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                     News: Alumni Council Reports--Al Orschel

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Orschel June 2013

Orschel November 2012

Orschel June 2012

Orschel January 2012

Orschel May 2011

Orschel January 2011 Elevator Talk

 

June 2013



Dear Classmate,

Over the weekend of May 16, 2013, I attended the 206th meeting of the Dartmouth Alumni Council as your representative. As you know, the Alumni Council reports to the Trustees on an ongoing basis to facilitate communication between the College and the Alumni.


To that end, I encourage you to communicate your questions to our new representative, Roger W. McArt, (mcart@optonline.net), who will be in touch with you in the near future. If he cannot answer your questions, the Alumni Council has the resources to do so.


A. Some Informal Observations:
The issue of “civil disobedience” (my term) did not seem to have a visible impact at the May meeting with respect to the day to day activities of the School. That weekend was the commencement of Green Key and other activities. The number of activities that the councilors were participating in on Fridayrealistically precluded them from deriving sentiment from faculty and students.

Sequence of Recent Events on Campus 

Friday, April 19, 2013 – Dimensions Show student protest occurred.

Saturday through Monday, April 20-22, 2013 – Campus response including anonymous postings on Bored@Baker and the Dartmouth online comments section targeting the protestors and others.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013 – Meeting of some faculty, administrators and the President to discuss the situation. The decision was made later that day to cancel classes for the following day, Wednesday, April 24th.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013 – An early morning faculty meeting was held to discuss the cancellation of classes, a decision made the evening before and announced by email, and the day’s agenda for “A Day of Reflection and Understanding."

During the course of the day there was strong participation by students and other members of the Dartmouth community. The day began with a keynote address by Jessica Pettitt speaking on “The Day Everything Changed.” Pettitt, a social justice and diversity consultant, described her talk as timely, “in light of the recent events – of the last 400 years.” Dartmouth Hall 105 was standing room only for Pettitt’s talk and five overflow rooms were opened to accommodate the approximately 400 people who attended. Later that day, there were speeches in front of Dartmouth Hall by Dean of the Faculty Mike Mastanduno, Professor Bruce Sacerdote ’90 and others (estimated attendance 1500), a community luncheon in the ‘53 Commons (2500), and an afternoon of “teach-ins” with more than 800 students participating in discussions. Additional information about the day is available athttp://now.dartmouth.edu/2013/04/for-dartmouth-a-day-of-reflection-and-understanding/

X-periods were used to make up the missed classes.

The following comments were issued by the Board of Trustees chair Steve Mandel ’78:

“As some of you know, a small group of students disrupted the Dimensions Welcome Show for prospective students on Friday, April 19th, using it as a platform to protest what they say are incidents of racism, sexual assault, and homophobia on campus. Following the protest, threats of bodily harm and discriminatory comments targeting the protestors and their defenders ran anonymously on various sites on the Internet.

With tensions high across the Dartmouth community, Interim President Carol Folt, the Dean of the Faculty, and other senior leaders across campus agreed that the best course of action was to suspend classes on Wednesday, April 24, for a day of reflection and alternative educational programming. This decision was made to address not only the initial protest, but a precipitous decline in civility on campus over the last few months, at odds with Dartmouth’s Principles of Community.

President Carol Folt sent an email to all alumni members of the campus community announcing the online posting of the Strategic Planning Synthesis at http://strategicplanning.dartmouth.edu. A link to the Dartmouth Community Standards of Conduct which are posted online athttp://www.dartmouth.edu/~deancoll/student-handbook/standards.html. President Folt and Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson posted online outlining the new and strengthened initiatives the College has in place to reduce sexual assault on campus. The statement is posted online athttp://www.dartmouth.edu/sexualabuse/educated/dartmouthpolicy.html.

This unusual and serious action to suspend classes for a day was prompted by concern that the dialogue on campus had reached a point that threatened to compromise the level of shares respect necessary for an academic community to thrive. The faculty and administration together determined that a pause to examine how the climate on campus can be improved was necessary. This was an important exercise that the Board supports. It is also important to note that there will be an opportunity for faculty to hold the classes that were missed as a result of Wednesday’s events.”

(The above section was crafted by the College.)

B. The Academic Affairs Committee, of which I was a member, conducted a significant meeting on Friday. It was a panel on five topics, as set forth below.

The unique thing about each panel was that it comprised of one Alumni member and one professor. 

The Committee and professors are detailed below:

I. Pedagogy, Teaching & Mentorship
-Discussion led by Vin Pellegrini ’77 and John Rollins ‘66
-With Leslie Fall – Professor of Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine

II. Research, Scholarship & Creativity
-Discussion led by Tom Andrews ‘60
-With George O’Toole – Professor of Microbiology & Immunology and William Wohlforth - Daniel Webster Professor of Government

III. Experimental Dartmouth
-Discussion led by Mike McClintock ’80 and David Edelson ‘81
-With Thomas Cormen – Chair and Professor of Computer Science and Steve Swayne – Professor of Music

IV. Global Dartmouth
-Discussion led by Bob Davidson ‘67
-With Antonio Tillis – Associate Professor and Chair of African & African American Studies and Lindsay Whaley, Interim Vice Provost

V. Graduate Education for the Future
-Discussion led by Cuong Do ‘88
-With Brian Pogue – former Dean of Graduate Studies & Professor of Engineering and F. Jon Kull – Dean of Graduate Studies & Rogers Professor of Chemistry

C. Meetings with members of the Administration.

The first Friday afternoon session was devoted to Interim President Carol Folt ‘78a, who was her usual ebullient self. She basically painted a positive picture of the campus and the controversy of a few weeks ago. She has been elected the Chancellor of the University of North Carolina. Her appointment to North Carolina starts soon.

Also participating was Mike Mastanduno, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. He discussed the issues involved in off campus classes (at another school, and for credit for a quarter, a class or some other format). You will not be surprised how geography and vacation are major factors. Finally, the Dean also addressed the issue of “class pass” time. It may be expanded in view of the increasing geographic distances between class buildings.

Charlotte Johnson, the Dean of the College, was also a part of the afternoon’s discussion.

D. Miscellaneous. There was no mention of President Kim at any event over the weekend. 

The Hanover Inn has completed its renovation and presents an unsuspecting visitor with a significant new lobby, etc. The “living room” has lost its charm but is more spacious and more contemporary. An unimaginably large piece of granite is placed in the middle of the “living room”- plenty of granite for all of our foggy brains.

Roger will be a great successor. I hope he will enjoy the experience as much as I did. Thanks for letting me serve.


My email address is: aorschel@sbcglobel.net.

Alan

 

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November 2012

Dear classmates,

Due to Sandy, I was regretfully unable to attend the Dartmouth Alumni Council meeting November 1-3. However, I am still able to provide you an update thanks to our Communications Committee, who created a detailed report which I am including below.

Happy Holidays and New Years to you all.

Alan Orschel '61

 

REPORT FROM THE 205TH DARTMOUTH ALUMNI COUNCIL MEETING
NOVEMBER 1-3, 2012

 
This was the 205th meeting of the Dartmouth Alumni Council. In 1913, Dartmouth president Ernest Martin Hopkins formed the Alumni Council to guide and support Dartmouth alumni relations. The council meets twice yearly in Hanover. The mission of the Alumni Council is to sustain a fully informed, representative, and engaged exchange of information and sentiment between the alumni and the College, and to enhance and inspire alumni involvement that furthers the mission of the College.

This report is meant to complement the wealth of information—about this council meeting and alumni affairs in general—available on the Office of Alumni Relations website at www.alumni.dartmouth.edu. If you haven't already, it's a good idea to bookmark this address.

THE ELEVATOR TALK

The program schedule was jam-packed and included the following highlights (see below for details):
 
  • Year of the Arts at Dartmouth;
  • Newly renovated Hanover Inn;
  • Update from director of athletics Harry Sheehy on the student-athlete experience;
  • Talk by senior vice president David Spalding '76 about the cost of higher education;
  • Selection of Mitch Kurz '73 as nominee to the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees;
  • Update from Martha Beattie '76, vice president for alumni relations;
  • Update from dean of the College Charlotte Johnson;
  • Back-to-the-classroom opportunities with faculty lectures;
  • Address by president Carol Folt '78a;
  • Presentation of Dartmouth Alumni Awards;
  • Update from Dartmouth College Board of Trustees chair Steve Mandel '78;
  • Presentation by Janine Avner '80, co-chair of Alumni Council Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity and Inclusion; and
  • Presentation by Danielle Dyer '81, '89Tu, chair of Alumni Liaison Committee.
YEAR OF THE ARTS AT DARTMOUTH

The 2012-13 Year of the Arts at Dartmouth shines a spotlight on Dartmouth's vibrant arts culture and its role as one of the nation's leading academic arts communities. Coming together in the current academic year, the dedication of the Black Family Visual Arts Center, the 50th anniversary of the Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts, and the announcement of a major expansion of the Hood Museum proclaim the importance of the arts to Dartmouth. Integrated into an Arts District, these three vibrant institutions establish a new 21st-century model for the integration of arts on campus.

