Trusteeship and the Alumni
This special supplement concerns the nature of the Board of Trustees and the role of the alumni in nominating candidates for the board. It was prepared on behalf of the trustees, the Alumni Council, and the Association of Alumni and includes statements by the heads of those organizations. Alumni who wish to recommend candidates for alumni trustee may do so by completing the form on the last page of this supplement and returning it to their local Alumni Councilor or directly to the Nominating Committtee of the Alumni Council.
The recent contested nomination for alumni trustee has involved a large segment of the Dartmouth community in the governance system of the institution. While this participation has been healthy, it is unfortunate that more attention was focused on the procedural issues than on developing a better understanding of the meaning of trusteeship at the College.
Since there will be two alumni-nominated trustee openings on the board next June, it may serve a constructive purpose to review the essence of the charge which is given to each new trustee prior to taking office. While it is not a commitment taken under oath, it is a pledge that is morally binding - one by which trustee service will be judged by present and future generations of Dartmouth's constituents.
It is a statement of the role of the trustees, and, like most obligations of service, its brevity understates the degree of responsibility it imparts:
"In the Dartmouth fellowship, the office of trustee of the College is the highest honor that the College can bestow it is the rarest privilege, the heaviest responsibility.
The board is composed of a group of men and women who are devoted to no other cause or concern than the cause of their College as determined by the judgments of their own consciences. Trustees serve no constituents other than present and future generations of Dartmouth men and women. Each trustee's vote, after considering the views of fellow trustees, is a personal expression by the trustee of his or her perception of how the issue should be decided in the College's long-term interest. The welfare of the College and our own consciences are the guides and goals of our actions - nothing else takes precedence.
In our actions, we must be mindful of the magnitude of the College, of the fullness derived from its special sense of place and, in doing so, recognize and revere the historical contribution of the College, its commitnient to excellence, and the rare nature of its individuality.
Since the board is relatively small in size and deals with a workload of increasing intensity, trusteeship requires a commitment of time that far exceeds attendance at regularly scheduled meetings. It is also a commitment to assure that Dartmouth's policies reflect the values manifested in the College's role in serving society.
The board conducts its deliberations in the atmosphere of free and vigorous debate, and, no matter what the divided vote may be on any given issue, the board has the ability and the commitment to accept the majority view as articulated through the chairman and the president in order to assure that the trustees provide clear and uncompromised leadership in determining the direction of the institution. The board's actions must strengthen and nourish the College's deep educational purposes, its liberal arts tradition, its academic excellence, and the high aspirations which have served to endow Dartmouth with its unique sense of goodness and grace, its valor and its strength.
The rewards one receives from trustee service to the College are entirely of the spirit - the rare satisfaction of service to a place with the capability and the obligation to contribute to the betterment of society in our great nation. "
The trustees represent all Dartmouth constituents. The quality of the board will determine, over time, the quality of the institution. It is for that reason that, next to the election of the president of Dartmouth, the selection and election of trustees has the highest order of priority and importance in the board's business. The same care and concern should always be reflected in the nomination of alumni trustee candidates. The College has been served well in the past by its system of governance and by selection of committed trustees. It is incumbent on Dartmouth's alumni to preserve that standard of excellence in trustee nominations.
David T. McLaughlin '54 Chairman, Board of Trustees
William L. Randall '52 President, Dartmouth Alumni Council
John K. Benson '31 President, Association of Alumni
Because there will be two alumni trustees nominated this year, and one next year, we believe it is timely to review for the Dartmouth family the origin, relationships, and purposes of the Association of Alumni and the Alumni Council.
The Association of Alumni, in which we all become members following our days in Hanover, was founded in 1854. One of the principal accomplishments of the Alumni Association in its early years was to reach an agreement with the trustees (which is still in effect) concerning alumni representation on the board. In 1913, the Alumni Association delegated most of its constitutional authority to a more suitably sized representative group—the Dartmouth Alumni Council. The Alumni Council consists of 61 members, the majority of whom are elected by the alumni clubs on a geographical basis. These members normally serve two two-year terms. Other members, who serve one three-year term, are elected at large or by class officers' associations, such as class presidents and class secretaries. The Dartmouth faculty is represented on the Alumni Council, as are the associated schools and undergraduates. The Alumni Council meets formally in Hanover twice a year, in June and December.
