Haldeman’s open letter on the Board’s composition

Chairman of Dartmouth’s Board of Trustees, Ed Haldeman ’70, has written the below letter, released today, to put the alumni at ease about the Governance Committee’s desire to alter the composition and structure of the Board. Read through his seemingly conciliatory letter, the questionnaire he mentions, and the Q&A on the Governance Process, and let us know your thoughts or any other questions you may have. The forthcoming issue of The Dartmouth Review (to be published in late July) will hopefully clarify some of the foggier areas of Dartmouth’s governance, and provide the transparency that you may be missing after you follow the above links.

A LETTER FROM CHARLES “ED” HALDEMAN JR. ’70,

CHAIR OF THE DARTMOUTH COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dear Fellow Alumni,

Several weeks ago, I wrote to you to let you know that the Governance Committee of Dartmouth’s Board of Trustees has undertaken a thorough review of both the composition of the Board as well as the means by which we choose new trustees. Today, I wanted to provide you with a quick update on where things stand with that process and also make sure you know how to ensure your voice is heard in this process.

The Governance Committee has sent questionnaires to trustees, emeritus trustees, and alumni leaders to solicit their views. A copy of the questionnaire is posted on the Dartmouth website at:

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2007/06/images/questionnaire.pdf

The Committee also has begun gathering information on best practices followed by other educational institutions and non-profit organizations.

To hear the views of as many Dartmouth alumni as possible, we also created a special page on the College website where you can provide any thoughts you have about the composition of the Board and the selection process for
trustees. You can find the page at:

http://www.dartmouth.edu/governancefeedback.

Already, we have heard from many alumni through this site – which I believe reflects our alumni’s deep commitment to, and passion for, Dartmouth.

Since we announced the review process earlier this month, members of the Governance Committee have had the opportunity to speak with alumni at Commencement, reunions, and other College functions. A number of topics and questions have repeatedly come up in those discussions, and I thought
it might be of interest to summarize the recurring issues, which I have done in the attached Q & A.

www.dartmouth.edu/~news/releases/2007/06/images/govQ&A7-9.pdf

As chair of the Board I intend to maintain an active dialogue with my fellow alumni. The Board is committed to communicating directly with you about critical issues facing the College, and we want to hear your views.

One of the highlights of my visit to Hanover in June was seeing the graduating seniors gather on the Dartmouth Green for Commencement. I could see on their faces not just pride about their accomplishment and anticipation about the future, but also a common bond that united them as a class. It reminded me once again what makes this College so special and why I believe it is so important to preserve that for future generations of students. All of our alumni are critical to that mission, so please let us know what you think.

Sincerely,

Ed Haldeman