Dartmouth’s president to step down

James Wright, president of Dartmouth College, has announced that he will resign, effective June 2009. We have written about President Wright many times, usually as critics and sometimes strongly so.
Now is probably a good time to say that, despite our differences, President Wright was very kind to me on the two occasions we talked. In that respect, he follows in the tradition of his former colleagues in the Dartmouth History Department — professors like Charles Wood — who honored me with their respect while undoubtedly wincing at aspects of my (then very different) ideology.
President Wright, a former Marine, also distinguished himself by reaching out to wounded veterans of the Iraq war. In fact, he established a program to assist them in gaining college admission.
Finally, my daughter absolutely loves Dartmouth. Its long-time president surely deserves some credit for the many positives at the College.