Broadly stated, the purpose of the Alumni Council is to represent alumni interests and to assist alumni in all their efforts to serve the College. It monitors programs developed by alumni, such as the National Enrollment Program and the Dartmouth Alumni Fund, which are administered through Alumni Council committees. The Alumni Council also acts directly to ascertain and transmit alumni views to the administration and Board of Trustees. Therefore, from time to time the Alumni Council, through its committees, makes a comprehensive study of an issue of particular concern to alumni, such as student life, the fraternity system, alumni and public relations, etc.
William Jewett Tucker was president of the College at the time of the Alumni Council's founding, and he retained an interest in it throughout his life. In 1913, he prophetically described opportunities the Alumni Council might pursue in attracting a student body of highest quality, securing much needed financial support, keeping its members in touch with the educational work of the College, and bringing alumni views to the campus. His prophecies have been accurately fulfilled by the accomplishments of organized alumni activities for which the College is rightly renowned.
Many alumni may be unaware of the composition of Dartmouth's Board of Trustees. The 16 trustees include the governor of New Hampshire, the president of the College, seven charter trustees who are selected by the board for a maximum of three five-year terms, and seven alumni trustees who are elected by the board for a maximum of two five-year terms. Nominations to the board for its alumni representatives are made through the Alumni Council or by general petition. The trustees' view of the significance of service as a trustee is perhaps best described in the charge quoted on the preceding page.
When a vacancy occurs among Dartmouth's alumni trustees, there is an opportunity for alumni to play a significant role in the nominating process by forwarding suggestions to the Nominating Committee of the Alumni Council. The Nominating Committee seeks and welcomes suggestions for candidates at any time. The addresses of the Nominating Committee members are listed at the end of this report. The committee is meeting frequently this fall to screen and recommend candidates for consideration by the Alumni Council at its meeting
in Hanover December 4-6. The Nominating Committee will present its recommendations to the entire Alumni Council for its vote. The two trustees nominated will be presented to the alumni body through the DartmouthAlumni Magazine and The Bulletin. Any alumni group may, through petition, present other candidates for consideration. In that event, alumniwide balloting takes place, and the Association of Alumni performs the important function of overseeing the balloting process.
(A request for suggested candidates appeared in the September issue of the Alumni Magazine; names forwarded by means of the form on the following page will be placed on file and considered whenever vacancies on the board occur.)
Based on the experience of 1977 and 1980 when the nominations were contested, the Alumni Association's officers have established procedures which they believe will permit the balloting process to function smoothly. If balloting does take place, full and accurate information about the candidates will be provided, and our fellow alumni will be encouraged to vote. The number of alumni who voted last spring was very high compared to the experience of other institutions 30 per cent but it remains a fact that over two-thirds of us did not return a ballot.
We believe that Dartmouth has an excellent system of providing for the selection of able and dedicated alumni to serve on its small, very hard-working Board of Trustees. We also strongly believe in a system that permits any alumni group not satisfied with the candidates selected by the Alumni Council to have an opportunity to place other alumni in nomination.
The Association of Alumni and the Alumni Council of Dartmouth are prepared to reflect your interest in and concern for the College. Alumni Councilors can provide alumni in their areas with insight on the activities and directions of the Dartmouth of today, but they also need your input to enable the Alumni Council to relate the views of alumni to those who make and implement College policy. We—and the "College on the Hill" - require and welcome your interest and support.
Members of the Alumni Council
REGION I - NEW ENGLAND Robert V. Barries '64, Hanover, N.H. Russell A. Boss '61, Warwick, R.I. (At Large) Russell W. Brace '56, Camden, Me. (At Large) Warren C. Cook '67, Shaftsbury, Vt. (At Large) Preston B. Fletcher '55, Springfield, Mass. Richard D. Leggat '48, Boston, Mass. Jonathan Moore '54, Weston, Mass. (At Large) Richard C. Pugh '51, Greenwich, Conn. (At Large) Harvey L. Rohde '39, York Harbor, Me. (At Large) Peter C. Schwartz '60, Hartford, Conn. Jonathan Strong '56, Boston, Mass. David J. Taylor '50, Hanover, N.H. (At Large)
REGION II - MIDDLE ATLANTIC John H. Cornehlsen '29, Long Island, N. Y. Wallace L. Ford II '70, New York, N. Y. (At Large) H. Brereton Hall '43, New York, N. Y. Sara Hoagland Hunter '76, New York, N. Y. (At Large) Hugh Kenworthyjr. '41, Philadelphia, Pa. Warren G. Kreter '42, Massapequa, N. Y. (At Large) Bernard A. Kuttner '55, Livingston, N.J. J. Bruce McKissock '66, Philadelphia, Pa. (At Large) Joel B. Portugal '58, New York, N. Y. (At Large) Stephan R. Rheingold '58, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Harry H. Weil '55, Pittsburgh, Pa. (At Large)
REGION III - CENTRAL William E. Hotaling '41, Cleveland, Ohio Robert L. Lambert '53, Chicago, Ill. Eliot A. Smith '55, Detroit, Mich.
