Alumni Council

The Alumni Council continues to accelerate its efforts to represent alumni and facilitate the exchange of alumni sentiment with the College. The council recently revised its structure and procedures to speak more effectively on behalf of alumni, asking the questions alumni want answered, working with the board of trustees to enhance two-way dialogue with the College and initiating exciting new projects.

Structurally, the council implemented changes to its constitution that increase its ability to represent alumni. Class representatives have doubled for the 55 most recently graduated classes so that each class now has its own representative (previously each class shared a representative). The number of representatives for older classes has tripled. Moreover, each alumnus is represented by multiple councilors including a class representative, a regional representative and others. To find your representatives visit www.alumni.dartmouth.edu/councilrep. As a final undertaking in connection with its constitutional overhaul, the council is analyzing and in some cases recommending improvements to the manner in which councilors are elected by their constituents.

Recent years have brought a tremendous increase in communication between councilors and alumni. We're here to hear you and we appreciate your input and suggestions. Prior to each of the biannual council meetings we solicit your feedback and then report back to you after each meeting and throughout the year as warranted. For example, with your participation this year we compiled a list of 20 questions concerning a broad range of topics about the state of the College. We asked a panel of senior college administrators to respond to your questions live at a council meeting and asked follow-up questions. The panel's responses are available at www.alumni.dartmouth.edu/council.

This year the council created the alumni liaison committee (ALC) to engage more effectively in communication with the College. In just six short months the ALC collected and analyzed the range of alumni sentiment received by the council and provided a report to the board of trustees' alumni relations committee. We anticipate the ALC report will be an annual undertaking. The 2008 report is available at www.alumni.dartmouth.edu/council.

The trustees and College have welcomed the ALCs efforts. We met several times with members of the board, administrators and President Wright and anticipate a productive, ongoing conversation with the trustees and administration, including continued periodic meetings. Moreover the administratioin has designated a College vice president to help the ALC raise questions, concerns and suggestions to appropriate offices at the College.

In addition to its normal business, the council has several other efforts underway.

The council and the Association of Alumni executive committee have formed a joint working group to develop simpler and fairer election rules for alumni-nominated trustee elections. Personally, I am frustrated that seven out of 10 alumni fail to participate in trustee elections and I would like the Alumni Council to engage all of Dartmouth's 69,000 alumni.

The council is also following and making suggestions concerning Dartmouth's presidential search. Eight of the 15 members of the trustees' presidential search committee are alumni; one of them is a recent council president and ALC chair.

Finally, the council is creating an ad hoc committee to strengthen Dartmouth's fraternities and sororities (Greek letter organizations) that will work with the administration, house advisors, alumni corporations, students and alumni to enhance student life.

This is a very exciting time for alumni to be involved with the College. We are emerging from a contentious period at a moment when all parties—alumni, trustees and administrators are committed to improving relationships and helping all of us to help Dartmouth. And, after all, helping Dartmouth is what it's really all about.

Alumni Councilpresident, Goodwin Procter LLP., Exchange Place,53 State St., Boston, MA 02109-2803; (617)570-1686;jdaukas@goodwinprocter.com