculty with whom you work.

What does this synthesis mean for you as a Dartmouth graduate? You too can take pride that the undergraduate program that will remain at the heart of this College is envied by many and is second to none. It means that you can take pride in the fact that your alma mater is enriched and enhanced by the presence of three of the oldest professional schools in their respective disciplines. It means that the whole institution benefits from the presence of select doctoral programs within the sciences — small programs, excellent in their own right, that enrich and enhance the entire institution. It means that you have a justifiable pride in the scholarly accomplishments of this faculty. As alumni and alumnae, your loyalty to Dartmouth — your support, your enthusiasm — have always been, and will continue to be, integral to the College's success."

Creating the kind of environment described in Dartmouth's mission statement, and expounded upon in President Wright's speech, is no easy or simple task. Indeed creating this environment is a constant test of Dartmouth's legendary sense of community. Nonetheless, we are confident that Dartmouth can continue to combine the best traditions of a liberal arts college with the best research traditions of a major research university.