Dear Dartmouth community,
I hope this message finds you rested and well, whether you spent winter break with us in the peaceful, snowy north or ventured away to enjoy family, friends, or warmer weather. As I often say, mental health and well-being don’t sit alongside work and learning. They are integral to everything we do.
There is no doubt that this will be another year filled with promise and the prospect of change. Even as Dartmouth distinguishes itself—recognized for academic excellence, free speech, and an emphasis on well-being—higher education has its detractors. But there are reasons to be hopeful, and there is a path forward—one that I’ll be discussing with my fellow presidents from across the Association of American Universities next month.
Many of you have heard me say that Dartmouth is an educational institution, not a political one. Let me explain what that means to me, and what it does not.
It means we stay sharply focused on our teaching and research mission, made possible by our faculty and staff and always guided by our north star: to find the best and brightest students, wherever they are in the world, as we just did with the first members of Dartmouth’s Class of 2030. We ensure students encounter views they disagree with and build knowledge and skills to engage in dialogue and debate without losing sight of our common ground and shared membership in a very special Dartmouth community.
It means that our teacher-scholars conduct research—often alongside those students—that makes society safer, healthier, and more prosperous. We will advocate for the continuation of Dartmouth’s historic and successful partnership with the U.S. government but not at the cost of our fierce independence, as we demonstrated last fall.
Importantly, Dartmouth’s role as an educational institution does not stop us from protecting our mission, nor does it ask individuals on our campus to be silent about their ideas, beliefs, or commentary on the issues of the day. Quite the opposite, free expression is key to the best educational experiences.
Being focused on our mission also means that we won’t let tech companies dictate how AI tools should be deployed in education. We forge new partnerships, but our faculty are the experts. They decide what happens in our classrooms and whether any given course should be enhanced by, or protected from, emerging technology.
Our mission to prepare tomorrow’s leaders inspires us to ensure our students enter the workforce equipped with real-world experiences, supported by our alumni and parent community, and ready to adapt to the latest technologies without sacrificing the critical thinking, emotional intelligence, ethical discernment, and collaborative leadership they practice here. Later this week, we will make an announcement that will dramatically enhance the number and quality of internship opportunities for all undergraduates as a defining feature of the Dartmouth experience.
That is how we rebuild trust in higher education. That is how we serve humanity. That is how we keep academia relevant and thriving.
Before I close, I want to express our profound sympathy for our colleagues and friends at Brown University and MIT following the violence that has shaken their communities. In addition to the individual outreach many of us have made to those who were impacted, please know that we are reviewing our protocols for responding to a violent intruder and our emergency notification systems. Protecting our community’s safety is something my entire leadership team takes very seriously. I know that all of you do as well.
I welcome the opportunity to speak with our students about life on campus and what is happening across higher education during my office hours. For faculty and staff, we will continue to host town hall meetings this winter and engage with you through our established governance processes.
Thank you for all of the effort and perspectives that each of you bring to this vibrant, close-knit community. I look forward, with your contributions, to making 2026 another memorable and successful year for Dartmouth.
Best,
Sian Leah Beilock
President