1964/2014 James Wright '64a Outstanding Leadership Award Announced

The Classes of 1964 and 2014 are pleased to announce the selection of Professor Douglas W. Van Citters '99 Th'03 Th'06 as the recipient of the 1964/2014 James Wright '64a Outstanding Leadership Award. This award is given to recognize both the exercise of and the accomplishments of responsible leadership in the ongoing life of the College, and particularly with the undergraduate body. Fritz Corrigan, President of the Class of '64, said, "It was wonderful to see so many responsible leaders come through the nomination process. Doug stood out as an academic leader who understands and works with student athletes to help them maximize their entire Big Green education." 
 
Van Citters is Interim Dean and Professor of Engineering at Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. A musculoskeletal scientist and an expert on artificial joints, Van Citters leads the Dartmouth Biomedical Engineering Center for Orthopedics (DBEC) and holds adjunct appointments in chemistry and orthopedics. Van Citters earned his bachelor of arts, bachelor of engineering, master of science, and PhD in engineering sciences from Dartmouth, before joining the faculty in 2007. He has since served in various leadership roles at Thayer and the Upper Valley community. Most recently he served six years as department chair and associate dean for undergraduate education where he led the transition to hands-on, remote learning through the COVID-19 pandemic and coordinated an increase of the size and offerings of the undergraduate engineering programs by 50 percent. A dedicated teacher-scholar, he also earned numerous accolades for his work in the classroom, including the Woodhouse Excellence in Teaching Award in 2019 and the Outstanding Service Award for Faculty in 2020. Outside of Dartmouth, he is the past chair of the Friends of Hanover Norwich Schools and current President of the Montshire Museum of Science Corporation.
 
Dartmouth believes that participation in varsity athletics is part of the educational experience. Van Citters has epitomized the role of the student-athlete. As a former Dartmouth varsity student-athlete himself—he twice earned Academic All-Ivy honors as a four-year member of the heavyweight rowing team—he knows firsthand the educational value of intercollegiate athletics participation. This holistic empathy has made him a strong ambassador for student-athletes on campus and a critical player in facilitating their growth in their respective fields of competition and in the classroom. He serves as the primary academic advisor to dozens of student athletes, including Olympians, professionals, and national team members across all of Dartmouth's teams. Moreover, he was Dartmouth's Faculty Athletics Representative and represents Dartmouth on the Ivy League Policy Committee, a group of 13 senior university officials who monitor the league's athletic programs and make recommendations to the Ivy League presidents about legislation and policies.
 
At Dartmouth, Professor Van Citters has made meaningful contributions to integrating athletics into the fabric of the College. He recently co-taught a course this winter term with President Beilock, Haldeman Family Director of Athletics and Recreation Mike Harrity,  At Dartmouth, Professor Van Citters has made meaningful contributions to integrating athletics into the fabric of the College. He recently co-taught a course this winter term with President Beilock, Haldeman Family Director of Athletics and RecreationAthletic Director Mike Harrity, and William R. Kenyan Professor of Ancient Greek History in the Department of Classics Paul Christesen on the "American University Athlete in the 21st Century." 
 
"The design of the class reflects the vision that President Beilock has for the institution, organizationally speaking," Christesen said of the decision to have faculty from across the arts and sciences, engineering, and athletics teach collaboratively. Van Citters is also helping to launch the research and innovation pillar of the new Teevens Center for Peak Performance which envisions ambitious cross-college collaboration. 
 
The Class of 1964 and 2014 James Wright 64a Outstanding Leadership Award is intended to be an annual award.  It has the unique attribute of being represented by members of two classes, the Class of 1964 ("In a Class By Itself") and the great Class of 2014, covering a 50 year span.  Past recipients have been Ron Schram '64, Nathanial Fick '99, Professor Mary Flanagan, Coach Buddy Teevens '79, Professor Andrew Samwick '64a and President Emeritus James Wright '64a. Through the Award, our Classes hope to promote Dartmouth's mission of developing responsible leaders among its graduates.  
 
Van Citters was surprised and humbled to learn of his nomination.  "I'm so grateful to the classes of 1964 and 2014 for this honor. The award is particularly meaningful because I'm deeply familiar with the impactful accomplishments of the prior awardees. My leadership positions at Thayer and my interest in developing high impact student leaders all derive from the transformative education I received from my own mentors in and out of the classroom at Dartmouth, and I look forward to continuing to lead in the spirit of this award."