Q: Why is John Sloan Dickey still relevant today?

John Dickey's legacy underscores to Dartmouth students the importance of developments outside Hanover and outside the United States. This is critical because the world is getting both more integrated and more dangerously fragmented at the same time. Globalization, trade and the internet are bringing us closer together. But we're also seeing religious and ethnic wars, terrorism, etc., that are threatening to split us apart. It's important that students leave here with an understanding of these shifts and a commitment to move things in a positive direction. John Dickey was an optimist and believed liberal education would do this.

Q: What do you think about students today?

'm seeing more students who have a strong interest in the world's problems and are motivated to do something about them.What impresses me the most is the interest of students ins ocial justice, environmental and humanitarian issues, and resolving conflicts. It's not just about weapons of mass destruction anymore, as important as they are. It's a desire to make a difference and to seek out ways of doing so on a personal as well as a global level. We see this through their foreign internship proposals and the very laudatory things that Dickey interns do overseas.When they come back, they are changed people.

Q: Why did you bring back the Great issues lectures introduced by John Sloan Dickey in the 1950s?

The Great Issues course was a seminal part of the Dartmouth education in Dickey's day. It succeeded brilliantly in inculcating in generations of Dartmouth graduates an interest in and commitment to world affairs.Today, students have the benefit of many more international resources at Dartmouth: a multitude of speakers and viewpoints on campus; the internet and a great diversity of courses. I wanted to pay tribute to John Dickey with a series of public lectures to ensure the dialog on great issues continues. Conflict prevention, environmental change, global health, the future of US intelligence programs and the war in Iraq have all been highlighted in this forum.

Q: How can students use their experiences with Dickey?

Any student seeking a career in international affairs or public service, as John Dickey did, will need a sophisticated understanding of the world in order to be successful, and more importantly, useful. Even for those students who are not going to work overseas, their Dickey experience means that they will be more active and engaged citizens.

Q: What has the response been to the Dickey Center?

A recent student survey that the Dickey Center conducted showed very good satisfaction with our programs across campus. Busy students still find time for our programs.They want to be involved in activities in which they can make a difference. Our activities help them do just that.

Q: What does John Sloan Dickey mean to you?

I did not know John Dickey personally, but his career path and commitment to internationalism are very meaningful to me. We both came to Dartmouth later in life after serving in the State Department. As a former career diplomat, I feel a certain kinship with him. His internationalism and love of liberal learning is what I would like to see Dartmouth students emulate. I'm a strong believer in public service and was proud to be a US Ambassador. Dartmouth students are fully capable of this too. Public service is a very noble and rewarding profession. I believe that the education they receive here makes this type of aspiration a reality. Moreover,I think they'll enjoy it.