Charter Change.

The New Hampshire Legislature has passed and Governor John W. King has signed a Dartmouth-requested bill which eliminates from the Dartmouth Charter the requirement that five members of the Board of Trustees reside in the State of New Hamnshire

In proposing this change the Board of Trustees at its meeting in January recorded its judgment "that physical proximity and the need for Trustees with personal knowledge concerning the affairs of the State of New Hampshire ... will continue to be important considerations in the selection of Trustees from time to time."

However, as President Dickey said in a letter to the Chairman of the (New Hampshire) House Committee on the Judiciary, in exercising the corporate authority of the institution "each Trustee is answerable only to his personal obligations under the Charter. In other words, OUr Trustees in no sense represent a geographic area or particular interest. What is needed therefore are qualified individuals who bring their distinctive qualities to the deliberations and decision-making processes of the Board."

This is the second piece of legislation resulting from a thorough study of all aspects of the Board. In 1961 the Legislature amended the Charter to increase the size of the Board from twelve to sixteen members, including the Governor of New Hampshire, who serves in an ex officio capacity, and the President of the College, who is elected by the Board.