<u all know, President Oden will be retiring this year, an announcement that has prompted responses from all over campus. I’ve heard more than one student refer to it as “losing Dumbledore.” And while this may be true, it means we have quite a task ahead of us in picking a new college President to represent the essence of all that is Carleton. The President is key to the functioning of the college. Not only is he or she a figure which students, staff, and faculty can rally around, but he or she is responsible for heading new, monumental initiatives for Carleton. In order to do so, he or she must represent all that Carleton is. Clearly, the Presidential position is one of the utmost importance in terms of both preserving and improving Carleton. We, as a student body, have a key role in determining what factors we want to see in Carleton’s next president. As students of Carleton, what do you want to see in the future President? What are the challenges you feel like the new President will face? What skills and traits would you like him or her to have, and will ensure that he or she can adequately face these challenges? What experiences and background would you like the new President to have? It is essential that all groups at Carleton are able to express their opinions, perspectives and concerns regarding the appointment of the future President. Remember that the President will be representing you, and will have a tremendous impact on the future direction of the college, so make your voice heard! There will be a forum specifically for this purpose, and I cannot encourage you enough to come. The forum will be held on Thursday, November 5th, during Common Time in Sayles 252. Lunch will be provided for the first 50 students! The forum will be led by student representatives of the Search Committee: Arpita Bhattacharyya, McKay Duer, Chase Kimball, and myself. If you are unable to come, please feel free to e-mail any and/or all of us with your thoughts, questions, or concerns. You are also invited to contact the head of the search, Tom Courtice, of Academic Search, directly at [email protected]. Tom Courtice will be coming to Carleton on November 12 and 13th specifically for the purpose of meeting with students, faculty, and staff to hear their thoughts, so we would encourage you to meet with him when he comes as well (more information forthcoming). Again, we want your voices to be heard, so please let us know what we can do to best represent your needs and concerns when selecting the new President.
-Kristen Vellinger is a second-year student