Dedicated on September 14, and made possible by a $48 million gift from philanthropist and former Dartmouth trustee, Leon Black '73, the Black Family Visual Arts Center completes the College's new Arts District. Distinctive in its architecture, engineering, and functionality, this facility will attract the future artists of the world to Dartmouth and give them a home in which to nurture their talents and express their creativity. Dedicating prodigious studio space in equal measure to painting, drawing, sculpture, film, and photography, the Black Family Visual Arts Center will enable Dartmouth to recruit the best faculty and student artists. Councilors were treated to tours of the new center given by the arts faculty. During the council's Thursday dinner program, Michael Taylor, director of the Hood Museum, showed a video about how this new center came to be. 

Director Taylor also shared with councilors the Hood Museum's plans to convert Wilson Hall into additional exhibit space. Regarded as one of the finest university museums in America, the Hood's diverse collection is the fifth largest among colleges and universities in the United States.

Celebrating its 50th birthday, the Hop, more than ever, remains an unparalleled venue for the performing arts, enriching not only the College but the entire Upper Valley and beyond. Hopkins Center director Jeffrey James, with evident pride, introduced councilors to Ellsworth Kelly's Dartmouth Panels, which were commissioned by Leon Black and are now installed on the facade of the Hop, facing the new visual arts center.

NEWLY RENOVATED HANOVER INN OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Over the weekend, councilors were comfortably ensconced in the newly renovated Hanover Inn, whose rooms have been tastefully updated, consistent with the College's New England country setting. Reaction among councilors to the new décor was mixed: Some were very keen on it; others much less so. But all councilors agreed that the new inn would make a statement and extend a warm welcome to returning alumni and other visitors to the College. A new restaurant on the ground floor looking out on the Green is nearly complete. Most important, the new grand ballroom and related conference facilities will make it much easier for the College to host international academic and other conferences. The council's Thursday evening dinner was the first event held in the grand ballroom. 

FRIDAY PLENARY SESSION

Opening Remarks by Alumni Council President Marty Lempres '84. The council's Friday plenary session opened with welcome remarks from Alumni Council President Marty Lempres '84. He noted that the 2011-12 report of the Alumni Liaison Committee to the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees is now available online [http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/leadership/council/media/mailing/annualreport2012.pdf] 

The Student-Athlete Experience. Director of athletics Harry Sheehy '55a gave a quick primer about Big Green athletics for new councilors. Dartmouth has 34 varsity sports teams including 1,039 athletes; 35 club sports teams including 1,265 athletes; and 20 intramural sports teams including 5,100 participants. The athletic department offers 55 different fitness classes to more than 4,000 participants. Sheehy was proud to report that at Homecoming this fall the football game under the lights was attended by 10,000 fans including 1,917 students. Displaying his infectious energy, passion, and dynamism, Sheehy told councilors that his goal is to position the Big Green to win, on average, five Ivy championships every year. He noted that the athletic department now has four dedicated fundraisers and that athletic fundraising has dramatically improved in the last several years. Harry next introduced a student-athlete panel featuring Tyler Melville '14, men's basketball; Courtney Bennett '13, women's lacrosse; and Simon Greenberg '13, men's rugby. Each of these students shared his or her personal story and the challenges and successes of his or her Dartmouth athletic experience. Sheehy closed his talk by highly recommending to the councilors the new book Mindset by Carole Dweck of Stanford University.

The Cost of Higher Education. David Spalding '76, senior vice president and senior advisor to the president, made an informative presentation about the cost of higher education. Spalding explained that there is no question that the cost of a college education continues to outpace median family income and the cost of medical care, food, and housing. However, increases in the cost of higher education are very much in line with increases in the prices of most personal services offered by highly educated service providers such as doctors, lawyers, and dentists. Wages and benefits for faculty and other staff of the College are the biggest cost component of the budget. If Dartmouth were to follow the trends in manufacturing, it could drastically reduce its costs by creating a series of 300-seat classrooms, making cuts in faculty, and requiring faculty to teach extremely large classes in order to maximize efficiencies. However, that is not the product that Dartmouth is offering. Instead, it offers a "high-quality, high-touch, small-class-size experience."

Although the sticker price of a Dartmouth education continues to rise, it has done so in line with Dartmouth's peer institutions. Moreover, demand for a Dartmouth education remains very high, as evidenced by the ever-increasing number of applications for admission. This can be explained by the fact that returns on investment in a college education are estimated to be consistently above 14 percent. In recent years, particularly in the aftermath of the Great Recession, college has become an increasingly important determinant of one's employment status. Today, a college graduate is almost 20 percent more likely to be employed than someone with only a high school diploma. This employment gap between college and high school graduates is the largest in our nation's history. For someone starting college in 2010, the expected lifetime increase in earnings relative to a high school graduate was more than $450,000. 

Spalding explained that the actual annual cost per student of a Dartmouth education is approximately $107,000, but that the annual sticker price per student for tuition, room, and board is only approximately $58,000, a figure in line with Dartmouth's peer institutions. After giving effect to the financial aid that is made possible by the College's endowment and the Dartmouth College Fund, the average annual net price per student after financial aid is approximately $20,000. As Dartmouth's tuition has risen, so has the amount of aid provided by the College. 41% of students in the class of 2015 received financial aid when they arrived and 44.5% of students in the class of 2016 are receiving aid this year. The student loan indebtedness of Dartmouth students has also fallen. The average amount of student debt after graduation is $11,000. In addition, last year Dartmouth increased the family income level under which a student qualifies for no loans and free tuition from $75,000 to $100,000. Every year Kiplinger releases a list of its "best values in private colleges". Dartmouth placed 16th overall this year and seventh out of the Ivies. Spalding made the case that for families who need assistance, Dartmouth remains need-blind. In closing, Spalding shared his view that although the demand for a Dartmouth education remains "inelastic," the College takes the issue of affordability very seriously and each year strives to balance student need with the actual cost of a Dartmouth education.

Alumni-nominated Trustee Candidate. Pete Frederick '65, chair of the council's Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee (NomCom), presented the NomCom's report and noted that the Alumni Council had voted to nominate one individual to fill the single alumni-nominated seat on the College's board of trustees that comes up for election this winter as a result of the retirement of charter trustee Peter Robinson '79. 

Before announcing the name of the NomCom's recommendation, Frederick explained that the NomCom's mission is to identify, recruit, and nominate the best candidates for the trustee elections and to conduct a search process that is broad-based, open and inclusive, thorough and rigorous, respectful, discreet and confidential, and independent. The current search process involved aggressive solicitations of nominations from alumni across multiple venues during a five-month period. In the course of this search, the NomCom met 19 times (six in-person meetings in New York, Boston, and Hanover and 13 conference calls), and more than 300 alumni were considered. 

After much anticipation, and with great enthusiasm, Frederick introduced the NomCom's recommended nominee, Mitchell H. "Mitch" Kurz '73.

Kurz is a leading education advocate who serves as treasurer of the Harlem Children's Zone and academic dean of the Bronx Center for Science and Math. A retired president of Young & Rubicam, he also led Wunderman Worldwide, which he built into the world's largest database marketing firm. Kurz graduated Phi Beta Kappa with majors in economics and psychology, lettered in lacrosse, and was in Alpha Theta. He received his MBA with honors from Harvard and holds a master's in mathematics education. He serves on the Tucker Foundation Board of Visitors. Eighteen of his students benefit from Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth and five currently attend Dartmouth. He has worked in the South Bronx since 2001. Kurz and his wife, Sandy, have two sons and reside in New York.

After being introduced, Kurz addressed the councilors and responded to questions. He said that he was both "humbled and honored" to be recommended. He observed that, "There is no higher honor than being ranked as the No. 1 teaching college in America." He sees his mission as "preserving the magic of our learning environment." His self-deprecating sense of humor was on display when he recalled that as a 5-and-half-foot candidate for the Dartmouth freshman football team, he was instructed to visit coach Bob Blackman's home. "When Coach Blackman opened his front door and looked down at me, he could barely hide his disappointment. He must have thought I was the paperboy." 

