Dartblog

Student Assembly President Max Yoeli’s recent excoriation of Jim Kim was inaccurate in one area:

Kim has focused his presidency on increasing fundraising, improving image and health care delivery, which are important priorities, but at the expense of adequately addressing the issues that impact daily student life. [Emphasis added]

Was Jim Kim a good fundraiser? The numbers in the Dartmouth Fact Book don’t bear out Max’s proposition. Overall donations during the second full year of Jim Kim’s Presidency (2010-2011) did not return to the levels seen in 2007-2008, and that figure does not include any adjustment for the 8.5% inflation between those years.

In fact, “Total Alumni” giving (see above) dropped back over 10% from 2009-2010 to 2010-2011 to almost the depth of the 2008-2009 crisis.

In the same time frame, the stock market, as measured by the Dow Jones, rebounded strongly from the trough at the start of 2009.

Word from the Development Office is that Kim seemed unwilling to be part of the multi-year efforts that it takes to land major gifts. He repeatedly begged off going on the road to court major donors, pleading a desire to spend time with his family.

Curiously, the latter consideration did not seem important to Kim during his recent worldwide “listening tour,” and it seems a fair bet that he will travel a great deal as President of the World Bank.