Alumni Council

Greetings from the Dartmouth Alumni Council! As we continue to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the council, we remind you that we represent the entire alumni body through councilors who have been selected by alumni to represent class years, geographic regions, affiliated groups, professional schools and other constituencies. our mission is “to sustain a fully informed, representative and engaged exchange of information and sentiment between alumni and their College and to enhance and inspire alumni involvement that furthers the mission of the College.”

This has been a dynamic and fascinating year at Dartmouth. In this first year of his presi- dency, President Phil Hanlon ’77 has introduced a number of important discussions and initiatives. The society of fellows—comprising faculty fel- lows, postdoctoral fellows and visiting fellows— aims to foster intellectual and interdisciplinary community and the integration of research with teaching excellence. The president urged cam- puswide engagement to enhance the Dartmouth experience through a series of discussions titled “moving dartmouth Forward.” topics included the D-Plan, enhancing housing options, digi- tal learning, professional development for life, faculty recruitment and retention, addressing sexual assault at Dartmouth, arts and innova- tion, and global learning experiences. Dartmouth received an anonymous gift of $100 million, the largest single outright donation in the College’s 244-year history, which will foster a new gen- eration of emerging scholars and strengthen an innovative interdisciplinary approach to teach- ing and research.

This spring President Hanlon issued a call to action, asking Dartmouth students and ev- ery member of the Dartmouth family, including alumni, to share their ideas for strengthening community norms and standards, specifically with the goal of ending harmful behaviors in the areas of high-risk drinking, sexual assault and inclusivity. A presidential steering committee has gathered the proposed solutions and will report its findings and propose concrete actions to President hanlon before the board of trustees’ meeting in November. Alumni councilors will be involved, as always, in communicating the most up-to-date information to their constituents.

The Alumni Council meets twice a year

in Hanover. The spring meeting opened with student groups discussing experiential learn- ing. This theme was echoed in a student panel presentation, “experiential learning: on and off the green,” focused on opportunities for stu- dents offered through the center for professional development. Councilors were invited to attend a wide variety of classes across campus. In his time with us President Hanlon focused on his Mov- ing Dartmouth Forward initiatives. Councilors attended sessions with Michael Mastanduno, dean of the faculty of arts and sciences; Maria laskaris ’84, dean of admissions and financial aid; Martha Beattie ’76, vice president for alumni relations; and Tommy Bruce, senior vice presi- dent for public affairs. We heard remarks from nathaniel Fick ’99, trustee and author of One Bul- let Away: The Making of a Marine Officer. The alumni liaison committee (ALC) also met with trustee Bill Burgess ’81.

The Alumni Council continues to act as an important communication link between the Col- lege and her alumni. Councilors email their con- stituents to let them know what has been learned in sessions with College staff, administrators, trustees, faculty and students. At the same time, those councilors encourage alumni to write back and share any issues, comments or thoughts they might have. The ALC, whose members are elected by their council peers, conveys this information to the board of trustees.

Please watch for and read these emails. We hope they will give you an informed update about what’s going on at dartmouth. there are discus- sions taking place at Dartmouth on a variety of critical topics, from experiential learning to resi- dential life, and your opinions are valued. Please send them to the ALC at alc@dartmouth.edu.

The council meets again from October 23- 25. We look forward to receiving your feedback!

—Mark c. Davis ’81, tu’84, president, Dartmouth Alumni Council, 6068 Blunt Alumni Center, Ha- nover, NH 03755; markcdavis1@gmail.com