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The Obama administration on Friday will nominate Dartmouth College President Jim Yong Kim to lead the World Bank, choosing a global-health expert to head the development institution.
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<p>Wall Street Journal</p>
<p>Although it is likely that the US will get the position once again due to its large voting share and expected support from other developed nations, I thought it was interesting to see a Colombian and Nigerian in the mix too. As a prospective Dartmouth student, I am disappointed since everyone on campus spoke so highly of him and his plans for the college. Seems like Dartmouth alumni have quite a lot of influence, considering Tim Geithner, another Dartmouth alum, likely had something to do with Obama’s selection.</p>
<p>FrostByte38:</p>
<p>Don’t be too disappointed about this news. Kim’s departure for the World Bank is a win-win. </p>
<p>Kim gets the high profile, prestigious position in the international arena he’s been pursuing, and Dartmouth is rid of a President whose heart was never in the job.</p>
<p>too true ^^</p>
<p>The immediate reaction of undergraduates to this news is positive, they will be happy to see Kim go. Although this is an awkward time for Dartmouth to have a leadership void. </p>
<p>Hopefully the powers that be at Dartmouth will not make the same mistake again. Right now, more than ever, Dartmouth needs a President who is an alum of the college, has been involved in the college for years, who understands the value of an undergraduate education and who appreciates Dartmouth for what it is instead of wanting Dartmouth to be something that it is not.</p>
<p>As a parent of a 2013 I am very sad to see Dr. Kim leave. He is an amazing person and one who inspires others. When my son was making his college choices, Dr. Kim was one of the reasons he chose Dartmouth. The World Bank will be lucky to get him! He will be hard to replace.</p>
<p>I came to Dartmouth’s board on CC just to see what the reaction to this news was. It was my understanding that following the economic collapse in 2008 and Kim coming to Dartmouth in 2009, there as quite a bit of grumbling on how he handled the necessary cutbacks. There have also been some expenditures that the community has deeply questioned asking if the man knew anything at all about finance, which just on the very little I knew about the grumbling makes it seem very curious that he was tapped for this position. </p>
<p>So here’s a question: Might there be room to make the argument that perhaps Geithner loves his Alma Mater more than the World Bank? Makes sense to me! :)</p>
<p>I’m saddened but not surprised. He apparently came to Dartmouth hoping to spend his time inspiring and molding smart young people into thinking globally and taking action to do good in the world. But he would up spending most of his time dealing with a huge budget crisis, and with what little time or energy he had left over, dealing with misbehaving frats and their powerful alumni defenders.</p>
<p>Coureur, Kim actually enjoyed consistent support from greek alumni. He was a pragmatic consensus builder who wanted to reform without eliminating the social scene at Dartmouth. See Bloomberg piece from 2010. </p>
<p>[Kim</a> Rekindles Dartmouth Alumni Amid Austerity Protest - Bloomberg](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?)</p>
<p>Kim was truly undermined by the fiscal reforms that were required of him. He alienated the administrative staff and the academic staff with the budget cuts at a time when he needed their support to achieve his goals for the college. He was put in a very difficult position from the outset. Dartmouth would have been better served by having Jim Wright make those cuts before he left so that Kim could come in without that baggage. If he had stayed in the job for longer, he might have been able to overcome the initial bumps and had success at Dartmouth. </p>
<p>In general, students feel betrayed by him because he has been an absentee president in the current school year and then he leaves after only three years, less time than it would take to graduate from Dartmouth. In my era, James Freedman and Jim Wright had a campus presence. Even if you did not care for their policies, they were accessible to students and provided a steady hand in crisis. Perhaps because of the vetting involved in this nomination, Kim has been largely absent from campus issues including the student’s dissatisfaction with dining options, the murder of Crispin Scott while on FSP in Spain and the hazing scandal. </p>
<p>In time, the anger towards Kim will soften. He genuinely wanted the best for Dartmouth but was not around long enough to see his efforts through to the end.</p>
<p>It’s hard be popular when you have to cut costs … it’s not like Dartmouth can borrow money or print money to all its constituents’ satisfaction.</p>
<p>Any idea who the replacement would be?</p>
<p>It’s actually an interesting thing to be looking at as I decide whether to attend…</p>
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<p>No chance. The main job function of today’s Univ Prez is chief fund-raiser. Geithner does not come across as a glad-hander.</p>
<p>Agree with coureur…Kim signed on thinking to mold a generation of world activists but was undermined by a devastating budget crisis and a drinking culture that he tried to change. I hope he takes away some good memories of the place.</p>
<p>And time will tell if he had any effect on the classes that attended during his administration.</p>
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<p>Geithner’s sticking around till the end of Obama’s term, so I don’t think he’ll be available to assume the mantle. Regardless, Geithner’s so intrinsically linked to the financial sector, I have a hard time imagining him not going back to financing after his spell at the White House. Also… bringing him in would just create unnecessary political tension in the school.</p>
<p>If I recall. Tim is not expected to stay much past the election, win or lose.</p>
<p>bluebayo - that’s what I said lol</p>
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<p>But come the end of Obama’s term, I don’t expect him to come rushing to the world of higher education. It’s just not his mojo (not that being The Secretary of the Treasury has been either :D).</p>
<p>^^I get it now…you meant ‘term’ as in singular (as opposed to the 8-year deal). :)</p>
<p>Haha, yup. Obama hasn’t won the ticket just yet</p>
<p>Wait, Dartmouth’s not the perfect school? We know about the alleged drinking culture, but what’s this about a devastating budget crisis? What have been the effects, if any?</p>
<p>Hard to imagine a school charging $61K per year (perhaps the highest in the country) with a $3.5B endowment is having a budget crisis.</p>