After lunch, following a Q&A session about the NomCom's recommendation, the council unanimously approved the nomination of Mitch Kurz. 

The filing deadline for petition candidates is January 7, 2013, and trustee balloting will take place online and by mail from February 12 through March 12, 2013.

Update on Alumni Relations from Martha Beattie '76. Vice president for alumni relations Martha Beattie '76 updated councilors on Dartmouth's goal of becoming even more engaged with its alumni. Martha sees herself in partnership with all councilors, working to find new ways of facilitating a lifelong engagement between the College and her alumni. Dan Parish '89 has just been appointed director of Dartmouth for Life, with the task of designing and implementing programs that will facilitate, for each alumnus, a lifelong engagement with the College. Our career network must be revamped to meet the needs of alumni as well as students. She pointed to a number of events and developments that signal enhanced alumni engagement: a packed stadium under the lights at this year's Homecoming football game; College funding for Dartmouth Alumni Magazine; BADA'S 40th anniversary; Dartmouth on Location; an enhanced reunion experience, all now on weekends, with clustering of the 25th through 50th reunions. Looking to the future, Beattie exhorted, "We need to tap the time, talent, and treasure of our alumni." 

Update from Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson. Dean Johnson updated the councilors on the progress of the College's Harm Reduction Initiative (HRI), introduced in 2010 to reduce high-risk drinking, sexual assault, and hazing. The College has introduced new and enhanced hazing policies. The definition of "hazing" has been revised; new members of fraternities and sororities receive instruction about hazing; and, like most of Dartmouth's peers, the College conducts random walk-throughs as a preventative measure. Dean Johnson did note that while these hazing reforms are a step in the right direction, Dartmouth does "need to catch up with best practices." 

Dean Johnson spent most of her time talking about the College's efforts to combat sexual assault, and she fielded many tough questions from councilors about the nature and extent of the problem at Dartmouth and how it ought to be addressed. The College has instituted preventive education programs, including bystander intervention training. The College employs two full time counselors for sexual assault victims, plus a special investigator to investigate alleged cases. 

Victims of sexual assault are encouraged to access the counseling and forensic examination services offered by the College, and they are urged to file charges both with the College and the Hanover police. However, if a report of sexual assault is made, no charges will be brought unless the victim wishes to press charges. At Dartmouth, 15 cases were reported under the federal guidelines of the Clery Act during the past year, and Dartmouth's numbers are in line with its peer institutions. It is interesting to note that Dean Johnson's presentation facilitated a very animated discussion. On November 12, 2012, president Carol Folt issued a message to the Dartmouth community explaining the College's initiatives to address the problem of sexual assault [http://www.dartmouth.edu/~opa/statements/sexualassaultmessage111212.html].

FACULTY LECTURES 

Councilors had the opportunity to attend one of three faculty lectures: 
 
  • "Music, Mind, and Creative Thought," by Michael Casey '92AS, the James Wright Professor of Music and chair of the Department of Music;
  • "Building Green," by Karol Kawiaka, senior lecturer in studio art; and
  • "Viewing of Undue Influence and Discussion," by Ford Evans, director of the Dartmouth Dance/Theatre Ensemble, and T. Peter Hackett '75, Avalon Professor of the Humanities and professor of theater.
Councilors were thrilled to be back in class again, if only for an hour! 

FRIDAY EVENING DINNER PROGRAM

Address by President Carol Folt '78a. At the council's Friday night dinner in Alumni Hall, council president Marty Lempres had the honor of introducing President Folt. She extended a very warm welcome to the councilors. In an upbeat address, she shared with councilors that she is proud of all the great things that are happening at Dartmouth, and confident that Dartmouth will enjoy a bright future in a changing world. She noted: Dartmouth's relationship with the Beijing Normal University, established in 1982, is the oldest relationship between an American university and a university in China. The faculties of Tuck, Thayer, and the medical school have recently been expanded. The College receives more than $200 million annually in grant funding. Every laboratory at Dartmouth offers opportunities for undergraduate research. Ray Kurzweil, arguably the world's most famous futurist, recently delivered the latest lecture in Dartmouth's "Leading Voices in Higher Education" series. Dartmouth's strategic planning process is charting the future of the College. "We are thinking about how to position ourselves to educate students for the jobs of the future, which are as yet unknown." Dartmouth is intent on enhancing its global reputation. The Year of the Arts, which featured a performance by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, signals Dartmouth's commitment to the arts. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the admission of women to Dartmouth, the dedication of the Black Family Visual Arts Center, and the renaming of the Geisel School of Medicine. Our athletic programs are growing ever stronger. This year also marks the inauguration of the new academic calendar, where the first trimester ends at Thanksgiving. The world is changing, and Dartmouth is poised to adapt and thrive.

Dartmouth Alumni Awards. Council president Marty Lempres '84 proudly presented Dartmouth Alumni Awards to Tom Daniels '82, Leigh Garry '84, and the family of Roger Aaron '64, '65Tu. Their citations are posted online at http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/awards/alumniclasshistory .

Dartmouth College Gospel Choir. Councilors were treated to a rousing performance by the Dartmouth College Gospel Choir, led by artistic director Walt Cunningham.

SATURDAY PLENARY SESSION

Update from Dartmouth College Board of Trustees Chair Steve Mandel '78. Steve Mandel '78, chair of the board of trustees, opened Saturday's plenary session by congratulating the council on its nomination of Mitch Kurz '73 as a new trustee and by telling the councilors that he wished to update them on four important items on the College's agenda: (i) the presidential search, (ii) strategic planning, (iii) student life, and (iv) the master plan.

Mandel explained that the Presidential Search Committee is composed of six trustees; four members of the undergraduate faculty; one faculty member from each of Thayer, Tuck, and the Geisel schools; the dean of libraries; one student; and one alumna who is the deputy provost of Yale University. Mandel reported: "We are getting closer. … The pool is terrific. … Yale, Princeton, and Berkley are all in play. … The fish have been identified and we are trying to reel them into the boat. … We expect an announcement this year. … We are quite confident we will have a terrific person." 

The strategic planning process continues apace. "In contrast to the corporate world, the process is broadly inclusive and somewhat ponderous because, in higher education, governance is shared among the faculty, the administration, and the trustees. … You need to put forth a broad vision. The output of the various working groups will be shared. … To ensure that the strategic plan will benefit from the input of Dartmouth's new president, it is likely that publication of the strategic plan will be delayed until the spring of 2013."

On the subject of student life: "We as a board have tasked President Folt and Dean Johnson with the job of changing student social norms on campus. … This will involve education initiatives and changes in rules and sanctions. … Dean Johnson and director of safety and security Harry Kinne are doing a good job in striking the right balance. … There is a second level for which we don't have good answers. … The challenge is how to infuse the academic aspects of the College into residential life. We need to find ways to bring them together. This should be our goal. The possibilities are limitless. It will take many years."

On the subject of the master plan: "Our objective is to keep Dartmouth as a walking campus within a tight-knit community, with no walk being greater than 15 minutes. Our goal is to keep Dartmouth as a campus where 95 percent of students live on campus."

Presentation by the Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity and Inclusion by Janine Avner '80, Cochair. Janine Avner '80, cochair of the Alumni Council Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, explained to councilors that the committee was formed for the purpose of supporting and contributing to the College's goals of (i) increasing the diversity of Dartmouth's workforce through the recruitment and retention of faculty and staff of color and other under-represented populations and (ii) determining what structures, resources, and best practices are needed toward this end. Avner detailed the membership of the committee and noted that it would need one to two years to complete its work and issue a report. She stressed that the committee earnestly seeks input and comment from alumni. Avner asked councilors to inform their constituencies that input can be sent to alumni.council@alum.dartmouth.org.

Open Forum. During the open forum led by council president-elect Mark Davis '81, '84Tu, council committee chairs presented verbal summaries of their respective weekend committee meetings. Full reports of the meetings will be posted on the alumni council website at [http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/leadership/council/sessions/MinutesofPastSessions]. 

Presentation by the Alumni Liaison Committee by Danielle Dyer '81, '89Tu. Danielle Dyer '81, '89Tu, former council president and current chair of the Alumni Liaison Committee (ALC), made a presentation to the council about the important work of the ALC. It serves as a bridge and point of integration between the alumni body and the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees. Councilors are charged with forwarding to the ALC input they receive from their constituencies; and the ALC obtains answers from the appropriate College officials for the councilors to share with their constituencies. The ALC meets regularly as a committee to review all input received from the alumni with the goal of identifying the various threads of sentiment and opinion that are expressed. On an annual basis, the ALC presents its findings in a written report to the board of trustees. The ALC's 2011-12 annual report is now available online at [http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/leadership/council/media/mailing/annualreport2012.pdf]. 

