Why did you want this job in the first place?
I had been in marketing for more than 30 years, and I’ve been a lifelong volunteer for Dartmouth. A classmate reached out and said [the vice president for alumni relations] was retiring. “Are you interested in the job?” And I said, “No.” But she said they’d rewritten the job description and there’s a lot of focus on marketing. And I thought that would be interesting.
It would also allow me to have an impact on some of the things I’d observed as a volunteer, which is that not everyone is comfortable coming back and being part of the Dartmouth community because they don’t necessarily feel welcome or because their experience as a Dartmouth student wasn’t ideal or comfortable.
So, when I came back here, I coined the phrase “We need to get people off the sidelines,” which, I’m happy to say, is now something people say even when I’m not present.
What has been the hardest part of your job?
The hardest part is getting people who have always had that privilege of being listened to or expressing themselves without cost or consequence to make space for others to express themselves, too.
What makes you the proudest about your tenure?
I think, having brought a more diverse group of alumni into engagement with Dartmouth and having raised the profile of Dartmouth alumni out in the world— partly through the 250th anniversary and other events—that alumni are now more valued across the academic part of our campus. They’re valued for more than just their philanthropic capacity.
Do you have any advice for Dartmouth as it goes forward?
It has been a wonderful seven and a half years. I have worked with tremendous colleagues, both within alumni relations and advancement and across campus. The advice I would give to my colleagues all over this campus is that a sense of humor will get you very far in these days, and I wish I could see more of it.
Bascomb is retiring at the end of the year.
