A photo of Kathryn Bezella, assistant vice president and dean of undergraduate admissions at Dartmouth

Kathryn Bezella Named Dean of Undergraduate Admissions

Kathryn Bezella, a vice dean and longtime admissions officer at the University of Pennsylvania, has been appointed assistant vice president and dean of undergraduate admissions at Dartmouth. She reports to Lee Coffin, vice president and dean of admissions and financial aid. She started her new position at Dartmouth on October 1, 2024.

A Degree in Thinking

For centuries, the liberal arts have been foundational to the mission of higher education. But trying to explain the concept of this course of study — and the multifaceted roadmap a liberal arts degree provides for one's life and work in the 2020s and beyond—can be challenging. And so AB host Lee Coffin called in a specialist: Cecilia Gaposchkin, a Dartmouth history professor whose courses range from the fall of Rome to the Crusades to the medieval kings of France. She was also the College's longtime dean for pre-major advising.  But the subject matter of the liberal arts—chemistry or history, philosophy or French—is often less important than the skills a student learns: how to think critically, pose tough questions, write clearly and persuasively, and be a productive citizen. "A liberal arts degree is a degree in thinking," Professor Gaposchkin advises high school seniors and juniors as they consider their options.

A Degree In Thinking

A transcript is available for this episode.

 

 

7 FEBRUARY 2024

 

5 FEBRUARY 2024

 

6 JULY 2023

12 JANUARY 2022

First Hand with Dean Lee Coffin

In each issue of 3D, Dartmouth's undergraduate admissions magazine that celebrates our vibrant community framed by nature, Dean Coffin shares advice and insights on the admissions process.

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