Hello, classmates. In late November President Sian Beilock held an informative Zoom meeting for our class. About 75 people attended and Andy Gettinger, who arranged it,moderated a wide-ranging Q&A. Class president Naomi Baline Kleinman welcomed our adopted class member, and President Beilock easily demonstrated her firm grasp of Dartmouth’s past, present, and future. Among the topics addressed were sports—she’s an athlete, still runs, and believes winning teams and athletics are crucial to the College’s community, noting 30 percent of undergraduates are varsity athletes and 50 percent play club sports. She said Frat Row has been most welcoming, and she sees Greek life as part of building and maintaining a well-rounded community experience. President Beilock wants to see more data before considering changing the D-Plan; talked about upcoming programs to promote respectful free expression; affirmed the College’s commitment to diversity, especially in its Native American programs; and endorsed the contributions of off-campus learning. She also will study the College’s possible expansion, as it’s by far the smallest Ivy League member. She had an interesting take on the college-university dichotomy, saying that Dartmouth will always be a college, but that it’s also clearly already a university, and she doesn’t want to make it an either-or proposition but instead focus on the College’s unique offerings and strengths—small classes, direct access to full professors, and the sense of being part of a small learning community. President Beilock was confident, relaxed, engaging, and willing to take on tough issues. She never hid behind “I’m still new here, so…,” and if she didn’t know an answer or wasn’t sure of the right path at this point, she said so. Very impressive all around. If you have a spare hour, it would be worthwhile to go back and watch the session. The link is on our class website and Facebook page. Speaking of the Facebook page, good to see a mini-reunion at the Army-Navy game in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Bob and Nancy Friedl, John Gleason, John Reidy, Pete Dakin, Shoun T. Kerbaugh,and Dan Murphy,who facilitated the gathering. Next year Dartmouth plays Army at West Point. Ken Cohen sends greetings from La Jolla, California: “Elena and I were recently honored by the San Diego Humane Society, where we’ve served in a range of volunteer roles for many years. This is not your father’s local animal shelter: We are the principal animal welfare organization for most of San Diego County, relying on 650 employees and thousands of volunteers to care for more than 40,000 animals each year. Our dogs were unmoved—they still control our lives while consuming an endless supply of tennis balls.” You’ve likely followed the positive publicity Dartmouth earned in creating an open and respectful student and faculty dialogue around the Mideast war. Unlike some of our peer Ivy League schools, Dartmouth received positive reports for its efforts on CNN, The Boston Globe, 60 Minutes, NBC, and CBS national news, among others. Reassuring to see such leadership, which flows from the top and our adopted class member.

—Steve Bell, 15 Harbour Pointe, Buffalo, NY 14202; steve@stevebellcommunications.com