Alumni Council
The service that Dartmouth alumni give to their college is the envy of many institutions. Indeed, it is such engagement that makes Dartmouth unique among its peers and which Dartmouth alumni have championed through generations of graduates.
As president of the Alumni Council in today's extraordinary political climate, I have found myself reflecting on the meaning of service to Dartmouth. Some say that there is no such thing as altruism, that there is always a catch, something that compels someone to do good, even if it's merely personal praise. In the case of service to one's alma mater, that which compels many (if not most) of us is something in our past: the transformative experience we had during our years in Hanover. In exchange for that service I believe there should be no anticipation of return beyond the advancement of the mission of the institution.
Most of the alumni volunteers with whom I've interacted during the past 27 years expect no more return from their service than I do. As alumni councilors, we have the benefit of visiting the campus with some frequency, the opportunity to interact with beloved faculty members on occasion, the chance to see each class of students and the character of the College evolve and grow. We've audited lectures, questioned administrators and dined in clubs, -societies and Greek houses with Dartmouth's many talented and satisfied students. I wish that each of you could share this experience, and it is our privilege to communicate it to you. The council is a small group (120) when compared to the 68, 800 alumni and most of the extensive system of alumni interviewers, class and club volunteers and donors, but I believe that many of you share my perspective. Time and again so many of you step forward and ask for little in return.
The flip side of this service is the belief among some alumni that Dartmouth is in their debt. Having attended the College, they consider themselves to be shareholders of an educational corporation. They believe that their tuition and gifts to the Dartmouth College Fund give them ownership of the institution. For them, there is the expectation of control, the anticipation of power over Dartmouth's direction, the right to something more than the world-class education "we have already received. Their very vocal and wellfunded efforts to assert that right have been splashed across the pages of The Wall Street Journal, national blogs and The New York Times. During the Association of Alumni election you were flooded by communications generated by the struggle between these competing philosophies.
There are many reasons for supporting the College. All must consider what they earn with their support, for that is a part of the current struggle in alumni leadership: By donating our time and our treasure are we honoring our debt to the institution for the education we received, thereby preserving the College for the coming generations, or are we paying for the power to control her future? Should those among us who have never volunteered for or donated to Dartmouth be encouraged to exercise that control? Should they determine what is taught, who is hired and who is admitted?
My service as president of the Alumni Council will end in June, and president-elect John Daukas '84 will take the helm. In light of the efforts of radical alumni groups such as the Hanover Institute to chart Dartmouth's course, I call on all of you to considerwhether your love for our College comes with strings attached or whether you will work to set it free.
president, council.president@alum.dartmouth.org
