John Kemeny oral history interview

John G. Kemeny, 13th Dartmouth College President, 1970-1981. Oral history interview documenting a wide variety of topics, beginning with Kemeny’s childhood and early career at Princeton, his coming to Dartmouth, and his pre-presidential years as chairperson of the mathematics department. The interviews then turn to the search, transition period, and early presidency, before addressing at length two of the critical issues during the Kemeny years: the implementation of Coeducation, and the Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action initiatives. Also discussed are the challenges of managing the Dartmouth Medical Schools, administration of the three professional schools at Dartmouth, Continuing Education initiatives, college finance and administration more broadly, athletics at Dartmouth, student publications, and the Three Mile Island incident. The interviews conclude with general reflections on the role of the Dartmouth College president, Jean Kemeny’s role throughout, as well as Kemeny’s self-assessment of his successes and failures. Interviewed by Alex Fanelli on 9 occasions from April to September, 1984 in Hanover, N.H.

Below, in approximate order of appearance, are the broad topical categories, and their location on the tapes, with subcategories identified beneath each.

Pre-Presidential Period (Tape 1 – Tape 2) Childhood, and interest in mathematics Early Career at Princeton Recruitment to DC by Dean of Faculty Don Morrison Impressions of DC President John Dickey Family and life in Hanover Building and chairing DC Mathematics Department Approach to teaching Service on Committees, and community service

Transition and Early Presidency (Tape 3 – Tape 5A) Presidential selection process Election and transition Campus climate upon entering Presidency Presidential residence and renovations The Kent State shootings, response, and ‘Lemon Incident’

Coeducation (Tape 5B – Tape 7A) The opinions of alumni, students, faculty, staff; and the board of trustees. The Board of Trustees meeting on Coeducation and vote Discrimination against female students Dean of Students Carroll Brewster firing Presidential power to fire, and tension with Board of Trustees Move to year-round operation (D-Plan), and faculty debate Reflections on necessity of coeduacation Outside consultant study and restructuring during early Presidency

Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (Tape 7A – Tape 9A) Committee on Equal Opportunity and Board of Trustees discussions Implementing plan, and recruitment of minority students The Bridge Program and remedial coursework Discrimination, prejudice, and mistakes Minority student groups and minority alumni organizations Use of Native American iconography at DC, and abolition South African apartheid and divestiture protests Creation of the affirmative action hiring plan Implementing affirmative action plan, and difficulties Affirmative action officers Erroll Hill and Margaret Bonz

Dartmouth Medical School (Tape 9A – Tape 11A) History and change to MD granting status Negotiations with area hospital and clinic Funding, endowment, and funding gap Clinical education changes, partnership with Brown University Medical School – Governance, Joint Committee, and Dean searches

Financial and Administrative Matters (Tape 11A – Tape 12B) Annual budgeting process, and Council on Budgets and Priorities Faculty push for transparency in budget creation Energy crisis of 1973, and other contingency difficulties Endowment investment, constraints, and challenges Growth in size and complexity of administration during 1970s Tuition changes, the alumni fund, the Alumni Tour Fundraisers, major gifts, and the Campaign for Dartmouth;

Athletics and the Ivy League (Tape 12B – Tape 13B) Comments on collegiate athletics in the 1970s Financial aid and admissions for athletes in Ivy League Freshman eligibility for varsity sports in Ivy League Creation of Ivy Policy Committee on Athletics and push for standards Revision of the DCAC charter, budgetary constraints, cuts to athletics and P.E. Coeducation and women’s athletics Athletics dinners and banquets Home-Away game schedule change for football

Three Mile Island (Tape 14A) Invitation to chair Presidential Commission on the incident Splitting duties between commission and presidency Press and publicity in the wake of the report

Professional Schools and Continuing Ed (Tape 14B – Tape 15B) Relationship between the three professional schools and DC Tuck School of Business growth and fundraising Thayer School of Engineering structure, dean search, funding Continuing Education, the Alumni College, and the Dartmouth Institute Council on Financing Higher Education, creation and operation

Student Publications (Tape 15B – Tape 16A) Anecdotes concerning The Dartmouth college newspaper The Dartmouth Review and fight over name change WDCR funding, radio addresses throughout presidency, and disk Jockey anecdote

Administrative Overview and Reflections (Tape 16A – Tape 18B) Challenges and expectations unique to DC Presidency Comments on Key senior administrators and their departments Challenges in structure and restructuring throughout administration Jean Kemeny and her role throughout tenure at DC Working relationships in the Office of the President Comments on the chairpersons of the Board of Trustees Failure in addressing the question of fraternities and student conduct Comments on Presidents of other Colleges Role of President as moral leader