By now all of us know that Dartmouth has begun a search for a new president and that President Kim has moved on to the World Bank. For those of us who have spent time on campus during the past several years, Jim’s presence on campus and his vision were powerful forces in moving the College forward and many of his initiatives were only just beginning. His early departure will have many near-term consequences for the College and there is simply no way around this fact. Having said that, the search committee is under way and I am certain that they will find a new president who can continue to lead the College forward and have no doubt learned from this experience about the importance of longevity in that selection, particularly for an institution like Dartmouth.


During the next few weeks a new class will matriculate, the class of 2016—yes, you read that right—and by the time they graduate we will have already celebrated our 40th reunion. While that may seem like a big number for all of us—and it is—my dad will celebrate his 65th reunion on campus in early September, so everything is relative.


If this sounds more like an op-ed than a news column, its simply because there is no news from the class to report. So please take a moment and e-mail me with any news you’d like to share. I can report that your executive committee is hard at work planning mini-reunions, improvements to our website, as well as strategies for enhanced communication and engagement. Big thanks go to Lon “Len” Cross, our intrepid class president, Bill Cahill, Chris McConnell, David Cook, Jim Erwin, Rob Sinsheimer, Ron Cima, Stuart Bratesman, Tom Denison and Bill Rathke for their collective efforts on our behalf. 


Enjoy the summer. Winter is not far behind.


—Jim Bildner, 5 Boardman Ave., Manchester, MA 01944; (617) 495-6513; jim_bildner@harvard.edu