Thursday, October 14

The 223rd session of the Dartmouth Alumni Council was held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the fourth virtual meeting of the Council in its 108-year existence. Alumni Council President Laurie Lewis Shapiro ’95 opened the meeting with a greeting and a preview of the meeting agenda. She applauded the efforts of the councilors and their committees during the pandemic. She described how there had been opportunities to gather sentiment and share information virtually over the course of the year. The Council continues to be a mechanism for taking the pulse of the alumni body.

Chair Rachel Bogardus Drew ’98 shared an update from the Alumni Liaison Committee (ALC). She detailed sentiment that councilors had received from their constituents in advance of the meeting. The most prevalent topics were administration, student life, and academics. Council leadership employs this sentiment to inform programming and shares it with the Board of Trustees. She encouraged councilors to continue engaging with their constituents across platforms, and to share feedback with the ALC.

Dartmouth is celebrating a Year of Connections in 2021-2022. Vice President for Alumni Relations Cheryl Bascomb ’82 thanked the councilors for their service to Dartmouth and shared that more than 18,000 alumni signed up for Alumni Relations programs during the pandemic, evidence that virtual offerings are appealing to alumni. Virtual programs allowed for the engagement of alumni who may not have otherwise been able to participate due to geography or time constraints. She challenged the Council’s committees to focus on bringing alumni off the sidelines. Homecoming was held on campus in early October—the first major on-campus alumni event in two falls, and many alumni traveled to Hanover to participate.

Vice President for Development Andrew Davidson gave an update on participation in The Call to Lead campaign. The campaign has an alumni participation goal of 60%. Currently, 58.4% have given. An alumnus/a is counted in this total with any gift, to any designation, at any one time during the campaign, which began in fiscal year 2015. A recent survey indicated that alumni awareness of the campaign has been consistently strong since 2018, with 81% of alumni expressing medium to high awareness in 2021. 66% of alumni felt they have a moderate or high understanding of how the campaign affects Dartmouth and its ability to create an impact on the larger world. Alumni are primarily hearing about the campaign and the impact of giving to the campaign via email from Dartmouth (76%) and the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine (61%). He challenged councilors to help raise awareness of the campaign and its impact.

The councilors participated in a discussion of how support for the mental health of students equips them to succeed at Dartmouth and learned of the expansion of mental health resources during the pandemic. Councilor Jhilam Biswas ’05, a psychiatrist, spoke to the prevalence of mental health concerns in college students nationwide. Mental health challenges have increased dramatically during the pandemic. Scott C. Brown, interim dean of the College, said that mental health is a top concern in student affairs, and 28% of Dartmouth students utilize mental health resources on campus. Their concerns include stress, anxiety, sleeping difficulties, and depression. Services to support these concerns have been expanded this year, with a 50% increase in counseling clinical staff and three additional suicide prevention specialists. Outreach and education are important tools that help to engage students in interactive screening and raise awareness of available resources, such as the Student Wellness Center. Residential life staff and faculty members are being trained to identify mental health issues and support students. Bryant Ford, associate dean for Community Life and Inclusivity, spoke to the unique challenges BIPOC students may face. Dartmouth’s student population is 5% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 22% Asian or Pacific Islander, 12% Black or African American, 12% Hispanic or Latinx, and 5% two or more races. Bryant commented that it is important for students to see themselves in those who support them. Of 15 members of the Counseling Center staff, 8 identify as BIPOC, 4 as LGBTQ, and 3 are international. All providers develop programming relationships throughout campus. 

Dr. Mark Reed, director of the Health Service, described Dartmouth’s partnership with the nationally recognized JED Foundation, a nonprofit that works to protect emotional health and promote suicide prevention for teens and young adults. Dartmouth is participating in the four-year signature JED Campus Program, which will guide the community through a comprehensive process of systemic and enduring change. Dartmouth is working to build an interdisciplinary campus team of students, faculty, and staff, including senior leadership, to guide this process and to conduct an institutional baseline assessment this fall. The JED student survey will be conducted this fall and repeated in year four to assess progress. The JED team will conduct site visits this winter and spring including meetings with working groups, senior leadership, and focus groups. The result will be the development and implementation of a strategic plan.

Next, councilors attended PINE Online, a virtual gathering where they networked with fellow councilors.

Friday, October 15

Councilors gathered for an Alumni Council lunch and social hour, hosted by committee chairs.

Friday’s plenary session kicked off with an update on admissions with Lee Coffin, vice provost for Enrollment and dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. He said that last year was historic for college admissions, and the last two admissions cycles have been unpredictable. Dartmouth has moved through a turbulent period successfully and the Class of 2025—all recruited and yielded virtually—has broken admissions records as the most selective class in Dartmouth’s history. 

Lee offered observations as to how normal admissions procedures were changed or erased during the pandemic. Admissions staff were not able to visit any schools. Demand for financial aid was the highest it has ever been. It became clear from this high demand, and from reports from the Common Application and peer institutions, that low-income, underrepresented students who needed aid and support the most were having a challenging time navigating college admission during the pandemic. Additional efforts were needed to reach them. Testing became optional because universal access to testing centers could not be guaranteed. Despite these factors, Dartmouth set a record for applications with a 33% increase. Early decision applications were up 29%. Overall, Dartmouth had its most selective year ever with a 6.17% admit rate and the highest yield in the College’s history at just over 70%. 

