John Sloan Dickey
Encyclopedia
John Sloan Dickey was an American diplomat, scholar, and intellectual. Dickey served as President of Dartmouth College
, Hanover, New Hampshire
, from 1945 to 1970, and helped revitalize the Ivy League
institution.
, completed his undergraduate degree at Dartmouth in 1929 and later graduated from Harvard Law School
. Dickey had a varied career: partner at a major Boston law firm, special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State and later to the Secretary of State
, a member of the Office of Inter-American Affairs and the division of World Trade Intelligence, and Director of the State Department's Office of Public Affairs
. In 1945, he became President of Dartmouth College. "Even after he assumed office in 1945 he was a principal actor in public policy, serving on President Truman
's 1947 Committee on Civil Rights, the United Nations
Collective Measures Committee in 1951, and as consultant to Secretary of State Acheson
on disarmament."http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/features/succession/dickey.html
John Sloan Dickey's commitment to the liberal arts
, or, as he termed them "the liberating arts," was perhaps best expressed in an innovative course on "Great Issues," designed to introduce seniors to the problems of national and international relations they would face as citizens. President Dickey also reintroduced doctoral programs to Dartmouth, as well as a Northern Studies program and a Russian Civilization department. Dickey sought to expand the horizons of Dartmouth beyond Hanover and introduced foreign studies programs, a public affairs internship, and various social action programs. The William Jewett Tucker Foundation was opened by President Dickey, offering students opportunity and academic credit for social activism.
During his 25-year tenure, President Dickey headed two capital campaigns, doubled African American student enrollment, reinvigorated Dartmouth Medical School
, built the Hopkins Center and instituted continuing education for alumni. Consistent with his concern for, awareness of, and involvement in the great movements of the time, he saw the emerging importance of computers--a field then in its infancy—and built the Kiewit Computation Center in 1966. After stepping down as president, he continued his affiliation with the College by teaching Canadian-American relations as the Bicentennial Professor of Public Affairs. Posted with permission from Dartmouth College
In 1982, the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding was opened at Dartmouth to honor Dickey's legacy and "coordinate, sustain, and enrich the international dimension of liberal arts education at Dartmouth."http://www.dartmouth.edu/~dickey/jsd_center.html
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover, New Hampshire
Hanover is a town along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2010 census. CNN and Money magazine rated Hanover the sixth best place to live in America in 2011, and the second best in 2007....
, from 1945 to 1970, and helped revitalize the Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
institution.
Early life
Dickey, born in Lock Haven, PennsylvaniaLock Haven, Pennsylvania
The city of Lock Haven is the county seat of Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, micropolitan statistical area, itself part of the...
, completed his undergraduate degree at Dartmouth in 1929 and later graduated from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
. Dickey had a varied career: partner at a major Boston law firm, special assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State and later to the Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
, a member of the Office of Inter-American Affairs and the division of World Trade Intelligence, and Director of the State Department's Office of Public Affairs
Office of Public Affairs
The NASA Office of Public Affairs is tasked with media and public relations. Its mission is to "provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information to the media and general public concerning NASA activities and results" The function was created in the National...
. In 1945, he became President of Dartmouth College. "Even after he assumed office in 1945 he was a principal actor in public policy, serving on President Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
's 1947 Committee on Civil Rights, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Collective Measures Committee in 1951, and as consultant to Secretary of State Acheson
Dean Acheson
Dean Gooderham Acheson was an American statesman and lawyer. As United States Secretary of State in the administration of President Harry S. Truman from 1949 to 1953, he played a central role in defining American foreign policy during the Cold War...
on disarmament."http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/features/succession/dickey.html
Dartmouth presidency
Regularly welcoming freshmen at Convocation with the phrase "your business here is learning," John Sloan Dickey was committed to making Dartmouth the best liberal arts college in the country.John Sloan Dickey's commitment to the liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
, or, as he termed them "the liberating arts," was perhaps best expressed in an innovative course on "Great Issues," designed to introduce seniors to the problems of national and international relations they would face as citizens. President Dickey also reintroduced doctoral programs to Dartmouth, as well as a Northern Studies program and a Russian Civilization department. Dickey sought to expand the horizons of Dartmouth beyond Hanover and introduced foreign studies programs, a public affairs internship, and various social action programs. The William Jewett Tucker Foundation was opened by President Dickey, offering students opportunity and academic credit for social activism.
During his 25-year tenure, President Dickey headed two capital campaigns, doubled African American student enrollment, reinvigorated Dartmouth Medical School
Dartmouth Medical School
Dartmouth Medical School is the medical school of Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, New Hampshire, in the United States. The fourth-oldest medical school in the United States, Dartmouth Medical School was founded in 1797 by New England physician Nathan Smith and grew steadily over the course...
, built the Hopkins Center and instituted continuing education for alumni. Consistent with his concern for, awareness of, and involvement in the great movements of the time, he saw the emerging importance of computers--a field then in its infancy—and built the Kiewit Computation Center in 1966. After stepping down as president, he continued his affiliation with the College by teaching Canadian-American relations as the Bicentennial Professor of Public Affairs. Posted with permission from Dartmouth College
In 1982, the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding was opened at Dartmouth to honor Dickey's legacy and "coordinate, sustain, and enrich the international dimension of liberal arts education at Dartmouth."http://www.dartmouth.edu/~dickey/jsd_center.html