Dartblog

Am I the first to notice the new ads in the Daily Dartmouth this term? They’re advertisements for Dartmouth’s graduate programs. I understand that the economy is down and that many students are looking for options after they graduate, but since when does Dartmouth blatantly advertise its grad programs?

Maybe I’m a little sensitive to the issue seeing as I’ve been skeptical of the administration’s goals for a long time. I just worry that this is a signal of a bigger shift. Suddenly seeing actual print advertisements in a newspaper makes me nervous that the promotion of graduate studies is a new priority for a new administration. I firmly believe that Dartmouth makes a first-rate undergraduate institution, but would make a second-rate Harvard.

Some would explain this trend towards pushing the graduate programs as the College attempting to make some easy money by charging grad students an arm and a leg to work with a professor who is already employed. However, a grad student takes time and resources away from a professor that could be better spent on an undergrad. Additionally, I contacted the graduate studies department and learned that while some subjects do require tuition, others are grant supported and therefore the students receive the education plus a stipend.

Thus I pray that these advertisements are merely an attempt by the administration to remind students of their options right here in Hanover, and that they are not indicative of a darker push to start the transformation of the College into Dartmouth University.