Tag: leadership

Regarding the Leadership of the Tucker Foundation

Office of the President: Philip J. Hanlon ’77

August 14, 2013

Dartmouth’s support of gay rights and members of the LGBTQ community is complete and unwavering, as is our commitment to a campus that is diverse, welcoming, and inclusive. In light of concerns—specifically surrounding gay rights—expressed by members of our community about the appointment of Malawi Bishop Dr. James Tengatenga as the dean of the Tucker Foundation, I felt it was important for me to meet with him personally.

It was in this context that I sat down recently with Dr. Tengatenga and asked tough questions about his earlier statements on homosexuality. We also discussed his leadership within an Anglican Church in Africa that has often been hostile regarding gay rights.

Dr. Tengatenga spoke to me about his inspiring life of service to some of the world’s most vulnerable people, especially victims of HIV-AIDS. In passionate terms, he described his commitment to gay rights and how he has worked to support the LGBTQ community in Malawi in the ways that are most effective, given the country’s cultural context.

However, following much reflection and consultation with senior leaders at Dartmouth, it has become clear to me that Dr. Tengatenga’s past comments about homosexuality and the uncertainty and controversy they created have compromised his ability to serve effectively as dean of Tucker.

The foundation and Dartmouth’s commitment to inclusion are too important to be mired in discord over this appointment. Consequently, we have decided not to move forward with the appointment of Dr. Tengatenga as dean of the Tucker Foundation.

The debate over Dr. Tengatenga’s appointment also revealed a lack of clarity about Tucker’s mission and organization. This ambiguity is not new and, in fact, an external review committee recommended a significant restructuring of the Tucker Foundation in a 2009 report. Clarifying Tucker’s mission is imperative before we can install a new dean of this important Dartmouth organization.

I have asked Interim Provost Martin Wybourne to develop plans for interim leadership at Tucker and to convene a task force charged with making recommendations as to the foundation’s mission and organizational structure.

I look forward to working with others at Dartmouth to strengthen the Tucker Foundation and its contribution to the education of our students.

Philip J. Hanlon
President, Dartmouth College

Original Publication:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~president/announcements/2013-0814.html

DGALA Responds to Tengatenga Appointment

Dear DGALA Community, 
 
The DGALA leadership has been closely monitoring and actively participating in the recent conversations about the appointment of Bishop Tengatenga as the Dean of the Tucker Foundation. We are very excited that many of you have been in touch in person, by email, and on Facebook to share your opinions, questions, and concerns. We share these concerns.  Please know that we have had a number of very frank conversations with the Dartmouth leadership this summer including, most recently, a conversation with President Hanlon, in which your concerns have been expressed in no uncertain terms. We are confident that DGALA’s voice has been heard loud and clear in Hanover on the topic of this appointment. We expect the President and Provost to make additional announcements about Bishop Tengatenga’s appointment this week.
 
The controversy over this appointment highlight’s DGALA’s role as a powerful conduit for the flow of information and opinion between our membership and the College on the issues that affect the well-being of Dartmouth’s LGBTQIA community. The fifteen alumni/ae who comprise our Board of Directors welcome every opportunity to learn what is on your minds. We can then raise your questions, concerns, and thoughts with the College leadership and other alumni leaders through the Alumni Council, Club and Affiliated Group Officers leadership groups, and through individual meetings with both College and alumni leadership.
 
We encourage you to continue to share your perspectives with us! You can reach DGALA via email at DartGALA@gmail.com or write to our leadership team at the addresses below.

 
Sincerely,
 
The DGALA Board of Directors
 
DGALA President, Vice President, and Alumni Council representatives:
S. Caroline Kerr ’05
Brendan Connell ’87
Board of Directors
 
Mail:
Dartmouth Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual &
Transgender Alumni/ae Association
208 West 13th Street
New York, NY 10011-7702
Note: email is the fastest way for us to receive your message.