Lee described how the ability to offer a competitive program of financial aid allows Dartmouth to enroll the most talented students. He anticipates that need will continue to rise based on the last year of socioeconomic sea change. He shared his primary goal to create a community in Hanover that represents the world, that pulls together students from all ranges of backgrounds and places and brings them together to Dartmouth’s liberal arts community to build relationships and perspectives that allow them to leave Hanover and lead. 

Next the councilors participated in a discussion of three milestone 50th anniversaries in 2022: coeducation, establishment of the Native American Program, and creation of the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association (BADA). Cheryl Bascomb described institutional goals to commemorate the anniversaries and celebrate Dartmouth’s Black, Native and Indigenous, and alumnae communities. Each anniversary is different and the differences are reflected in who leads the planning for each one. Coeducation programming will be led by alumni volunteers and Alumni Relations. A kickoff event featuring female board chairs Susan Dentzer ’77, Laurel Richie ’81, and Liz Lempres ’83 TH’84 will take place virtually on November 9. The BADA commemoration will be led by volunteer officers of BADA, with support from Alumni Relations to help connect the institution and senior leaders to the programs planned and amplify alumni stories to the broader community. The lead event for the BADA commemoration will be a reunion in Hanover in May 2022. The Department of Native American and Indigenous Studies will lead the planning to commemorate the anniversary of the Native American Program, and Alumni Relations will support by connecting alumni to their programs and telling stories of Native American and Indigenous alumni. It is anticipated that many alumni and community members will gather in Hanover during Powwow on May 7-8, 2022.

Councilors watched an inspiring video about Powwow and video updates on coeducation from Jennifer Avellino ’89, chair of the Coeducation Anniversary Committee, and BADA from Adrienne “Tee” Lotson ’82 and Ricki Fairley ’78, the leaders of the BADA Reunion Planning Committee. They participated in a discussion of how to include the entire Dartmouth community in commemorating the anniversaries and ways that they can create opportunities to engage and reengage alumni who may have been disconnected from Dartmouth.

“On the Frontiers of New Knowledge: Students Take on Cystic Fibrosis” featured a discussion between Professor Bruce Stanton, the Andrew C. Vail Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Sam Neff ’21, and PhD candidate Lily Charpentier. Bruce, Sam, and Lily described their research in support of the development of therapeutics to treat cystic fibrosis. Professor Stanton’s lab is part of the academic cluster “Personalized Treatments for Cystic Fibrosis.” The Cluster Initiative is part of President Hanlon’s vision for academic excellence for Dartmouth. The clusters bring together interdisciplinary teams of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues. The speakers also reflected on the intergenerational community of learners at Dartmouth that allows for collaboration, mentorship, and innovation.

Next, many of the Council’s standing committees reported on their work, including Academic Affairs; Alumni Service; Enrollment & Admissions; Honorary Degrees; Professional Development; Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search, Alumni Awards, and New Alumni Engagement. 

The open forum commenced. Trustees Liz Lempres ’83 TH’84; Jeff Crowe ’78; and Hilary Tompkins ’90 shared updates from the Board of Trustees and fielded questions from the Council. Liz Lempres shared that one major priority for the Board is making sure the community stays safe and the College remains open. The pandemic created and revealed challenges such as increased mental health problems for students, housing in Hanover, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. She said that Dartmouth and the Board are creating solutions and strategies, in partnership with new leaders such as Senior Vice President and Senior Diversity Officer Shontay Delalue and Interim Dean of the College Scott Brown. 

Jeff Crowe serves on the Board’s Committee on Student Experience and Resources Committee. The Resources Committee deals with issues of finances and infrastructure. The Committee on Student Experience encompasses the full student experience including the graduate and professional schools, and it has been heavily focused on COVID-19 and its impact on students, including on their mental health. A recently created Student Liaison Committee, modeled on the Alumni Liaison Committee of the Council, will create pathways for communications between students and leadership. He observed that housing shortages in Hanover have been an issue since the implementation of the D-Plan in the ’70s. The Board approved an Infrastructure Renewal Fund that allows for a portion of the endowment to be dedicated to fund infrastructure and infrastructure improvements, including housing, energy, IT, and other needs. Andres and Zimmerman will be the first dorms to be renovated and that work is underway. The trustees are developing a multi-year plan for renewal and tackling issues such as the need to create additional swing spaces to allow for adequate housing during construction.

Next, Hilary Tompkins described the Board’s work on communications and diversity and inclusion. The stress of the pandemic has created a time for evaluation and reflection, and the need for clear, consistent, informative, and transparent communication. In an effort to increase communication, there are three new full-time staff positions dedicated to engagement with parents and families. “Community Conversations,” hosted by the provost and featuring guests from across campus, are an effort to provide helpful information and guidance to faculty, students, staff, families, and alumni. Hilary said Shontay Delalue is off to a strong start since joining the Dartmouth community in July. She has reorganized the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity to focus on compliance, equity, diversity, and inclusion and has appointed new leaders to help manage the office’s two functions. The Board is supportive of efforts to make fundamental change to make a more welcoming community at Dartmouth. Finally, she observed that the 50th anniversaries in 2022 offer opportunities to celebrate and share excitement and to reflect, hear different perspectives, and observe challenges faced and how the community has come together. She encouraged alumni and the Council to find ways to engage with the anniversaries through events, programs, and storytelling.

The meeting was adjourned.

The Academic Affairs, New Alumni Engagement, Alumni Liaison, Alumni Service, Enrollment and Admissions, Honorary Degrees, Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search, and Professional Development committees met virtually at various times.