John Sloan Dickey and Chiharu Igaya '57, international student and olympic skier, at matriculation, Fall 1953.

John Sloan Dickey served as Dartmouth College's twelfth president from 1945-1970. He is credited with having created a university within a college and a college of university caliber- a sophisticated, complex institution of higher education that maintains the centrality of the undergraduate experience while competing in the toughest academic league for students, faculty, and research funds. Dickey furthermore worked to make of Dartmouth an international crossroads for learning, instituting, among other things, the "Great Issues" courses to examine topics of international concern.

The John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding was established in February 1982 to honor President Dickey and perpetuate the international dimension of his legacy.

Gene Lyons, Leonard Rieser founding director of the Dickey Endowment, and Oran Young participate in a Dickey Center board meeting.

When President Dickey stepped down in 1970, a faculty resolution stated, "It is time for teachers to say thanks to a teacher. For twenty-five years you have instructed us in the strict curriculum of leadership." The Dickey Center takes its inspiration today from an extraordinary leader who commanded the deep respect and admiration of faculty, colleagues, administrators, and an entire generation of Dartmouth students.