As K-Lo was kind enough to note yesterday, the results of the election for the Dartmouth College board of trustees were announced yesterday evening: Among six candidates for two open seats, the winners were Todd Zywicki and me, each of us a “petition” candidate–that is, a candidate who got his name on the ballot by way of a write-in effort, circumventing the usual nominating process. Todd and I ran our campaigns independently of each other, but we both concentrated our attention on a couple of themes, including a demand for the College to sweep aside its de facto speech code in favor of true freedom of speech on campus. And we won. (I’m still getting used to that.)

At least one aspect of this election has ramifications for institutions other than Dartmouth itself: the importance of the blogosphere. Half a dozen established blogs, including those of Powerline, Hugh Hewitt, and Roger L. Simon, paid close attention to the campaign, and another half a dozen or so sprang into being for the very purpose of commenting on the campaign (including a couple that were dedicated, chiefly, to smacking Todd and me around). Dartlog, VoicesInTheWilderness, Joe’s Dartblog, the Dartmouth Observer–I learned more about what was actually taking place in Hanover by reading these blogs, all operated by undergraduates or very recent graduates, than I had in 25 years of reading the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. Alums at every institution in the country now have access to similar blogs about their own alma maters–direct sources of information that are completely independent of the institutions’ own purring PR machines.

Deans may still try to spin and dissemble. But get away with it? Harder–much, much harder.

To the many readers of this happy Corner who supported my candidacy, my thanks. And to K-Lo, relax. Your honorary degree is in the bag.