Closing of Meeting. Council president-elect Mark Davis '81, '84Tu, brought the meeting to a close, and councilors joined together in singing "As the Backs Go Tearing By," accompanied by councilor Tom "Smiley" Ruggles '50 on the banjo. 

RELEVANT LINKS

The ALC's 2011-12 annual report to the Dartmouth Board of Trustees
http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/leadership/council/media/mailing/annualreport2012.pdf

Minutes of 205th Alumni Council Meeting
http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/leadership/council/sessions/MinutesofPastSessions

Photos from 205th Alumni Council Meeting
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dartmouth_alumni_events/sets/72157628380904377/

Alumni Council Website
http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/leadership/council

Alumni Relations Website
http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/

Alumni Awards Website
http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/awards

Vox the Vote election Website
www.voxthevote.com

Strategic Planning Website
http://strategicplanning.dartmouth.edu/

 

Orschel June 2012
Dear Members Class of 1961,

Over the weekend of May 17, 2012, I attended the 204th meeting of the Dartmouth Alumni Council as your representative. 

As you know, the Alumni Council reports to the Trustees on an on-going basis to facilitate communication between the College and the Alumni. 

To that end, I encourage you to communicate your questions to me: 
aorschel@sbcglobal.netIf I cannot answer the question, the Alumni Council has the resources to do so, and I will let you know their response.

Some informal observations:

1. Trustees


Trustees Mort Kondracke '60, Steve Mandel '78 and William Helman IV '80 spent an hour with us at our Saturday session. They identified their near-term objectives, namely: 

A. Presidential Search
B. Complete the Strategic Initiative
C. "Move the Social Norms" (For a facet of this problem, see The Rolling Stone April 12, 2012 issue.)
D. Be Responsible to and for the Environment

The entire complement of Trustees plans to hold many informal meetings with the Alumni and other constituencies affiliated with Dartmouth. These encounters are not confined to the Presidential Search time period.

2. Presidential Search

A search firm has been selected and a broad based search committee has been appointed. It is anticipated that the selection will be made by December 31, and the new president will be on Campus by the end of June 2013. President Kim will leave Dartmouth by June 31, 2012.

3. President Kim

He discussed with us the interaction of pedagogy, scholarship and engagement at Dartmouth and the roles that Presidents Tucker, Kemeny and Dickey played in fostering them. President Kim maintains that Dartmouth exemplifies excellence in these three traditions.

4. Health Care Delivery

The College now offers (since July 2011) a degree in the field of Master of Health Care Delivery Services. The program for the current school year involves fifty students whose average age is 45; the tuition for the 18-month program approximates $90,000. The curriculum comprises 15 courses and features interactive learning.

5. Enrollment Facts and Figures: the Student/Faculty Perspective

Meredith Braz, Registrar, and Nancy Marion, Associate Dean, Faculty for the Social Sciences shared with us the following:

A. Popular Majors:
  • Social Sciences 50%
  • Humanities 20%
  • Science 20%
  • Miscellaneous 10%
B. Categories of Seniors' Majors in order of Popularity:
  • Economics (30 Professors teach Economics)
  • Government, Psychology and Brain Science, History English and Biology

6. Facts and Figures—from the perspective of Dean Michael Mastanduno, Dean of Faculty Arts and Sciences 

Dean Mastanduno advised us that there are 425 Faculty members; 200 Visiting or Adjunct Faculty; 40 Departments; 8-1 Student/Faculty ratio. He stressed the growing importance of Faculty who teach and research. The recruitment and retention of Faculty who possess both attributes is challenging as other colleges share the same objective. The teacher employment market currently favors teachers. When Dean Mastanduno graduated from college, he obtained a salary but no perks. Today, there are at least 30 perks available to teachers in the employment process. Dean Mastanduno's current wish list is for a 20% (80) increase in Faculty. 

7. Miscellaneous

A. Michael Arad '91, architect of the World Trade Center Memorial, spoke about the evolution of its design. The Memorial is captioned "Reflecting Absence."

B. Theodor Geisel '25 who created the Dr. Seuss books, provided money for the medical school along with his wife. The school was renamed on May 18th as the Audrey and Theodore Geisel School of Medicine, and the commemoration of this event included a dedication celebration attended by the Alumni Council.

Alan

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January 2012
Dear Members of the Class of 1961:

Over the weekend of December 1-3, 2011 I attended, as your representative, the 203rd meeting of the Dartmouth Alumni Council.

As you know, the Alumni Council reports to the trustees on an ongoing basis to facilitate communication between the College and its Alumni.

To that end I encourage you to communicate your questions to me by e-mail at: aorschel@sbcglobal.net. If I cannot answer your question the Alumni Council has the resources to do so and I will let you know their response.

Some Informal Observations:

1. President Kim and Harry Sheehy, Director of Athletics and Recreation
Harry Sheehy shared the following with us at a meeting of his program entitled: "Peak Performance: Fostering Physical, Intellectual and Personal Growth in the Dartmouth Athlete."

Specifically, he told us about a phone call he had received from President Kim one Friday afternoon asking what Harry was doing that evening. Harry said "nothing; my wife is going to be out of town. I think I'll take it easy." So Kim told Harry that they were going to watch a local high school game that Friday night. Kim and Harry sat together throughout the entire game. At its conclusion Kim asked Harry what he was doing Saturday morning and Harry stated "nothing." Kim then said "we're going to play golf." That was fine for Harry until Kim added "I'll pick you up at 4:00 a.m." Harry responded that this was entirely too early and "neither of us could see anything." Kim responded with "we'll tee up and wait until the sun comes out."

2. Alumni Award Presentation
(a) Pete Bleyler received his distinguished Alumni Award at a dinner during our Reunion. In the meantime, the Certificate has been posted in Alumni Hall for all to see.
(b) The December 2011 winners were David Eichman ('82), Susan Finegan ('85) and Curtis Welling ('71, '77 TU). Their achievements were extraordinary.
3. "Downtown Hanover" Hotel Accommodations

The December 3rd weekend was also the last weekend that The Hanover Inn would be available until commencement 2012. The Inn is going through significant modifications, renovations, and improvements.

The newest "downtown" accommodation is the hotel at Sixth South Street. It comprises approximately 70 rooms. It features a modern interior. Since I was in Hanover for three nights in December I spent two at the Inn and the third at the Sixth South Street facility. The rooms at the latter are priced significantly lower than at The Hanover Inn.

4. Visual Arts Center

The Visual Arts Center footprint is between the Hanover Inn and Hopkins Center. It is to be a four story building.

5. Diversity

This continues to be an issue at many levels. One problem is obtaining and retaining faculty, advisers, and counselors. Many such people will accept an offer at the College but then after several months, on campus, they receive an offer from another school or entity and therefore stable staffing is very difficult.

6. The Non Silo Approach

There are several over arching objectives or programs being advanced by President Kim. One is the Dartmouth Strategic Plan. The other is the Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Service. Both operate on separate tracks and the two programs are in their second year.

What is unique about both programs is the concerted attempt undertaken to broaden the number of participants, the number of departments, the number of divisions, the number of programs and input from people with different perspectives and positions with respect to the two major programs. The benefit of this "cross selling" (as contrasted to the "Silo Approach") is enormous.

Alan

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May 2011 Alumni Council Report

July 1, 2011

TO: Members of the Class of 1961

FROM: Alan R. Orschel

Over the weekend of May 19-21 I attended, as our Class Representative, the 202nd Meeting of the Dartmouth Alumni Council. The 203rd meeting will be held in December 2011.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Council, here is a snapshot:

The Council comprises about 125 Alumni; approximately 90 attended. We meet twice a year in Hanover (May and December). Council members, who serve a 3 year term, represent Alumni by class, organization, affiliated Alumni Groups, and regions. As a councilor, I serve on the Academic Affairs Committee.

The Alumni Council reports to the trustees on an ongoing basis to facilitate communication between the College and its Alumni. To that end I encourage you to communicate your questions, concerns and ideas to me by e-mail (aorschel***sbcglobal.net). If I cannot answer your question the Alumni Council has resources to do so. I will let you know their response.

The detailed report of the three day conclave can be found below my remarks. It encapsulates the material better than I can, therefore I will not attempt to compete.

1. We had the opportunity to attend a significant number (over 100) classes in session. Nora and I attended a German language class.

2. We also attended a break-out meeting on diversity on the campus. The issues are far broader than the diversity issues that the College attempted to foster 54 years ago. It is a multi-level and multi-faceted topic. The College and the students are focused on continuing to improve these challenges.