REGION IV - MIDDLEWESTERN David L. Duclos '59, Minneapolis, Minn. John W. Pemberton '54, Omaha, Nebr. William L. Randall '52, Milwaukee, Wis.
REGION V - SOUTHERN Bert E. Barnettjr. '62, Memphis, Tenn. Laurence T. Herman '34, Treasure Island, Fla. (At Large) Richard L. Hobbs '39, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. William J. McCarthy '53, Baltimore, Md. Christine Nicholson '74, Washington, D.C. (At Large) Robert B. Reich '68, Washington, D. C. (At Large)
REGION VI - SOUTHWESTERN Douglas G. Corderman '52, St. Louts, Mo. John A. Henry III '61, Oklahoma City, Okla. Robert R. Montgomery '56, Denver, Colo.
REGION VII - WESTERN John W. Crowley '56, Seattle, Wash. Donald R. DesCombes '54, Claremont Calif. (At Large) Edward B. Linsley '46, Los Angeles, Calif. Charles C. Richardson '44, Tucson, Ariz. Peter J. Wardle '57, San Francisco, Calif.
ALUMNI ASSOCIATIONS Class Presidents Christopher C. Gates '74, Armonk, N. Y.Class Secretaries RichardJ. Blum '53, Shaker Heights, OhioClass Treasurers C. Hall Colton '35, Nashua, N.H.Head Agents Philip C. Kron '60, Chatham, N.J.Class Newsletter Editors Frank K. Kappler '36, Ardsley-on-Hudson, N,Y.Class Bequest and Estate Planning Chairmen Judson T. Pierson '33, Hanover, N.H.Club Officers W. Scott Carlisle III '63, Cape Elizabeth, Me. Roland H. Kolmanjr. '60, Columbus, Ohio Robert S. Wilkinson Jr. '50, Washington, D.C.
FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE David Sices '54, Hanover, N.H.
MEDICAL SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVE Collin S. MacCarty '37, MS '38, Rochester, Minn. (At Large)
THAYER SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVE Warren F. Danielljr. '48, TH '50, Concord, Mass. (At Large)
TUCK SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVE Robert A. Danziger '56, T '57, West Newton, Mass. (At Large)
UNDERGRADUATE REPRESENTATIVES R. William Burgessjr. '81, Hanover, N.H. Elizabeth H. Burks '81, Hanover, N.H.
EX-OFFICIO Richard S. Dunham '53, Hanover, N.H. J. Michael McGean '49, Hanover, N.H. Johanna Hill Simpson '74, Jamaica Plain, Mass.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE David J. Taylor '50, Chairman P.O. Box 110 Hanover, N.H. 03755 Warren G. Kreter '42 135 Harbour Lane Massapequa, N.Y. 11758 William L. Randall '52 201 West Wisconsin Avenue Milwaukee, Wise. 53259 J. Michael McGean '49, Secretary 304 Blunt Alumni Center Hanover, N.H. 03755 Bruce Friedlich '41 Henderson, Roll, Friedlich, Inc. 600 Third Avenue New York, N.Y. 10016 Richard D. Leggat '48 124 Atlantic Avenue Cohasset, Mass. 02025 Peter C. Schwartz '60 145 Natchaug Drive Glastonbury, Conn. 06033 Sara Hoagland Hunter '76 Apt. 9-E 115 East 87th Street New York, N.Y. 10028
Return to local Alumni Councilor or a member of the Nominating Committee as noted above. My suggestions for candidates for alumni trustee are (supporting evidence may be enclosed on a separate sheet): Note: by constitution of the Association of Alumni, candidates for alumni trustee must be alumni of Dartmouth College or of one of its associated schools. (my name) (class) (address) (telephone)
An oppunity to play a significant role in the nominating process
