Alumni Council

What a year this has been for your Alumni Council! Your 115 representatives have been working hard to successfully execute their constitutional responsibilities and I'm pleased to update you on our activities.

1) Learn, understand and communicate the current state of the College to our alumni. Council committees now include academic affairs, communications, enrollment and admissions, student affairs, alumni nominating and trustee search, alumni liaison, young alumni, award and honorary degrees, and executive. These groups meet to identify College issues and plan the presentations at council sessions. The councilors then report what they have learned to their constituents and request feedback. The councilors' reports to their constituents following the 199th session in December were substantive and impressive. Watch for their reports on the 200th meeting, which will update you on the state of the College, including President Kim's administrative changes, as well as financial, academic and admissions reports from senior College staff. You will also hear about student activities, including athletics, Greek letter organizations, Haiti charitable efforts and social media and communications.

2) Learn alumni sentiment and help the College understand that sentiment. Thankyou for the many comments and questions that you are sending to your representative councilors. Your responses are forwarded to the Alumni Liaison Committee, which then synthesizes and reports them to the Dartmouth board of trustees. This report is an important link in communicating alumni sentiment to the College and has been well received by the trustees. The committee will present its third report this year.

3) Nominate competent, qualified, independent alumni candidates to serve on the board of trustees. Council-nominated candidates Morton Kondracke '60 and John Replogle '88 were elected by the alumni to fill two vacant seats on the board of trustees. With 32 percent of the alumni voting (the highest percentage in alumni trustee election history) the two candidates won with 85 percent and 71 percent of the vote, respectively. The thorough vetting of the Alumni Council candidates, reformed election guidelines and the substantive "get out the vote" messages by councilors all served to increase voting percentages. Thank you for voting! The council appreciates receiving feedback from you regarding the elections and any suggestions for how to improve communications regarding future candidates and elections.

4) Recognize, encourage and facilitate alumni service. In 2009-10 we honored nine alumni with the Dartmouth Alumni Award: Putnam Blodgett '53, Tu'6l; John Ballard '55, Th'56; Dudley Smith '60; Robert Barr '73; Matt Dwyer '75; Martha Johnson Beattie '76; Merle Adelman '80; Mark Alperin '80; and Rick Silverman '81. Jennifer Tudder Walus '97 and Belinda Chiu '98 received the Dartmouth Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award.

The council also facilitates proactive alumni volunteerism. The ad hoc Committee to Support Greek Letter Organizations issued its final report in May calling for alumni involvement in this important aspect of Dartmouth student life. The Committee on Enrollment and Admissions is helping to increase alumni participation in interviewing. The Young Alumni Committee is working to involve more alumni in networking and career placement in this unsteady economic environment. These and other activities will be reported to you shortly.

As I complete my term as your Alumni Council president, I'd like to thank you for the opportunity to serve the College we love. Meeting and speaking with so many of you has deepened my appreciation for Dartmouth. Please join me in welcoming my successor Tom Peisch '70 to the head of the council.

Don't forget to send your comments and questions (critical or supportive) to your representative councilor. You can find their contact information online at www.alumni.dartmouth.edu/councilrep.

www.alumni.dartmouth.edu/councilrep

Warm regards,

Alumni Council President,Avner & Avner Lawyers, 11835 W. Olympic Blvd.,Suite 1100, Los Angeles, CA 90064; council.president@alum.dartmouth.org