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Trustee Chair Updates Community on Review Process

Charles E. Haldeman Jr. '70 reports on status of Governance Committee effort

The Governance Committee of the Dartmouth Board of Trustees is moving forward with its review of the Board's composition and method of selecting new Trustees. Newly appointed Chair Charles E. Haldeman Jr. '70 updated the College community recently in a letter sent to alumni. The full text of Haldeman's letter and other materials relating to the review are available.

Charles E. Haldeman Jr. '70

Haldeman noted that this Web site has been created to provide background and updates on the process, and is also the mechanism through which alumni can send their thoughts to the committee. He added that questionnaires seeking feedback from current Trustees, Trustees emeriti, and alumni leaders have also been sent.

Many alumni have already used the Web site to communicate with the committee, said Haldeman, and he invited others to continue to submit feedback.

"I wanted to provide an update on where things stand with this process and make sure that alumni are aware of how they can make their voices heard," said Haldeman in his July 9 letter. Noting that the committee has begun gathering information on best practices in governance from a wide variety of educational and nonprofit institutions, Haldeman said he believed that the feedback received so far "reflects our alumni's deep commitment to, and passion for, Dartmouth." Members of the Governance Committee also spoke with alumni at last month's Commencement exercises, at reunions, and at other Dartmouth events.

"As chair of the Board I intend to maintain an active dialogue with my fellow alumni," Haldeman wrote in his letter. He added that the Board of Trustees is committed to direct communication with alumni and others on important College matters and emphasized the two-way nature of that commitment. "We want to hear your views directly from you," Haldeman wrote.

The current review effort was announced in June, following the Trustees' meeting in Hanover. In a memo to the full Board, the Governance Committee noted that Dartmouth Trustees have assessed Board structure and effectiveness several times over the past 50 years. Among the changes recommended in one such review effort was the 2003 decision to gradually expand the Board from 16 to 22 members. "Since that time," the memo continued, "numerous questions have been raised about whether the size, makeup, and selection process best allow the College to seize the opportunities before it and to address the challenges it faces, both now and in the future. Concerns have also been expressed about whether the processes for nominating Alumni Trustees might be improved and whether there are alternatives that would better serve the interests of the College ... To enable Dartmouth to maintain a position of strength and preeminence, we believe it is incumbent upon the Board to consider these matters periodically to assure that the Board will have the necessary blend of talents, backgrounds, and interests to enhance its overall effectiveness."

By LAUREL STAVIS

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