A Larger Board?

A BILL to permit enlargement of the Dartmouth Board of Trustees from twelve to sixteen members is now before the New Hampshire Legislature, which has held hearings and is expected to take final action in the near future. If passed, it would mark the first increase in the Board's size since the original charter was granted in 1769.

The bill was introduced in the House by Representative Fletcher Low '15 of Hanover. The decision to enlarge the Board of Trustees grew out of the recommendation made by the special Committee on Trustee Organization in 1959.

If enabling legislation is passed, two of the new Board members will be Alumni Trustees, eligible to serve two five-year terms, and the other two members will be Life Trustees. Their addition was recommended by the study committee in order to spread the growing work load of the Board. Sixteen was felt to be the maximum size that would answer this need and still preserve the traditional character of the Board as a "working board" capable of handling a variety of committee work and still making all important decisions as a full board. The present legislation deals only with the Board's enlargement; no action is planned on the CTO recommendation that geographical requirements of Board membership be eliminated. Five members must be residents of New Hampshire.

The last attempt to change the size of the Board was made in 1891. At that time the New Hampshire Legislature authorized the addition of five Trustees to the original twelve, but the Board never implemented the act and it expired by reason of limitations contained in it.