3. One facet of that (diversity) was the support services provided to students. Without detailing its significant components, the College is still struggling with support services in much the same way that was personified by my freshman counselor, Paul Zeller, maestro of the Glee Club. I knew more about my major than he did; I certainly knew a lot less about singing than Paul did! The College is trying to address the issue by splitting the problem into parts and then dealing with the components. In addition, supplemental staff is being employed.

4. One of the issues our group was challenged to address was the issue with respect to reunion formats. This was not an invitation to critique our wonderful reunion but to evaluate all parts of the reunion process. For example, should we abolish the weekend reunions of about ten classes? Should we hold reunions in the fall? Should we make them a one day event? If you have ideas or suggestions about any facet of the reunions please share those with me and I will pass them on to the Alumni Council.

Thank you.

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Report from the 202nd Alumni Council Meeting
May 19–21, 2011
By Debbie Atuk Tu’04 and Sarah Jackson-Han ’88

In recent years, the Alumni Council Communications Committee has provided an account of each Alumni Council meeting that councilors can use to convey to their constituents a sense of what we saw and heard. This report was written by Debbie Atuk Tu'04 and Sarah Jackson-Han '88.

Report

This was the 202nd meeting of the Dartmouth Alumni Council. In 1913, Ernest Martin Hopkins formed the council to guide and support Dartmouth Alumni Relations. The mission of the Alumni Council now is to sustain a fully informed, representative, and engaged exchange of information and sentiment between the alumni and the College, and to enhance and inspire alumni involvement that furthers the mission of the College.

This report is meant to complement the wealth of information—about this council meeting and alumni affairs in general—available on the Office of Alumni Relations Website. If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to save this address among your “favorites.”

The Elevator Talk

Alumni Council meetings provide a plethora of information on a broad range of topics. This is a bullet point summary. See below for expanded information.

  • President Jim Yong Kim '82a addressed the councilors on Friday focusing on three topics:

    innovation at the College, student health, and student life.

    • Martha Beattie '76 attended the session in her new role as vice president for Alumni Relations.
    • Tom Daniels '82 gave an update from the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee, which he chairs.
    • Alumni Council election results were announced. Danielle Dyer '81 Tu'89 will become president of the Alumni Council and Marty Lempres '84 will be the president-elect. Regina Glocker '88 and Jennifer Avellino '89 will join the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee. Alan Barstow '75 was elected to the Alumni Liaison Committee.
    • Mark Davis '81 Tu '84 was appointed to the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee and John Walters '62 was appointed to the Alumni Liaison Committee.
    • Dean of Faculty, Arts & Sciences, Michael Mastanduno reflected on his first year, gave a preview of the upcoming curriculum review, and answered questions from the floor.
    • Carrie Pelzel '54a, senior vice president for Advancement, presented on “Reimagining Reunions at Dartmouth.”
    • Campus tours provided alumni with the opportunity to visit new athletic facilities, the transformation of Thayer Dining Hall into the new Class of 1953 Commons, as well as the Rauner Library Special Collections, the Hood Museum, and the fabled underground steam tunnels.
    • Alumni were invited to formally visit with students to discuss a topic of their interest. Topics included the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network (DEN), off-campus programs, high-risk drinking, diversity, and the Dartmouth Outing Club (DOC).
    • Dartmouth College Trustees Peggy Tanner '79 and Bill Helman '80 made a presentation from the Board of Trustees that focused on College finances and student life.
    • We “met” the Class of 2015 when Maria Laskaris '84, dean of admissions and financial aid, gave us an update on admissions, noting a 19-percent increase in applications from the previous year.
    • Councilors had an opportunity to return to the classroom on Friday morning to attend an undergraduate class.
    • A delightful panel of students involved with community service shared what their experiences have been, how they got involved, and what it has meant to them.

    Alumni Council President Tom Peisch '70 opened the 202nd Alumni Council and noted that 90 percent of our 125 alumni councilors were present. He introduced the newest councilor, Gordon Campbell '70, the former premier of British Columbia. Senior Vice President for Advancement Carrie Pelzel introduced new Vice President for Alumni Relations Martha Beattie '76, former president of the Alumni Council and magna cum laude graduate of Dartmouth’s first four-year class to matriculate women. Beattie has had a 30-year career as a math teacher, crew coach, and volunteer leader and board member for a range of charities and schools. “We can get even better—we will need all of you and all your ideas to do this,” she said. The vice president for Alumni Relations is charged with strengthening connections with Dartmouth's 71,000 alumni and engaging them in the life of the College.

    Tom Daniels '82, Chair, Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee

    Councilors received an update on the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee from Tom Daniels. Tom reviewed the alumni trustee nomination process the committee undertook to select the candidates for the most recent election for the two alumni-nominated trustee vacancies, including its working agenda and timeline. Tom also listed the incoming councilors who will join the Alumni Council on July 1, 2011, to represent classes, regions, affiliated groups, professional schools/programs, and other constituencies.

    As of this April, Dartmouth alumni nominated two new alumni trustees to the board and elected a new Association of Alumni Executive Committee. Approximately 15.5 percent of the Dartmouth alumni body participated in the election. New trustees are Gail Koziara Boudreaux '82 and Bill Burgess '81, who joined the board on June 12, 2011, following Commencement ceremonies. More about Nominating Committee procedures is available online.

    Conversation with President Kim

    Next on the agenda, President Kim made a presentation based on feedback that was solicited from the Alumni Council in advance of the meeting. In his address, he discussed three topics: innovation at the College, student health, and student life.

    “We want to be the place where entrepreneurial scholars come because we’re going to be friendlier than any other institution” in supporting their ideas and bringing them to fruition, he said. Both tradition and innovation are essential.

    “Every year we want Dartmouth to be responsible for a fundamental innovation in higher education,” he said, such as the Center for Health Care Delivery Science and a broad effort to address high-risk drinking. President Kim cited new Dartmouth research showing that exercise in adolescents doubles the amount of time during which they remember data. Involvement in athletics therefore reinforces learning.

    President Kim also discussed new initiatives aimed at supporting first-year students through mentoring, and other programs that demonstrate Dartmouth’s understanding of what students need to succeed. On student health, he identified five critical areas: high-risk drinking, sexual assault, depression, tobacco use, and eating disorders. The College must focus on creating opportunities for healthy social interactions and keep those initiatives that work.

    Dartmouth
    s aspirations are:

    • Global leadership in teaching;
    • Cutting-edge interdisciplinary research;
    • Enhanced leadership in higher education;
    • Tackle sustainability;
    • An alumni network unlike any other; and
    • To be the institution of choice for the best faculty, students, and staff.

    Reflections on the Arts and Sciences with Dean of Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Michael Mastanduno

    According to Dean Mastanduno, the quality of the Dartmouth student body is simply too good to listen passively. It is his opinion that Dartmouth students want to be part of the process—they want to be active learners and researchers in their own right. It is Dartmouth’s responsibility, then, to create the environment to foster those aspirations.

    Mastanduno is finishing his first year as dean of faculty. His first year was clearly affected by the severe budget cuts and constraints that the College has had to implement. Mastanduno appreciates President Kim’s approach—that of facing the problem head on, trying to solve it as quickly as possible, while trying to maintain the core values of the institution, and then moving on to other things. Mastanduno says Provost Carol Folt’s launch of a strategic planning initiative is the signal to move ahead.

    Dean Mastanduno commented, “We have gone from 350 to 415 faculty during the course of a decade. This has allowed us to do so much more both on the teaching side and on the research side.” Dartmouth teaches between 1,500 and 2,000 courses, in 40 departments and programs, and student demand for social science courses is high. Mastanduno said he planned to gather faculty soon to review the curriculum and arts and sciences programs. The graduate schools have also adapted some graduate courses for undergraduates, such as a class on strategic decision-making in a liberal arts context.

    Reimagining Reunions with Carrie Pelzel, Senior Vice President for Advancement

    At the 201st alumni council session in December, Carrie Pelzel presented an overview of the new Advancement division to the council. Throughout this, the 202nd session, the alumni were informed, directly or indirectly, of the progress on some of these initiatives, such as building the team and reimagining the reunion experience.

    Build the team: Three key searches are being brought to a close (vice presidents for Alumni Relations, Development, and Communications). Martha Beattie has been hired as the vice president for Alumni Relations. Two announcements followed the session completion for vice president for Development and vice president for Communications. Roderic (Roddy) Olvera Young has been appointed vice president for Communications. Tom Herbert was named vice president for Development.

