Trustees up fees, engage in "dialogue"
Fees for room, board, and tuition were raised 7.9 percent for the 1987 academic year at the Board of Trustees' regular February meeting. During their weekend in Hanover, the Trustees also held discussions with several groups of faculty and students. In a printed statement following the meeting, the Trustees said they found such sessions "extremely beneficial ... We hope that such open dialogue will continue to exist."
On the fiscal front, President McLaughlin explained that the Trustees have not set the final budget. However, average total fees for next year were set at $16,040 -up from $14,860 this year. Tuition, which will rise 8.5 percent, will go from $10,764 to $11,679. Only Princeton among the other Ivies has so far announced its tuition increase, but it is anticipated that Dartmouth will maintain its relative position about in the middle of the Ivy League.
In 1987, it is estimated that over 20 percent of tuition received by the College will go to financial aid, with about half of Dartmouth's students receiving some form of need-based assistance. The need for financial aid will increase from $8.4 million this year to just over $10 million next year.
Tuitions were also set for the associated schools, with the Thayer School's up 8.5 percent, the Medical School's up 6 percent, and the Tuck School's up 9.1 percent.
Although they will not act on the final budget until their April meeting, the Trustees did at their February session vote to add an additional $1 million to the spending limit from endowment funds. Currently, about 4.2 percent of the College's endowment is turned back to revenue, and the additional $1 million will increase that amount to about 4.7 percent. That compares favorably to the generally accepted 5.0- to 5.5-percent range for endowment spending. The change was made because of the success of the endowment in recent years.
The Trustees also spent a good deal of time during the weekend meeting with various constituency groups. Two petitions addressed to the Trustees were circulated on campus shortly before their meeting. One was signed by more than 100 faculty members and urged the Board to "work with the faculty to establish responsible leadership for Dartmouth College," and the other, calling for McLaughlin's resignation for having "continually disregarded faculty votes" and "shown lack of good faith," was circulated among students, faculty, and administrators. The Board made time during the weekend to meet in private sessions with department and program chairs from the faculty, as well as with the executive committee of the faculty. In an open meeting with students on Saturday afternoon, the College's investment policies were the major topic of discussion. Students accused the Board of responding to economic rather than humanistic concerns in their divestment policies. Trustee Robert Danziger '56, however, took "issue with the notion that the Trustees have no concern about the moral issue and our decisions are only economic. It's not one or the other." The Board has taken action on the matter slowly, explained Trustee Ira Heyman '51, because it has taken time to study the issues involved carefully.
Later, the Trustees affirmed their previously-released position on divestment, but, at the urging of the president, also asked the Trustee Committee on Investor Responsibility to look more closely at disinvestment initiatives. The Board fairly recently strengthened its investment policy, requiring that all U.S. companies doing business in South Africa be signatories of the Sullivan Principles and show leadership in their implementation, or be removed from the College's portfolio by July 1.
After their meeting, the Trustees released a statemerit expressing support for President McLaughlin and for the policies of the College administration. They also expressed "disappointment" in the faculty's report on governance, saying it failed to acknowledge that "major constructive progress has been made by the College" during Mc- Laughlin's presidency. However, the Board agreed with"the sentiment that 'there is a need for fuller and more extensive discussion between the faculty and the Trustees' " and expressed a willingness "to be responsive to this challenge... We would expect that all parties will make a good-faith effort to improve communication and understanding," they said.
In other actions during the weekend, the Board approved the establishment of two new endowed chairs. The American Southwest Distinguished Professorship, intended "to honor and celebrate the enduring spirit of adventure, creativity, and independence which are the foundation of a successful liberal arts education and a free society," was initiated by Edward Leede '49 and his wife, Margaret Ann, to reflect both their commitment to the academic purpose of Dartmouth and their pride in the Southwest.
Also established was the Richard Kleeman Lazarus Professorship, to be awarded to a member of the social sciences faculty. It was created by former Trustee Ralph Lazarus '35 and his family in honor of their son, a 1967 graduate of Dartmouth, who was killed in an automobile accident.
The Trustees also approved emeritus status for Paul Paganucci '53, vice president of the College until his return to private industry at the end of last year. Paganucci is credited with extraordinary stewardship of Dartmouth's financ ial base during the ten years he acted as the College's chief financial officer.
Whatever I say about Dartmouth is meant as a compliment. The style of life, the things they teach young people up there, that's what's really important. In a way I'll always be a Big Greener." AI McGuire, NBC-TV's college basketball analyst, in a March 3 interview in The ValleyNews on his 1955-1957 tenure as freshman coach at Dartmouth
