Leading Dickinson Forward
by President John E. Jones III '77, P'11
As the magazine went to press, Jones was officially named president by a unanimous vote in a special meeting of the board of trustees on Feb. 28.
As I write this column, the campus is blanketed with a new snowfall. It’s exactly the kind of atmosphere that lends itself to both reflecting on the past and looking forward to 2022. I hope you’ll indulge me a bit as I do so.
While only a half year ago, it sometimes seems like a lifetime since I left my position as a U.S. district judge to take the helm of our college as interim president. I knew full well that there were substantial challenges that required immediate and pronounced focus. Many were not unique to Dickinson, for this is no ordinary time anywhere in the world, both within and outside higher education. But notably, I had never served as the president of a college. It’s one thing to serve on a college’s board of trustees and chair it. It’s something else again to be elevated to the position of interim president of that college. While I have been privileged to have had other leadership opportunities in my career, I knew that this one would be different and much more challenging.
Against the foregoing backdrop, allow me to first report to you that as a result of the magnificent staff and faculty surrounding me, I have learned much about how to be an effective president. They have given me a wide berth, mentored me, shown enormous patience and worked tirelessly in aid of making Dickinson even better than its current status as a world-class liberal-arts college.
Our Dickinson Forward initiative has now fully launched. The Resource Realignment Task Force is concluding its mission and has fulfilled its mandate to recommend a fully balanced budget for fiscal year ’23 without the use of reserves or an endowment draw. Our Strategic Planning Committee is off to a great start. The Campaign for Scholarships is underway and making great progress in pursuit of its $75 million goal.
Added to this, we were able to successfully navigate through the fall semester despite the perilous overhang of COVID-19. This was once again a tribute to our faculty, staff and students. Cases were few and illnesses generally mild. Keeping everyone on campus safe has been job No. 1, and there will be no higher priority.
Tempting though it is, we will not rest on any of our achievements. We do not have that luxury. My dear friend, colleague and ’77 classmate, board chair emerita Jennifer Ward Reynolds, is fond of saying, “I want to win.” I agree with Jennifer. I only know one way to lead, and that is with passion, a laser-like focus on the tasks at hand and great joy.
I am humbled by the opportunity that has been afforded me. And I am excited about the future of Dickinson College. The next year will be one of the most critical in our alma mater’s history, as we examine, reimagine and make stronger everything we do in pursuit of affording our students the finest possible education.
Thank you for your enthusiasm and support. The best is yet to come!
Read more from the winter 2022 issue of Dickinson Magazine.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published March 2, 2022