    Reimagining Reunions: Carrie Pelzel noted that between 2,200 and 2,400 alumni—or about 23 percent of reunion-class alumni—attend reunions every year. Although other Ivy League universities tabulate results slightly differently, their reunion yields range from 14 percent to 35 percent. Staff found that the classes with the lowest reunion turnout have had consistently low turnout at every reunion. In general, alumni return in larger numbers for their fifth reunions but drop off as their professional and personal obligations expand; turnout rises again several decades later. Pelzel offered the following ideas to consider for reunions:

    • Saturday all-day programming;
    • Saturday evening spectacular event;
    • Creative fun;
    • Venues for affiliations other than classes;
    • Life-changing lectures or experiences; and
    • Address by the president.

    At subsequent focus groups, we brainstormed about potential reunion programming ideas and considered whether clustering reunion classes should continue, whether the College might subsidize more of reunions to reduce cost, and how to schedule reunion activities around shared interests. One group recommended scheduling activities geared toward life stages, such as seminars on returning to the workforce after a hiatus to care for children or parents, or on how to reinvent ourselves post-retirement.

    Remarks by Trustee Jeff Immelt '78

    General Electric CEO and Dartmouth Trustee Jeff Immelt was the keynote speaker on Saturday night. Deborah Klenotic covered Mr. Immelt's remarks to the alumni in her article for the alumni website, “ ‘Truly the Big Green’: Alumni Council Explores Dartmouth's Reach in 202nd Session.”

    Update from the Board of Trustees: Peggy Tanner '79 and Bill Helman '80

    Dartmouth Trustees Peggy Tanner and Bill Helman made the presentation from the Board of Trustees with their comments focused on the College finances and student affairs. Topics covered included the following:

    • Helman reflected on the strategic approach that Dartmouth took to closing the budget gap.
    • Regarding board membership, Helman said, “We’re trying to get the best managers to make the decisions for us and be broadly diversified to get the best long-term returns.”
    • Tanner discussed Provost Carol Folt’s strategic planning initiative and commented on the work of the board's Student Affairs Committee.

    Meet the Class of 2015: An Admissions Update by Maria Laskaris, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid

    Dean Laskaris said that the number of applicants has more than doubled since 2005—from 10,000 to about 22,000. Some 2229 applicants were admitted this year, which is about 9.7 percent of the applicant pool. The Admissions Office is focusing its messaging on Dartmouth’s affordability and accessibility, and it considers applicants based on their substantive commitments, in addition to academic excellence.

    Historically, the yield for accepted students is about 50 percent “and there’s an awful lot we do to make sure applicants take a hard look at Dartmouth,” she said. “Admissions uses phone calls, alumni clubs, Facebook, email…to convince them to come; this year they tried more videos, online chats, and now Spanish- and Chinese-language chats.”

    Laskaris then showed a video, about a unique student who was just accepted. “We are steadfastly committed to a need-blind admissions process…there are only a handful of institutions that are committed to this,” she said.

    Community Service Student Panel

    Councilors enjoyed a student panel called “’Round the Girdled Earth,” in which the following panelists spoke about their community service involvement:

    Wills Begor '12 volunteers as a member of the Dartmouth Ski Patrol, is an active member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and is a James O. Freedman Presidential Scholar in the economics department. About 18 months ago, Wills co-founded a nonprofit, Project RightChoice, that promotes leadership development through the framework of social action. In its first year of operation, Project RightChoice raised $104,000 for the Fisher House Foundation and its work on behalf of our nation’s wounded veterans and their families. To date in 2011, Project RightChoice has raised more than $20,000 for Water.org in order to provide clean water and sanitation facilities to communities in Haiti and Ethiopia.

    Emily Broas '11 is currently the student director of education programs at the Tucker Foundation, where she advises school outreach projects that address literacy, college awareness, in-school mentoring, and English language tutoring. She has also volunteered with the Summer Enrichment at Dartmouth program as an academic coach and has chaired the STAR Mentoring program for teenagers dealing with chronic health issues and disabilities.

    Ahra Cho '11 has worked closely with the Tucker Foundation, leading an alternative spring break trip to New Orleans, working as a Dartmouth Partners in Community Service intern at the Children’s Advocacy Center, and volunteering as a Tucker Fellow in rural Ghana. Currently, she is the chair of Students Fighting Hunger and works at the Tucker Foundation as the student director of the Alternative Spring Break Program.

    Mayuka Kowaguchi '11
    has been involved in service at Dartmouth through ASPIRE as a trained mentor to children on the autism spectrum and as philanthropy chair for her sorority. Most recently, she coordinated the Dartmouth for Japan initiative, the student effort to raise money and awareness for the Tohoku earthquake in Japan.

    Ahmad Nazeri '11 is an undergraduate advisor, a member of Beta Alpha Omega, and has served as the chair of America Reads and as the president of Al-Nur, the Muslim Student Association. He currently serves as the student director of Tucker Foundation. Additionally, he has participated in various activities at Tucker, including leading an alternative spring break trip to San Francisco this past spring. Following the spring break trip, he completed an off-term, Tucker-funded internship at the Refugee and Immigration Services in Richmond, where he helped refugee students with homework and developing reading skills. Next year, he will be teaching high school social studies in Baltimore through Teach for America and he hopes to pursue a career in education.

    Committee Reports

    Committees meet at least once during the Alumni Council session. Each committee then presents a verbal report to the council at the end of the session and submits a written report soon after the session disperses.

    Committees include: Academic Affairs, Alumni Awards, Athletics, Communications, Enrollment and Admissions, Honorary Degrees, Student Affairs,Young Alumni, and Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award. Additionally, there is an Executive Committee, a Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee, and a committee that liaises with the trustees: the Alumni Liaison Committee (ALC). Committees often work throughout the year, not just during Alumni Council sessions. The ALC and the Executive Committee have monthly meetings.

    The ALC’s 2010–11 annual report to the Dartmouth Board of Trustees is in the process of being drafted and will be presented later this year. A link to last year’s report is available online.

    The chairs of all committees presented verbal summaries of their respective committee meetings. Full reports on the meetings will be posted on the Alumni Council website.

    Open Microphone

    Deborah Atuk, Native American Alumni Association of Dartmouth representative, suggested that a committee at the Alumni Council level be formed in order to address minority faculty recruiting and retention. Chief of Staff David Spalding '76 responded to the suggestion from the floor and Danielle Dyer, president-elect, said the issue would be discussed by the executive committee.


    Relevant Links

    The ALC's 2009–10 annual report to the Dartmouth Board of Trustees

    Nominating Committee Report

    For more information on trustee initiatives, read “Visible and Accessible,” an interview with board chair Steve Mandel '78, on priorities for the board


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    January 2011 Alumni Council Report

    Dear Members of the Class of 1961,

    Over the weekend of December 2, I attended, as your representative, the 201st meeting of the Dartmouth Alumni Council.

    For those of you unfamiliar with the Council, here is a snapshot:

    The Council comprises about 125 alumni; approximately 90 attended. We meet twice a year in Hanover; the next conclave will be about three weeks before our 50th. Council members, who serve a three-year term, represent alumni by class, organization, affiliated Alumni Groups, and regions. As a Councilor, I serve on the Academic Affairs Committee.

    The Alumni Council reports to the trustees on an ongoing basis to facilitate communication between the College and the Alumni.

    To that end, I encourage you to communicate your questions and concerns to me by e-mail: aorschel***sbcglobal.net If I cannot answer your question, the Alumni Council has the resources to do so. I will let you know their response.

    Two current trustees attended the meetings: Sherri Oberg (1982, Tuck 1986) and Brad Evans (1964). Trustee candidates, Gail K. Boudreaux (1982), and Bill Burgess (1981), attended and spoke to the Council.

    Pete Bleyler, my predecessor, and Ivar Jozus, representative of the Class Treasurers, were the other ‘61s present. The minutes of our organization’s activities in early December are included at the end of this memo, and are identified as the Report of the 201st Alumni Council Meeting.

    My thoughts on the Meeting are as follows: I believe the College has been invigorated significantly in the past two years and continues to be a place of passion and excellence. The leadership of President Jim Yong Kim; Dean of the College Sylvia Spears; Provost Carol Folt; the presentations made by the proposed trustees, Gail and Bill; the current trustees, Brad Evans (1964) and Sherri Oberg (1982 Tuck 1986); the women’s Lacrosse coach (finishing her l7th year); and others together comprise a formidable team.

