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Friday, Mar 29, 2024

A Warm Welcome to President Patton

After months of speculation, the College announced our 17th president on Tuesday — Dr. Laurie Patton, the current dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Duke University. In last week’s editorial, we laid out the qualities we wished to see in our next president, and in all of these areas, Patton delivers. 


In terms of academics, Patton’s extensive background with the liberal arts is her highest qualification. We called for a president who knows the importance of teaching and has experience with campus affairs at a residential college. Patton has both in spades. We also called for a president with fundraising experience. Patton has raised over $300 million for financial aid, student initiatives and professorships in her time at Duke. With this experience, she also demonstrated her commitment to socio-economic diversity. As our first female president in 214 years, she is a visible embodiment of diversity at the administrative level. Moreover, her responses to questions on diversity indicate that she is committed to tackling challenges around diversity at all levels on campus. 


With the Middlebury brand in mind, Patton is also an excellent choice for her global orientation. As the College continues to expand its offerings abroad and refine its pitch on international studies and intercultural experiences, Patton will need to oversee the expanding programs and to emphasize our brand as it evolves. She brings impressive cultural competency to the table, and her knowledge of seven languages, background in translation, extensive travels and studies abroad make her ideally suited to the task at hand. Moreover, Patton will take the helm as the College continues to think through its structure in terms of our schools abroad and Monterey, and she seems to have the excitement and the savvy to do so.


The fact that Patton will be the College’s first female president cannot be understated. Patton is a visible example of Middlebury walking the walk — showing that our values around diversity and equality are more than just words. We commend the search committee not only for selecting such a highly qualified candidate, but also for moving the College forward in its commitment to diversity at the administrative level. Patton’s personal commitment to access and diversity of all types, and desire to move past empty gestures of inclusion, stand out, particularly in conjunction with her fundraising priorities and emphasis on need-blind admission.


In her introductory video, “On Working with Students,” Patton mentioned her desire to get to know students, be available on campus and hold regular, open forums. She also discussed student advisees she had at Duke who helped her keep the pulse on the student voice. We would love to see this practice continue at Middlebury next year. We at the Campus want to be the first to welcome Patton and are excited to start a student-president relationship based on communication and transparency. 


We challenge Patton to take charge on a number of issues that will be pressing upon her arrival. The first area is the College’s town-gown relationship. Under President Liebowitz, the College made a number of strong commitments to the town — namely underwriting the construction of the Cross Street bridge, supporting local economic development and funding new municipal buildings. Recent off-campus parties have threatened this relationship, however, and it is clear that Patton will have a lot on her plate as the College considers how best to engage the broader Middlebury community. 


On campus, the president needs to be an effective advocate for issues that the student body cares about deeply and push the faculty to be open to new ideas when defining a liberal arts education. Using the failed internships for credit bill as an example, we need a president who will mirror student interest in experiential learning opportunities and will bridge the gap between faculty and the administration. 


Finally, in her opening speech, Patton referenced the College’s commitment to environmental stewardship. Given that Patton has less experience in this realm, we hope that Patton will get up to speed quickly and throw her support behind the College’s forthcoming sustainability initiatives. Environmental leadership, in addition to our global focus, is an essential part of what makes Middlebury unique.


There is much to be done in the coming years to help Middlebury evolve, and we look forward to working with Patton through this period of growth and transition. As the voice of the student body, we are excited to start the dialogue. We would like to extend a warm welcome to President-elect Patton and hope that she enjoys the Vermont winter as much as we do.


Artwork by EUNICE KIM


 

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