Council President's Page

To all Dartmouth Alumni:

Thanks for taking the time to read this note and learn a bit more about the Alumni Council.  I’m excited about the opportunity to serve Dartmouth as president of the council this year, at a time of such great strength for the College on the hill.  Think of the accomplishments and recognition Dartmouth has earned of late — named No. 1 in undergraduate teaching by U.S. News (for the third consecutive year), at the forefront of a whole new field with the Center for Health Care Delivery Science, and leading the formation of the 32-college Learning Collaborative on High-Risk Drinking, to name a few.  Look around campus and see the beautiful new Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center or the impressive Black Family Visual Arts Center in construction.  At both undergraduate and graduate levels, Dartmouth students are uniformly impressive, way smart, and passionate about learning and the College, while faculty are accomplished, engaged, and committed to teaching and leading-edge research.

At the same time, Dartmouth is in the midst of real change.  We benefited from President Kim’s strong leadership and direction for three years, but are now working through a transition sooner than any of us expected, mid-way through a multi-year strategic planning process.  Dartmouth has made progress on important social life issues on campus and is addressing wellness challenges such as binge drinking.  

Against that backdrop of significant accomplishments, challenges, and change, I’d like to touch on the role of the council and some of what’s ahead of us this busy year.  The core mission of the Alumni Council 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.” Since its founding in 1913, the council has met more than 200 times to discuss current issues and potential actions surrounding Dartmouth.  

During 2012-13, the council will face a host of important tasks.  Let me highlight the work of a couple of council committees this year to give you some sense of the broader Alumni Council’s work.  The Alumni Liaison Committee, under the leadership of Danielle Dyer ’81, ’89Tu, is responsible for communicating alumni sentiment to the board of trustees and College administration.  The Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee, led by Pete Frederick ’65, will identify, screen, and recommend one or more candidates to fill the alumni-nominated trustee vacancy on the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees.  The Alumni Awards Committee, led by Missy Attridge ’77, and the Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award Committee, led by Beth Krakower ’93, will select outstanding alumni to honor with these prestigious Dartmouth Alumni Awards.  In addition to the work of the dozen or so committees, the council will meet in plenary session in November and again in May, with 125 councilors representing their classes or other constituencies joining in discussion with students, faculty, administrators, and other campus leaders about all things Dartmouth.

With a packed agenda ahead, I’m asking for your help with the council’s work.  The Alumni Council exists to strengthen communications and relations between the College and all alumni.  Please take the time to deepen your understanding of the College as it is today, and share your thoughts, opinions, and questions about Dartmouth with the councilor representing you on the Alumni Council.  Voicing your views and questions will help your councilor represent you and all constituents more effectively and advance the work of the council on behalf of Dartmouth.  

If you don’t know whom to contact with your perspectives or questions around Dartmouth, feel free to reach out to me directly at alumni.council@dartmouth.alum.org.  I’m honored to have the opportunity to serve Dartmouth as president of the Alumni Council.  Like you, I’m passionate about our College, and view it as a unique place and one of the world’s great academic institutions.  Thanks for your support of Dartmouth and the Alumni Council.

Marty Lempres ’84