    The person who most embodies the new spirit, passion, purpose and excellence is Harry Sheehy. He is an exceptionally articulate speaker. He reminds me of Lou Holtz, Notre Dame’s football coach in the 1980’s. At that time, I took a colleague to a black-tie dinner at which Holtz was the featured speaker. Holtz concluded his remarks shortly before 10 PM. My partner was so charged up, he went back to our office to work!

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    Report from the 201st Alumni Council Meeting

    This report is meant to complement the wealth of information—about this council meeting and alumni affairs in general—available on the Office of Alumni Relations Website. If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to save this address among your “favorites.”
    The Elevator Talk

    Alumni Council meetings provide a plethora of information on a broad range of topics. This is a bullet point summary. See below for expanded information.

    • Approximately 75 percent of undergraduate students participate in athletics.
    • In the past six months, two student-presidential committees have begun meeting to address issues related to undergraduate alcohol consumption/harm reduction and sexual assault. The committees have conducted research and made concrete recommendations to improve student safety on campus.
    • Gail Koziara Boudreaux ’82 and Bill Burgess ’81 were approved as the two alumni-nominated trustee candidates.
    • With the upcoming 250th anniversary, the College is formally engaged in the process of strategic planning.
    • The College’s budget forecast continues to improve and is on track for a budget surplus by fiscal year 2011.

    Alumni Council President Tom Peisch ’70 Introduces Director of Athletics and Recreation Harry Sheehy

    Athletics was the theme for Thursday’s dinner. According to Tom Peisch ’70, athletics is part of the heart and soul of Dartmouth. In fact, 75 percent of undergraduate students participate in athletics. In keeping with this theme, councilors were seated with coaches. Peisch introduced Dartmouth’s new director of athletics and recreation Harry Sheehy. Sheehy started his new job in August 2010.

    Keeping Students Safe: An Overview by Acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears

    Dean Spears emphasized a sense of urgency to make campus programs stronger and more effective. The major goal is harm reduction: reducing the likelihood that students will get into dangerous situations. She wants to provide incentives for good decision-making, minimize the incidence of excessive alcohol intake, and provide ready access to help

    In the past six months, two student-presidential committees have been formed on alcohol/harm reduction and sexual assault. Both committees have conducted research and benchmarking and presented recommendations to President Kim and Dean Spears. An administrative review has also addressed both areas. (See links at the end of this report to The Dartmouth online for related articles.)

    Statistically, Dartmouth is on par with peer institutions in the numbers of students who participate in heavy or binge drinking. The good news is that there is a growing community of students who identify themselves as light drinkers or nondrinkers. However, a trend that has emerged is “pre-gaming,” or drinking before a party begins, often by drinking hard alcohol within residence halls. The dean’s office is working with residence education to reduce this behavior.

    In 2005, the College instituted a harm reduction program called the Good Samaritan policy. Under this policy, anyone who has consumed too much alcohol, or anyone concerned about another student who has consumed too much alcohol, can make a call to Safety & Security to seek medical assistance without facing punitive action. Since this policy has been instituted, calls to Safety & Security have increased, strongly suggesting that students are calling sooner for help.

    Increased training for student groups emerged as a recurring theme in this presentation. Students need concrete skills such as conflict management in dealing with intoxicated people whom they know they should keep out of a party. They need to know what to do when something goes wrong at a party—and they need to learn from such incidents to ensure they don’t happen again.

    In addition, a sexual assault committee, comprising women and men, is actively working with students, faculty, and staff to increase education on this topic.

    Panel Presentation

    Members of this panel, moderated by Dean Spears, included Harry Kinney, director of Safety & Security; Judy Doherty, Hanover selectboard member; J.B. Daukas ’84, chair, Ad Hoc Committee to Support Greek Letter Organizations; and Max Yoeli ’12.

    Max Yoeli ’12 serves as a student co-chair of the Student and Presidential Alcohol Harm Reduction Committee. He is a fraternity social chair and a member of the Dartmouth College-Town of Hanover Joint Task Force.

    The joint task force has taken on the task of producing two videos. The first completed video, produced by Dartmouth’s Student Assembly and the Town of Hanover, is titled “Homecoming in a Word.” The message of the video, according to Dean Spears was “have fun, be aware of your surroundings, take care of your community, and take care of each other.” There are plans for a second video to provide students who have been sexually assaulted with all the information they need to get help. The county prosecutor and the police department have been helpful with this project.

    Daukas restated the purpose of the Ad Hoc Committee to Support Greek Letter Organizations: to help sororities, fraternities, and co-ed organizations to endure and thrive. A full report of the committee’s findings is on the Alumni Council Website.

    Four subcommittees have formed with the tasks of increasing alumni involvement, increasing faculty involvement, improving physical plants, and conducting long-range planning including trying to get more sorority houses on campus. This committee is particularly focused on re-invigorating or creating an alumni advisory board for each Greek house. They are also seeking alumnae to adopt sororities as the presence of sororities on campus is relatively new.

    Dean Spears asked panel members for their opinions on the challenges that the College faces on these issues:

    Harry Kinney – “There is more open dialogue than ever. The challenge is maintaining momentum. Keep the dialogue going. Every four years there is a complete turnover of students. Keep students engaged to make Dartmouth a safer place.” One of the positive outcomes of the dialogue is the response that the Hanover police has to the “Good Sam” calls. There has been a dramatic increase in Good Sam calls to Safety & Security. In the past, the police followed ambulances to Dartmouth-Hitchcock and issued citations under the New Hampshire “possession by consumption” law. Now, if the student has no prior record, Hanover police give the student a pamphlet and refer him or her to diversion (alcohol education). If the student enrolls in diversion within seven days, no arrest occurs.

    Max Yoeli ’12 – “Students recognize this [joint task force] is very preliminary, but it is very promising. These are student problems and require a student-based solution. There is a need for the administration to pave the way. GLOs shoulder a lot of responsibility. They need support.” He also suggested that the College put comparable funding in place to counsel and advise young men as it does to counsel young women. Otherwise, he said, the task of defining “what is masculinity” and how to think about women at Dartmouth would fall on the shoulders of the fraternities. He suggested that increased advising for men on campus would nip harmful gender dynamics in the bud.

    J.B. Daukas ’84 – Over the last three years the Hanover police have arrested 212 Dartmouth students for alcohol-related offenses—more than all other Ivy institutions combined. New Hampshire’s “possession by consumption” law allows students to be arrested if they have ingested any alcohol.

    Judy Doherty responded to Daukas, saying that the task force is discussing the unintended consequences of the “possession by consumption” policy. Collaboration between the town and the College has exposed the magnitude of resources already being deployed by Dartmouth to address these [alcohol-related] problems, she said, describing this as a tremendous first step. The committee membership now includes approximately 30 people.

    Presentation of 2011 Alumni-Nominated Trustee Candidates

    Tom Daniels ’82, chair, presented an overview of the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee and the extensive process the committee undertakes to present qualified and willing candidates to the council.

    According to Daniels, the Nominating Committee membership is diversified by class year, undergraduate and alumni experience, and profession. Committee members represent seven classes over four decades. The median graduating year of the group is 1981. Committee members with diverse undergraduate experience provide windows into the spectrum of undergraduate experience that exists on campus: fraternities, sororities, sports, senior societies, and campus organizations. The range of professional experience on the committee brings a critical eye and judgment necessary for reviewing potential candidates. The committee represents a broad range of alumni experience as well. The committee members have served the College as class, club, and affiliated group presidents; DEDs, DCF fundraisers, and College interviewers. The committee is comprised of six men and two women.

    The objective of the Nominating Committee is to conduct a vetting process that is broad-based, thorough, rigorous, discreet, and independent. Their aim is to attract the strongest possible candidates who understand the enormous complexity of the institution. To this end, the search criteria for alumni-nominated trustee candidates include:

    • Understanding of board dynamics
    • Accretive skill set
    • Broad appeal
    • Credibility
    • Willingness to run
    • Passion and energy directed toward Dartmouth

    During the fall, the committee reviews and prioritizes nominees, conducts reference checks, and narrows the candidate pool. In any given year, there is a pipeline of 500-1,000 qualified candidates

    Following the 2010 November deadline, 10 to 15 high-priority prospects were targeted. Seven were invited to interview in New York in eight-on-one sessions, after submitting written answers to questions prepared by the committee. Finally, the committee selected and presented two nominees to the Alumni Council for approval. The committee’s recommendations for the two open alumni-nominated trustee vacancies are Gail Koziara Boudreaux ’82 and Bill Burgess ’81.

    Gail Koziara Boudreaux ’82

    Gail Koziara Boudreaux ’82 has more than 25 years of experience in health care and business at the management and board level. She is recognized as one of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes, and one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business by Fortune.

