(Host) Dartmouth College formally inaugurated Jim Yong Kim as Dartmouth’s 17th president today.
(Haldeman) "I therefore deliver to you, Jim Yong Kim, the charter of the college. Jim, congratulations."
(Host) Trustees Chairman Ed Haldeman helped preside. The event on the college green in Hanover was steeped in tradition. The charter that Kim accepted was the original document that established Dartmouth 240 years ago.
The ceremony also was groundbreaking because Kim is the first Asian-American to lead an Ivy League college.
Kim acknowledged his predecessors as Dartmouth president in his inaugural remarks.
(Kim) "All of these leaders served Dartmouth with diligence and skill. To follow in their footsteps is deeply humbling for me, the child of Korean immigrants from a small town in Iowa."
(Host) He encouraged students to excel in their disciplines. But in a lighthearted moment, Kim — who comes to Dartmouth from an administrative position at Harvard Medical School — made a point to say he was leaving Harvard behind.
(Kim) "And if you play football, beat Harvard!" (applause)
(Host) Kim succeeds James Wright, who served as Dartmouth president for 11 years.