In selecting Dr. Jim Yong Kim as the next president of Dartmouth College, the trustees may have found a leader who can help resolve, once and for all, the institution's simmering identity crisis. The “crisis” -- if such it is -- plays out largely behind closed doors and among alumni factions, and it can be boiled down to this: Is Dartmouth a liberal arts college dedicated to teaching undergraduates? Or is it, like many peer institutions, a major research university? It is, of course, both, though some of Dartmouth's fiercest supporters are sometimes reluctant to admit it.

Now comes Kim -- Harvard professor, medical doctor, researcher, anthropologist, author, innovator, public health expert and humanitarian -- who not only embodies the ideals of teaching and research but also apparently sees the college for what it is. Calling the institution “unique” in higher education, he suggests that Dartmouth's dueling missions are hardly incompatible; indeed, the college can be a great university, too.

In interviews last week, the incoming president acknowledged that his priority will be to provide “the best undergraduate education in the world.” At the same time, he told the campus newspaper, The Dartmouth: “I think it will be my job to ensure that our faculty feel they are supported in cutting-edge research, because it's the research that will bring the content. It's the research that brings (the) excitement of the field as it is unfolding in the world right now into the classroom. Without that, we will be weaker as an institution.”

So while Kim's presidency may in fact herald a new emphasis on research and graduate education, he gave no hint that he intends to ignore what's happening in the undergraduate classroom. Indeed, he said he hopes to teach some classes himself, which is something every college president should do, especially in an era when college presidencies are practically synonymous with fundraising.

In short, Kim appears to be an inspired choice, a talented scholar who uses the ivory tower as a vantage point to see what the world's disadvantaged need. As a former director of the World Health Organization's HIV/AIDS division, Kim expanded access to treatment for a deadly disease that has consumed much of sub-Saharan Africa. He is also renowned for his innovative work with Dr. Paul Farmer; together, they established Partners in Health, a global nonprofit that forged a new model for treating and preventing diseases such as tuberculosis in poor countries -- path-finding work chronicled in Tracy Kidder's best-selling book Mountains Beyond Mountains.

Not surprisingly, Kim intends to bring his global perspective to Dartmouth. “Education is not just about transferring knowledge,” he said in his formal remarks last Monday, when he was introduced to the college community, “it is about learning how to be citizens of the world, how to work effectively with others as part of a team, and how to emerge from your studies with an enduring and robust philosophy of life.” He drew a connection to one of his legendary predecessors, President John Sloan Dickey, who said, “The world's troubles are your troubles.” Like Dickey, Kim also believes that Dartmouth's mission is to “equip young people to do something about those troubles.”

Undoubtedly Kim, who will take over from President Jim Wright in July, will find a few troubles close to home, in and around the Green, in faculty lounges and along Webster Avenue, the home of fraternities and a campus social life that is largely underground. But Kim, the anthropologist, seems to have made a close ethnographic study of the social groupings that define Dartmouth. “This is a community bound by rich traditions and a vibrant, ever-evolving culture,” he said, noting that the collegiate family extends to 69,000 alumni. “I understand and value the importance of cherished traditions, a deeply shared campus culture and a diverse, yet cohesive community.” His words seemed aimed at allaying fears among a minority of discontented alumni who are already questioning whether Kim will preserve the college's character. We would remind the worriers that all cultures evolve, and some even evolve for the better. Welcome, Dr. Kim.

Excerpts from Kim's speech appear on the following page.