A Fight to Save (Or Salvage) President Hanlon’s Legacy

For the past ten years, Philip J. Hanlon has presided over Dartmouth College as president. A member of the Class of 1977, Hanlon led his alma mater through several major reforms and most recently directed the College’s response to the COVID pandemic. His tenure focused on bringing Dartmouth “into the modern era” by enhancing graduate learning and creating interdisciplinary links across departments. He also endeavored to change Dartmouth culture by reining in Greek Life and enacting measures to make the student experience safer and more inclusive. 

However, his tenure has not been without controversy. While the stated goals of the Hanlon presidency were good, the “Moving Dartmouth Forward” initiative was met with criticism from many quarters. In pushing Dartmouth to become more “modern,” some have argued that Hanlon eroded Dartmouth’s distinctiveness. More concretely, his COVID response was heavily criticized, not only by this paper, as needlessly draconian. 

But President Hanlon will soon be retiring from his position as president. Of course, every retirement needs a retirement party, so on Wednesday, April 19, Dartmouth hosted a “celebration” in honor of Hanlon and his wife Gail and their contributions to Dartmouth. The celebration offered a rose-tinted perspective on the Hanlon Administration, one which glorified its accomplishments and was blind to its shortcomings. The event was more than just a social gathering; it was an effort to save, or perhaps salvage, Hanlon’s legacy. 

Like the conquering heroes of old, President Hanlon arrived at his celebration in step with a triumphant entourage in his honor. Dartmouth’s marching band escorted him to the Irving Center, playing music to herald his arrival. Before he arrived, the event’s organizers set out a panoply of bite-sized sandwiches and trendy hors d’oeuvres for the many late-middle-aged attendees. Of course, the free food did draw several CS majors, who scampered in, looked around furtively like mice wary of cats, and shoveled several cucumber and gluten-free-yeast-bread sandwiches into their backpacks before promptly fleeing the prospect of social interaction. A cynical observer might question how Dartmouth can afford to throw around free catered food for a celebration of the president but charges students six dollars for a cup of grapes at the Hop. To be fair, the catered food did taste how beige looks—at least DDS knows what salt is. Of course, we couldn’t spend the whole time making small talk and eating vegan paleo watercress sandwiches, and at around 4:20 our hosts called us to order, telling us that the time for worship had come. 

Dartmouth’s Senior Diversity Officer Shontay Delalue opened the series of panegyrics accentuating the accomplishments achieved by Hanlon. Delalue quipped that Hanlon’s best decision, however, “was hiring me.” The inaugural incumbent of her position, she was hired as part of Hanlon’s larger push to diversify the College. This past fall, Hanlon unveiled further diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and with Delalue at the helm as a senior vice president, Dartmouth has become increasingly involved in social justice. 

Delalue then turned the podium over to academic administrators. Elizabeth Smith, the Dean of the Faculty, praised Hanlon’s efforts to integrate the arts and sciences with an emphasis on the liberal arts and interdisciplinary cohesion. She also praised his efforts to renovate Dartmouth Hall, which, as many students know, took years to complete and fell well behind schedule. Alexis Abramson, Dean of the Thayer School of Engineering, was happy to report on Hanlon’s investment in programs and infrastructure for STEM, noting that the western end of campus has become a “hub for science.” Abramson likewise discussed Hanlon’s prioritization of mixing engineering with multidisciplinary areas. Jon Kull, Dean of the Guarini graduate school, was enthusiastic about Hanlon’s initiatives to expand graduate studies on campus. The school, established during Hanlon’s tenure, was the first new school at the College in over a century. All three administrators spoke of Hanlon’s new academic programs and advancements. 

The growing number of institutes and schools, however, seems rather like an attempt to make Dartmouth more like its peer institutions. While expanded academic opportunity should be achieved, it should be done while keeping Dartmouth’s unique mission alive. Hanlon certainly expanded the College, but at what cost to its character? It is not meant to be another Harvard.

The student-body president and vice president lauded Hanlon’s relationship with them and with all students. Both told stories of personal run-ins or breakfast meetings with the president and noted that he genuinely cared about their success, both in school and beyond. Hanlon, they said, is the most accessible and personable of the Ivy League presidents. Given Dartmouth’s size and mission, a president like Hanlon, who interacts with students and opens his doors to them, should be expected. The student-body president, David Millman, also emphasized that his collaborative work with school policies and events has made him appreciate the weight and responsibility of Hanlon’s job. 

Elizabeth Mahoney Loughlin, a member of the Class of 1989 and a College Trustee, spoke of the impact that Hanlon’s wife Gail has had on Dartmouth. Instead of the familiar image of a devil and angel on either shoulder of a man, Loughlin said Hanlon has been influenced on both sides—for the best—by Gail. Her steady advice and sway over Hanlon’s decisions cannot be overstated. The “First Lady of Dartmouth” has herself taken the lead and made the community just as much hers as it is her husband’s. The event was, of course, a celebration of the two in tandem, and it gave the impression that the two are inseparable. They have been together since just after Hanlon earned his doctorate and were introduced to each other by one of Hanlon’s Alpha Delta brothers—who was Gail’s biological brother. 

The penultimate speaker was Hanlon’s comparative literature professor from his time at Dartmouth, Donald E. Pease. Professor Pease was tasked with grading the Hanlon presidency, as a way of making up for having dared to give Hanlon a bad grade in the 1970s. While unwilling to admit fault in the original grading, the professor did praise everything Hanlon has done since then, listing everything good that Hanlon accomplished in his academic career. He suggested that the president is always proven right when they disagree and that even Hanlon’s critics eventually come around to his way of thinking. Hanlon may be too humble for self-aggrandizement, but he is clearly willing to let others aggrandize him. In the end, Pease refused to grade Hanlon, saying that his grade would exceed any on the traditional scale. Apparently, perfect, or a 100%, is not good enough for our outgoing president. 

The event ended with a video and a performance by Dartmouth’s Gospel Choir. The video began with a bunch of clips of Hanlon’s speeches, incorporating snapshots from initiatives like the Call to Lead Fundraising Campaign and Moving Dartmouth Forward. The video then shifted to a montage of photos from Phil and Gail’s marriage. We have to admit, seeing a forty-year-old Hanlon and Gail kiss was not what we expected for our Wednesday. However, the video moved the hearts of even these incorrigible Reviewers. Hanlon, too, was moved to tears. He had to take a minute before he could bring himself to deliver his own remarks, in which he thanked everyone who helped him through his term and reiterated that he only ever wanted to make Dartmouth a better place. 

Then the entire tone shifted for about five minutes with the entry of the Gospel Choir. The lead singer took center stage and led the crowd in a rendition of “This Little Light of Mine.” She called on Dartmouth to never stop the celebration of Phil Hanlon—or something greater—and went so far as to tell the other performers to be silent during her solo. Your intrepid Review reporters made sure to use the audience’s stupor to our advantage so as to slip away before everyone else made to leave. 

Hanlon’s presidency may be ending, but the fight over his legacy is just beginning. With alumni movements against his COVID policies and general student dissatisfaction with administrative decision-making, the College’s effort on Wednesday to present a positive view of the Hanlon presidency is understandable. However, the speakers may have become a little hoarse in their repeated repetitions of his list of successes. If Moving Dartmouth Forward, interdisciplinary education, and the Call to Lead are so unambiguously flawless, one would think that one could say so succinctly.