Alumni Council

The fall 2008 meeting of the Alumni Council gave councilors the opportunity to have open and wide-ranging discussions with members of the Dartmouth board of trustees, President Wright and senior members of the College administration. We covered a broad array of topics, so I will focus on just a few.

Budget issues: During President Wrights tenure the College completed $1 billion worth of building and renovation on campus, investing $100 million in its athletic facilities alone. While some building projects have been postponed, the College is proceeding with the Class of 1978 Life Sciences Building. Dartmouth is thus in better financial shape than many of its peer institutions, but the economy has depressed the value of the endowment and thus the amount of income available to fund operations. The College plans to reduce its spending by up to $40 million during the next two years, but is endeavoring to maintain financial aid (need-blind admissions) and tenured faculty at current levels. The capital campaign remains in surprisingly good shape, though charitable giving historically trails stock market fluctuations. Dartmouth College Fund giving remains on its upward trajectory, and in these troubled times the more we can give, the better. Last year 92 percent of alumni councilors gave to the College and we hope to reach 100 percent participation this year.

Trustee-administration interaction: Members of the board—including chair Ed Haldeman '70, trustees Jose Fernandez '77, Al Mulley '70 and President Wright—met with us several times throughout the weekend. The trustees discussed the state of the College and answered questions concerning financial challenges, the presidential search, board composition, the alumni trustee nomination process and other issues.

New Dean of the College Tom Crady outlined proposed changes to the student alcohol policy designed to give more responsibility and freedom to students. Executive vice president for finance and administration Adam Keller and vice president for development Carrie Pelzel explained the Colleges financial situation and capital campaign progress. Athletic director Josie Harper led a panel of coaches, including football coach Buddy Teevens '79, in adiscussion of varsity and club sports.

The latest lawsuit: Having lost at the ballot box, some disgruntled alumni have again turned to the courts. Seven alumni represented by lawyers for the Hanover Institute, which funded the last lawsuit against the College (withdrawn June 2008), have again sued to block additional charter trustees and reform of the alumni trustee nomination process. The Alumni Council condemned the lawsuit as 1) contrary to the clearly expressed will of the majority of alumni, who voted to end the lawsuit last spring by electing the anti-suit "unity slate" to the association; 2) harmful to the presidential search; 3) a diversion of resources better spent on students; and 4) counterproductive to efforts under way to improve the alumni trustee election process. The lawsuit also may chill discussions among alumni leaders and the board about adding more alumni-nominated trustees to the board in the future.

Alumni trustee nomination process: The council considered a proposed amendment to the Association of Alumni constitution that would alter the process through which alumni nominate trustees to the board. The amendment would simplify and improve elections by 1) employing a "one person, one vote" voting process; 2) encouraging head-to-head elections; 3) requiring majority victories; and 4) preserving an independent petition process for getting on the ballot. If the amendment fails, alumni will lose the ability to run alumni trustee elections. The council resolved to encourage alumni to vote in favor of the amendment this spring. I hope that the amendment will spur more alumni to vote; historically seven out of 10 alumni fail to vote in trustee elections.

You can find more information about council meetings, including speeches and presentations, at www.alumni.dartmouth.edu/council

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