<p>Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Karl Furstenberg has informed me of his
plans to retire at the end of the current academic year. Over the past seventeen
years, Dean Furstenberg has worked magic in admitting remarkable students who
affirm the academic quality and character of the Dartmouth student body. He has
also helped us to increase diversity and to expand our financial aid programs. In
addition to his work at Dartmouth, he has become recognized as a national
authority on admissions issues and is one of the most forceful advocates of fair
admissions standards. Provost Barry Scherr has initiated a search for Dean
Furstenberg's successor and has asked Professor Peter Hackett '75 to chair the
search committee. We are also in the process of recruiting a Dean of the College and
a senior person to coordinate our institution-wide diversity efforts. </p>
<p>Early Decision:
The undergraduate admissions process has been in the news of late, as a result of
the decision by Harvard and Princeton to suspend their early admissions programs.
Several additional institutions - although at this time no other Ivies - have also
eliminated their early programs, and I suspect that we will see still others following
suit. The national debate centered upon this issue has been interesting and
thoughtful. When we at Dartmouth reviewed the matter once again, however, we
decided to continue our early program, which began in 1959. It is an option that
works well for our students and for this institution. </p>
<p>Under the early admissions program, students who wish to apply early must do so
by November 1st, rather than by the regular January 1st application deadline. They
may apply to only one school in this way and, if admitted, must agree to attend that
institution and to withdraw all other applications. They are notified by early
December of their admission status and any financial aid package that may be
involved. At Dartmouth, we typically admit about one-third of the incoming class
through this program. (Harvard and Princeton took closer to 50 percent of their
classes through the early process.) </p>
<p>The early pool consists of highly qualified young people who obviously could have
their pick of any number of very selective institutions, but who have Dartmouth as
a clear first choice. The higher admissions rate for the early pool at Dartmouth, and
elsewhere, is, more than anything else, a result of the differences in the composition
of the early pool as compared to the regular pool. Approximately two-thirds of our
recruited athletes come to us through the early admission process. Coaches work
hard to attract candidates who meet our high academic standards and have both
the athletic skills to compete successfully in the Ivy League and the desire to attend
Dartmouth. These students are heavily screened prior to their application in order
to ensure that they are, in fact, qualified to attend. Consequently, their admit rate
tends to be higher than that of the overall pool. Our Ivy League peers also admit
most of their recruited athletes through early programs. </p>
<p>About 17 percent of the early admits are legacies - daughters and sons of
Dartmouth alumni. The College generally admits such candidates at a significantly
higher rate than non-legacy applicants. These are very talented students, many of
whom knew from a young age that they wished to attend Dartmouth, and the
intergenerational loyalty of alumni has, of course, long been a vital aspect of the
Dartmouth culture. </p>
<p>What of socio-economic diversity? Applicants in the early pool tend to be less
financially needy than those in the overall applicant pool. Dartmouth's
commitment to economic diversity goes back to our very founding, and today we
admit students without consideration of their ability to pay. About 12 percent of
our students are the first in their families to attend college. The College provides
100 percent of students' demonstrated financial need. Close to 50 percent of all
students receive some form of financial aid, and 14 percent receive Pell grants - a
federal program for high-need students. </p>
<p>Financial aid is a top priority of the Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience, and it
is a top priority of mine personally, to keep Dartmouth accessible. Our financial aid
program is one of the most comprehensive and generous of any college in the
nation. We have been a leader in reducing the need to rely on student loans as well
as in offering additional scholarship resources. Students who apply early have
access to our full suite of financial aid programs, and in the past few years only a
handful of early decision students have been unable to attend Dartmouth because
of financial restraints. </p>
<p>The racial and ethnic composition of the early decision pool is also somewhat less
diverse than the regular decision pool. We have worked to address this issue, and
just last year experienced a 30 percent increase in the number of students of color
who applied early. More important to me is the composition of the entire class that
matriculates in September, whether or not they applied early. And we have seen a
significant increase in the racial, ethnic, and socio-economic diversity of our student
body. </p>
<p>Some critics argue that early decision puts too much stress on applicants, and
certainly there is too much stress surrounding the admissions process. Still, it is not
clear that early admissions programs contribute to this situation. My own sense is
that they do just the opposite. For those students who are admitted early, the
application process is completed by December, and they can then focus their
attention on finishing their high school careers. </p>
<p>There are students who know well that they want to go to Dartmouth. Perhaps
there is a family connection to the College, or perhaps they have visited Dartmouth
and know that it is right for them. Those students admitted early ensure the
formation of an enthusiastic core of the incoming class. They are extremely talented
and academically strong, and they tend to do well at Dartmouth. Their satisfaction
with their experience is extremely high, they graduate on time, and they report
higher grades than other students. I am delighted to have them at Dartmouth. </p>
<p>Early admissions, as you can see, is a complicated topic. I applaud anyone who
wishes to increase the number of low-income students at selective schools and who
wants to decrease the amount of stress involved in the admissions process. I share
their goals, for I want to do both of these things also. And I would happily compare
our accomplishments in this regard with any other institution. Dartmouth will
continue to have an early admissions program - one that we use carefully and
modestly as part of our approach to shaping the nature and the quality of our
extraordinary student body. As with all of our admissions processes, we will
continue to assess how early admissions works and will continue to seek ways to
improve upon it. </p>
<p>Dartmouth's Mission:
The College's mission is quite simple - to provide our students the best education
possible and to create an academic environment that enables our faculty and
students to reach their full scholarly potential. Our mission has not changed
substantially since our founding, and our current mission statement is a strong
description of our values. But it is useful and necessary to revisit periodically the
way that mission is articulated. I have started to undertake this process of
articulation, and hope to share with the community a new draft of a mission
statement during this coming winter term, one that will be more concise and will
express more clearly our aspirations.</p>
<p>To initiate the process this summer, I met in small groups with approximately two
hundred members of the Dartmouth community, including students, faculty,
alumni, staff, administrators, and union employees, to talk about the qualities that
best describe Dartmouth when it is at its best. The Board of Trustees at our annual
retreat in September also engaged in a good discussion of the College's mission. I
was pleased to hear in all of these sessions a broad agreement about the values that
characterize Dartmouth. These include the commitment to teaching and the liberal
arts, academic excellence, strong community bonds among a very diverse group of
people, and a special sense of place.</p>