Enhancing Arts and Sciences

Dear members of the Dartmouth community,

Dartmouth has a long, proud tradition of producing the next generation of leaders. The tightly woven nature of our academic community has always brought students and faculty together in collaborative efforts impossible elsewhere.

Today, I am pleased to share that we are taking a step toward strengthening the unique dynamic among faculty, students, and staff by creating a school of Arts and Sciences that brings together the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Division of Student Affairs into one unit.  

The fundamentals of a Dartmouth education remain the same. Our undergraduates will continue to receive the best and most distinctive education in the world, applying to and receiving a diploma from Dartmouth College. Our faculty will continue to be leaders in their fields, pursuing knowledge and embodying the teacher scholar model. Yet, by creating this unified structure at Dartmouth, we will enhance how faculty and students partner—both inside and outside the classroom—to have an impact across the world.

With this step, Dartmouth is continuing to chart its own path in higher education, strengthening our undying commitment to the fusion of liberal arts education with the benefits and breakthroughs that emerge from a world-class research university. Simply put: A move to a unified school allows us to enhance how we provide an exceptional, vibrant, and quintessential Dartmouth experience. 

The Dartmouth College Board of Trustees this past Friday voted unanimously to endorse this new approach. The vote follows an advisory vote at the Oct. 30 meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at which nearly 80% voted in favor of the new school.

There are many reasons to be excited about this step. Take undergraduate student advising as an example. Today, faculty advising and staff advisers (the undergraduate deans) are working independently in different administrative units. The onus is on students to reconcile information from these two sources as they chart their path. With a unified Arts and Sciences, faculty advising and the undergraduate deans will become part of one shop, strengthening coordination and thus improving advising to better serve students.

​Dartmouth's research and scholarly profile will also benefit. A unified Arts and Sciences—and the budget structure that accompanies it—will allow for targeted investments in groundbreaking research and better coordination among graduate students, postdocs, and faculty across the institution. Undergraduate research opportunities will also be streamlined and better coordinated with faculty research, teaching, and service.

Today's announcement is the culmination of more than two years of rigorous exploration and analysis by faculty and staff steering committees and working groups. The project was launched by President Philip J. Hanlon '77 and led by Provost David Kotz '86, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Elizabeth F. Smith, and Niehaus Family Professor in International Studies and Professor of Economics​ Nina Pavcnik. I am deeply grateful for their leadership, care, wisdom, and dedication to this process.

I will continue to update you as the process moves forward. In the meantime, I encourage you to review the FAQ we've created to learn more about how we are doubling down on Dartmouth's distinctive strength. 

Best,

Sian Leah Beilock
President