    Boudreaux holds an MBA, finance and health care administration, from Columbia Business School. Originally from Chicopee, Massachusetts, Boudreaux is married, has two sons, and is a resident of Lake Forest, Illinois.

    Career highlights: Currently EVP, United Health Group and President, United Healthcare. Former EVP, Health Care Services and former President, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. Serves on the board of Genzyme, Chicago Executive Club, Chicago Field Museum, and America's Health Insurance Plans. Former board member, Metropolitan Planning Commission, Mid-America Club, and YWCA’s President Advisory Council.

    As a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame and Dartmouth’s Wearers of the Green, two-time All-American in basketball and track, and three-time Ivy League Player of the Year, Boudreaux is one of Dartmouth’s preeminent athletes. In fact, Boudreaux still holds 12 Dartmouth records, including all-time scoring and rebounding in women’s basketball.

    As a student, Boudreaux was a member of Fire & Skoal, Green Key, and DCAC. She was active with tutoring for Academic Support Program, and with Aquinas House and Shriner’s Hospital for Children. She has served as her class officer, as an Alumni Council representative, class and leadership agent, and admissions interviewer.

    Bill Burgess ’81

    With a career spanning more than 25 years in technology, venture capital, and corporate finance, Bill Burgess ’81 has extensive experience in corporate governance. He also has a strong commitment to education, the environment, and community service.

    Career highlights: Managing general partner, ABS Ventures. Previously, managing director and global head of Deutsche Bank Capital Venture Partners; vice chairman of Global Corporate Finance; global co-head of investment banking and head of technology investment banking, Alex Brown & Sons. Burgess is a board member of Adeptra, ClickSquared, and HighRoads; and previously served on the boards of PowerDsine (Microsemi) and Clearforest. He is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the New England Aquarium. He is also trustee and treasurer of St. Mark’s School. In the past, he has served as a board member for: The Nature Conservancy (MA), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Investment Committee), and St. Peter’s Church of Weston (treasurer).

    As a student, Burgess played football, lacrosse, and rugby. He was a member of Sphinx and Palaeopitus and served as president of Alpha Delta and the Inter-fraternity Council. As an alumnus he has served as his class president, alumni councilor, and chair of his reunion giving committee.

    Burgess earned an MBA at Harvard Business School, is married, and has five children. He resides in Weston, Massachusetts.

    Alumni Council Approves Alumni-Nominated Trustee Candidates

    The Alumni Council approved the alumni-nominated trustee candidates presented by the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee (89 approved, 1 abstained). The petition filing deadline is February 3, 2011. Five hundred alumni signatures are required to run by petition. The four-week election will take place from March 9 to April 6, 2011.

    Advancement Strategy, Your Critique and Ideas: Carrie Pelzel ’54a Senior Vice President

    Carrie Pelzel ’54a, senior vice president for Advancement, presented an overview of the new Advancement division to the council. Comprised of the activities of Public Affairs, Alumni Relations, Development, and Volunteer Leadership, the Advancement division’s goals are to raise Dartmouth’s reputation and visibility among key audiences, inspire alumni to make Dartmouth one of their highest priorities in life, make Dartmouth a vibrant and contributing force in the lives of her graduates, and raise the maximum dollars possible for the College’s priorities. She outlined the following recent initiatives of Advancement:

    • Build the team: 3 key searches (vice presidents of Alumni Relations, Development, and Public Affairs)
    • Analyze where current funds are spent
    • Integrate HR/finance functions
    • Build a model for strategic outreach
    • Add market research and marketing function
    • Create expectations about how people work together
    • Grow the DCF to meet SBRI targets
    • Reimagine the reunion experience
    • Launch alumni career and life development programs
    Faculty Lectures

    On Friday afternoon, councilors were able to attend one of three faculty lectures:

    Andrew Samwick, professor of economics and Rockefeller Center Director for Public Policy and the Social Sciences, presented a talk on the U.S. economy entitled “Timely, Targeted, and Temporary: Three Years of Stimulus and Bailouts.”

    Jennifer Lind, Assistant Professor of Government, lectured on “Succession and Stability in North Korea.”

    Marcelo Gleiser, professor of physics and astronomy, spoke on “The Philosophy of Everything: Being Human in an Imperfect Universe.”

    Dartmouth as Model of Innovation: President Kim’s Speech to Alumni Council

    President Kim presented to the council over dinner about Dartmouth’s “model of innovation.” He described it as the creation of “interdisciplinary structures to promote collaboration, close student-faculty contact, and diffusion of knowledge to effect change." Read more about the president’s speech on the Alumni Relations Website.

    Dartmouth Alumni Award Presented to Mary Thomson Renner ’82

    This year the Dartmouth Alumni Award went to Mary Thomson Renner ’82 for years of loyal service to her alma mater.

    New Horizons: A Vision in Strategy Update: Carol Folt ’78a, Provost, and Paul Argenti, Professor of Communications, Tuck School

    Provost Carol Folt ’78a and professor Paul Argenti of the Tuck School jointly presented on how the College is undertaking its strategic planning process on the heels of its reaccreditation. The recent change in leadership presents the perfect opportunity to evaluate where the institution is and where it wants to be in the future. In addition they spoke about how Dartmouth is affected by broader trends such as the general increase in opportunities for quality education throughout the globe. President Kim is looking at the capacity the institution has to change lives and advance leadership. He is looking ahead to the upcoming 250th anniversary and thinking about the next 250 years.

    The goal of this current session of strategic planning is to develop an action plan for the next 5-10 years that establishes the vision of the institution and positions it for leadership. The committee for strategic planning wants the process to be inclusive and for participants to be excited about the process. An advisory committee for strategic planning has been formed that includes members from the Thayer School of Engineering, the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth Medical School, and the Arts and Sciences in order to secure participation from all constituencies. Folt and Argenti also said that the committee will use social media to engage alumni to find out what ideas they have for the next 250 years of Dartmouth’s future.

    Trustee Presentation: Brad Evans ’64 and Sherri Oberg ’82, ’86Tu

    Trustees Evans and Oberg discussed proactive trustee outreach, gave an overview of various construction projects, welcomed new trustee Annette Gordon-Reed ’81 (who has replaced Al Mulley ’70, the new director of the Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science) and reported that the College is on track for a balanced budget. The Student Affairs committee is in the process of responding to the Alumni Council’s Ad Hoc Committee to Support Greek Letter Organizations report.

    Doing the Math: College Budget Report: Steven Kadish, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

    Fiscal Year 2010 was the first year in a three-year turnaround. The three main steps in this financial turnaround process were discovery, decision making, and implementation.

    Discovery refers to getting the numbers right and having a true understanding of the financial liabilities of the institution. The board is working toward getting all the numbers together and creating a single profit and loss statement.

    FY10 results and continued progress against budget improvement goals suggest that the projected budget for FY11 is achievable. The original projected budget gap for FY11 was $54 million. With the FY10 results and assumptions for FY11, the forecast now shows a $2.3 million surplus.

    Kadish emphasized the value of improving purchasing power by consolidating vendors. Read his memo to the faculty and staff here for more information on the amount of savings available to the College through savvy purchasing practices.

    The College budget committee expanded this past year and has identified opportunities for savings in different procurement categories.

    The Board of Trustees wants to get the endowment distribution back to where it’s historically been (4.5-5.0 percent) as quickly as possible. This year it was a little more than 7 percent, but will go down to 5.4 percent for FY11 and will continue to march down over the next couple of years. In addition, by evaluating employee benefits the committee created savings of about $9 million. A 5 percent return on the endowment was projected for FY10. However, the returns were better than forecasted and this flowed through the overall budget.

    Committee Reports

    The chairs of all committees presented verbal summaries of their respective committee meetings. Full reports on the meetings will be posted on the Alumni Council Website.

    Relevant Links

    Dean of the College Sylvia Spears on Alcohol Policies

    Nominating Committee Report

    Alumni Liaison Committee 2009–10 Annual Report to the Dartmouth Board of Trustees

    Committee to Support Greek Letter Organizations 2010 Report

    Strategic Budget Reduction and Investment

    For more information on trustee initiatives, read “Visible and Accessible,” an interview with board chair Steve Mandel ’78, on priorities for the board.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



This was the 201st meeting of the Dartmouth Alumni Council. In 1913, Ernest Martin Hopkins formed the council to guide and support Dartmouth Alumni Relations. The mission of the Alumni Council now is to sustain a fully informed, representative, and engaged exchange of information and sentiment between the alumni and the College, and to enhance and inspire alumni involvement that furthers the mission of the College.

 

 

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