Campbell on Presidential Rumours

By Benjamin Wallace-Wells | Wednesday, February 4, 1998

Editor's Note: Professor Colin Campbell taught Economics at Dartmouth for 31 years. He retired in 1987, and has resided in Hanover for 41 years.

The Dartmouth Review: Could you tell us a little about your background?

Professor Campbell: Like a lot of people my age, I was in the Army, and I went to the University of Chicago under the GI Bill after the war. Even without the GI bill, I would have gone to graduate school.

I already had a Masters degree in Economics, when I was called back into the Army again during the Korean War. I was then transferred to Washington, D.C., and I spent some time at the CIA.

I was in the Army when I was with the CIA and then I went into the research department of the Board of Governors and the Public Service Systems. From there I came up to Dartmouth in 1956.

Review: If you look back at the Freedman selection process it was pretty clear from the beginning that the trustees were going to look for some sort of academic to restore faculty credibility. From the Freedman presidency and the way things have gone, where do you think they are going to be looking now? Is there any identifiable type that you can see them targeting?

Campbell: Well, frankly, they won't diverge too much from the type of person that Freedman was. I don't see any major force resulting in any particular change in direction.

In other words, I just don't see, given the general situation at Dartmouth that there's going to be much if any change in the general educational policy of the college.

I think it will continue to be politically very liberal. The college has been doing well so I don't think they are going to be looking for anyone to make any major changes.

Review: Has the composition of the Trustee Board changed appreciably since the Freedman selection?

Campbell: I think that if anything it's probably become a little more political. I think over the years going way back to the Dickey period I think there was a tendency in the early period to select successful and prominent alumnae, particularly from business.

There were some men deciding things on the Board of Trustees that had also been successful not only in business but in politics.

One example was a man named Tom Curtis from St. Louis who was a very successful Congressman as well as being from a prominent St. Louis family.

Then they had to get more of his type. I think in recent years they've been getting people more involved in Washington D.C.

Review: Do you think that the present academic climate, looking at other colleges' presidential selections, is more or less favorable towards a sort of political candidate versus a strictly academic fellow?

Campbell: Well, I think that the political, in regard to the search criteria, I think they'll probably tend to get a kind of political candidate but I may be wrong.
At least it will be a person who ascribes to the liberal political position.

Certainly Freedman fit that mold and I think this is what they'll tend to get. But — I may be wrong — there'll be a tendency to get a similar political point of view.

Review: Do you think there's still concern among the trustees and the selection committee that there's still a looming spectre of McLaughlin who so offended the faculty?

Campbell: I definitely think they'll be concerned about the relationship with the faculty.

The faculty is a very powerful influence on the administration of the College and this is true not just at Dartmouth but at other Ivy League schools.

I think they'll feel they have to get somebody who will at least get along with the faculty — and this is one reason why they'll select the liberal political figure.

Review: Several observers have speculated that, considering the void at the top of the Administration, the new president will have the power to create the administration completely within their own image. Do you think thisis good for the College?

Campbell: Well, I do believe it's desirable for the president to be able to select his Dean of the College and his Provost. In other words, to set up and control his administration.

I'm actually in favor of stronger presidents rather than weaker ones. I think it is a desirable situation and attractive for any incoming man to be able to select his own Dean and Provost and this will be a helpful part in getting a good man.

I think it's desirable for the President to be able to put his own team together and not have power so dispersed that they can't do anything.

Review: Princeton recently announced that they are restructuring their financial aid packages to make everything that used to be a loan a grant — essentially trying to buy off hundreds and hundreds of students a year.

The reason they are capable of this is because they have a massive endowment.

Do you think that this could have the effect on Dartmouth, where we might be looking for some prominent name who could build the endowment to keep up with the Princetons and whoever else might follow suit?

Campbell: Well they'll always be trying to raise money. That whole program at Princeton, we're not quite sure how successful it's going to be.

I think people will be just watching to see how well they do and whether they really are successful.

This is too complicated, but it seems to me that the whole area of financial aid at the Ivy League colleges is coming under increasing criticism. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there are a lot of changes in that field ahead. I think Princeton is just the beginning, but I just don't know what's going to happen there.

However, there is a lot of dissatisfaction generally about the whole financial aid packages and how effective they are, even in getting the best students.

That's just a whole area where there might well be changes in the next decade, not just at Dartmouth but throughout the entire Ivy League.

Review: Are there any specific weaknesses of the Freedman presidency and Freedman personally that the committee might be looking to correct in the next president?

Campbell: Well I'm not sure about that. The way things are going, I'm just not sure what they'll be looking for.
I really don't think they're going to be looking for much of any big change.

The person who they get probably will be quite different in terms of his personality — and that is just going to be unavoidable.

Review: Finally, have you heard any names bandied about for the next President?

Campbell: The name I've heard prominently from alumni is Frances Ferguson of
Vassar. She's the President there, and she's got a terrific reputation both intellectually and administratively.

Vassar was still having a lot of problems when she got there with the transition from an all-girls school to a co-ed one, and at this point that College is running terrifically, and Ferguson has gotten a lot of credit for that.

Campbell on Presidential Rumours

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