<p>All this talk about who's underrated, although Dartmouth is highly rated in academic circle and people in the know, but has anyone gets a bit quizzical about when Dartmouth insists on calling itself a "college" as oppose to University? Any thoughts on this? For a while maybe even in old brochure, Harvard was Harvard College, until people weaned out of that and started calling it by its right name. So what about Dartmouth U ? Why the self deprecation?</p>
<p>While Dartmouth is a "University" it calls itself a college because it is onw of the few universities that is focused on the undergrad experience something that really does not happen at most universities (as their bread and butter is research)</p>
<p>the undergraduate part of Harvard University is called Harvard College.</p>
<p>"In 1815, Dartmouth became the stage for a constitutional drama that had far-reaching effects. Claiming its 1769 charter invalid, the New Hampshire legislature established a separate governing body for the College and changed its name to Dartmouth University. The existing Trustees, under the leadership of President Francis Brown, challenged the action and insisted on the validity of the charter and Dartmouth's continuance as a private institution free of interference from the state. The case was argued in the United States Supreme Court by Daniel Webster, a graduate in the Class of 1801, who would go on to become a member of Congress and Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison and Millard Fillmore. The landmark decision handed down by Chief Justice John Marshall in February, 1819, affirmed the validity of the original charter. The Dartmouth College Case, as it has come to be known, is considered to be one of the most important and formative documents in United States constitutional history, strengthening the contract clause of the Constitution and thereby paving the way for all American private institutions to conduct their affairs in accordance with their charters and without interference from the state.</p>
<p>In over two centuries of evolution, Dartmouth College has developed from its roots on the colonial frontier into a college that has a special character and a unique place in private higher education: an excellent undergraduate program, small enough to ensure the intimacy of a classic liberal arts college, with instruction provided by faculty members committed to undergraduate teaching; yet one large enough to provide faculty depth and curricular breadth of a kind typically found only at research universities."
--from the Dartmouth website</p>
<p>B.u.m.p.i.t.y.b.u.m.p</p>
<p>Read my post again...that's the answer. It's because of the supreme court case. Honestly, it's very famous--I even learned about in AP US. They fought in the case to keep it Dartmouth College, so they couldn't very well go back and call it Dartmouth University.</p>
<p>I like the mural of Daniel Webster arguing the case ;)</p>
<p>AHH! I miss Dartmouth so much... 4 months away is a long time!!</p>
<p>unfortunately looks like steps are being taken to make Dmouth a university...read this:</p>
<p>I understand the reasoning...but I prefer "College" for all that it entails.</p>
<p>Dartmouth college bc
college = beauty and comfort
university = a numbers game</p>
<p>University = resources, greater grad /undergrad programs, research ops, grants...etc</p>
<p>You mean something happened almost 200 yr ago (stupidly or not) sealed the fate for Dartmouth forever? Is there something wrong with this picture? If the character of Dartmouth has changed or the surrounding environment has changed, Dartmouth can't change with it? Dart 05,06,07,08 (or even 09 EA) people, please speak up.</p>
<p>I don't think many people are going to support that mindset, yourworld. "It is a College, sir, and we love it" is probably the closest thing to Dartmouth hearts.</p>
<p>I would strongly disagree that university = great undergrad programs. Dartmouth has the best undergrad program in the country, and that is what defines it as a college instead of a university.</p>
<p>Do others feel the same way you do? The term college has really been downgraded to include 2 yr community colleges, and other small schools of limited resources/focus. Do you prefer to be with that group, and not the powerhouse institution that Dartmouth is?</p>
<p>I think that you're right, in a way, and I see where you're coming from, but the real magic of Dartmouth (to me) isn't that it's a powerhouse institution. It's that Dartmouth is so much different from the other powerhouse institutions, and there's just a certain feeling that the undergrad-focus produces that is hard to explain.</p>
<p>Amherst and Williams are colleges too. Dartmouth is focused on the undergrad and is thus a college.</p>
<p>Yourworld, I disagree with you about the term "college." Anybody who's anyone in higher education knows that Dartmouth is certainly not on a community college, or anything similar! I think it's frustrating that people assume liberal arts colleges don't have the resources that big research universities do. If you were to assert that graduate facilities are better at universities, I'd definitely agree with you. But top-tier liberal arts schools (Dartmouth, Williams, Amherst, etc.) don't focus all their energies churning out groundbreaking research: their focus is on the undergraduates. You don't have apathetic professors who only care about publishing papers, lots of red tape, a cold bureaucratic administration, etc. Some prefer a large environment; I respect that. I prefer an intimate community where professors care about you, are easily accessible, and where I feel comfortable knowing most of my peers. </p>
<p>Daniel Webster's case isn't something that "sealed" Dartmouth's fate: it is remembered because it's so poignant and so true to the Dartmouth ideal: directing their most attention on the college students. After all, we don't pay 40k a year to have some 21-year-old TA drone on in a 100-person lecture! I'd definitely disagree that liberal arts colleges have less opportunities than large research universities. Any motivated individual can easily find a lab to work in or an internship if they've done their homework and at the best liberal arts colleges, there are often entire departments dedicated to helping you find a good internship/study abroad/research opportunity/graduate school program.</p>
<p>I think it was on CC that I heard Dartmouth was going to reduce the '09 class to 1000 students...does anybody know anything about that?</p>
<p>I heard about it too. I think there was an article in The Dartmouth proposing the plan, and on CC most people were saying that they agree and would like that. I for one definitely would, as a believer that smaller colleges = better experience. </p>
<p>Granted, that would be about 25 fewer spots that I can potentially be given, but still.</p>
<p>I'm not sure that it was ever planned by the administration, however. All I know about are the student proposals.</p>
<p>I wish people would stop trying to suggest that bigger is better. </p>
<p>Not too long ago a british publication (The Times Higher Educational Supplement, or something like that) produced a worldwide university ranking. Dartmouth placed quite low, something around 135th spot (out of 200). In response to this there was a professor of music, forgotten his name now, and an '08 who both wrote into the D and basically said: "look Dartmouth needs to grow, look how badly we did in these rankings." They were essentially advocation the switch to welcoming the title of university, the '08 wanted more profs more students, and more research.</p>
<p>This ****ed me off... Dartmouth exists the way it does because it provides the research from a large well-known university but at the expense necessary to maintain the undergraduate feel. It is a choice among thousands of colleges in the US. I for one, along with most at Dartmouth, love the way our 'college' is. The quality of teaching and attention given to students is so high right now, making it bigger can't possibly add anything to those qualities. Not to say that added research detracts from the quality of teaching, but I don't see how it adds to it.</p>
<p>Anyway, Dartmouth is a college because it chooses to be, it doesn't fall prey to the need for higher rankings or more prestige. It is one's choice to be here, don't show up and suggest that it should mold into a school you didn't choose to attend.</p>
<p>Wow yourworld...so the term "college" apparently now automatically means that the school sucks? What kind of logic is that? I don't think you know what you're talking about.</p>