The 224th meeting of the Alumni Council took place in Hanover, in-person, for the first time in two years due to COVID-19. The meeting began on Thursday, May 19, with the opening session led by Alumni Council President Laurie Shapiro ’95, who kicked off the meeting and welcomed council members back to campus. Vice President of Alumni Relations, Cheryl Bascomb ’82, gave a brief overview of the agenda for the meeting and introduced Carolyn Gray Kimberlin as the new senior director of volunteer engagement. The council then heard from Alumni Liaison Committee Chair Rachel Bogardus Drew ’98, who shared the alumni sentiment captured ahead of this meeting. The topics that were most communicated about were leadership and administration, campus facilities, and student housing. After the ALC update, the council heard from Interim Dean of the College Scott Brown ‘84a, who shared progress on the College’s efforts surrounding mental health and wellbeing. Dartmouth’s partnership with the Jed Foundation reinforces a strategic campus-wide approach to these critical issues for both undergraduates and students of the professional schools. Dean Brown also spoke about the expanded student resources now available, such as increased mental health services and focused outreach to BIPOC students, as well as working to shift the overall campus culture to one of positive mental health.
Following the opening session, council members attended their individual committee meetings in various locations around campus.
Friday, May 20, 2022
On Friday May 20, councilors began their morning with an update on The Call to Lead campaign from Bob Lasher ’88, senior vice president for Advancement. Dartmouth has made significant progress in its eight-year campaign journey; as Dartmouth looks to this next and final year of the campaign, Bob shared three main priorities: access and affordability through financial aid; sparking innovation and creativity through the new West End and Arts learning districts; and making Dartmouth a welcoming and inclusive community for all. To date, $3.2 billion has been raised through the campaign, and the College is just 1,200 graduates away from reaching a 60% participation goal. The Call to Lead gratitude tour will launch soon, with events being planned in several alumni regions.
Nestor Paz-Galindo ’93, chair of the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee, gave an overview of the Nominating Committee’s process. He outlined the purpose of the committee: to identify, recruit, and attract the best alumni to serve on the Board of Trustees, in Alumni Council leadership positions, and in other critical alumni leadership roles. Nestor presented the slate of incoming alumni councilors who will start their term on July 1, 2022 and serve through June 30, 2025. The incoming alumni councilors have been elected or appointed by their constituencies. The committee has met several times this year and its working agenda also includes consideration of Alumni Council leadership roles, the Nominating Committee slate, the Alumni Liaison Committee slate, the president-elect slate, and the Alumni Council at-large appointments. Paz-Galindo ’93 called for a vote to approve the incoming slate of councilors representing classes, metro clubs, regional at-large representatives, affiliated groups, professional schools, and associations. Paz-Galindo then presented the nominated slates for the president-elect, Alumni Liaison Committee, and the Nominating Committee. An electronic voting process enabled those not in attendance to vote, and councilors were reminded to cast their votes, with the election results to be announced the following day.
The incoming alumni councilors have been elected or appointed by their constituencies.
Next, the council heard from Interim Director of Athletics and Recreation Peter Roby ’79, who joined virtually for a candid conversation about athletics at Dartmouth. The disruptions due to COVID-19 have been extremely difficult to navigate, but through the collective efforts of many, students are once again competing in a safe environment. The athletic teams that were discontinued and subsequently reinstated are integrating into the College, and Peter’s focus is on welcoming the players and coaches back so that they feel valued, respected, and supported in the process. Peter also shared that athletics has gone through several internal reviews to ensure the department is in the best position to provide an equitable environment and have a roadmap in place for the next athletic director, who should be announced in the near term.
Friday evening councilors attended the Alumni Awards Gala dinner, where they celebrated (for the first time since fall 2019) recipients of both the Alumni Award and Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award.
The council then headed to lunch and the presentation of the Professor John Rassias Faculty Awards. Lifelong Learning Committee chair and president-elect Chitra Narasimhan ’92 presided. This year the council recognized three recipients of the award for 2019 – 2021: 2019 recipient Ross Virginia, Myers Family Professor of Environmental Science, Department of Environmental Studies; 2020 recipient Michael Mastanduno, Nelson A. Rockefeller Professor of Government; and 2021 recipient Lisa Baldez, Professor of Government and Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies. Both Ross Virginia and Lisa Baldez accepted their award virtually and shared pre-recorded acceptance remarks with the group. Michael Mastanduno was present to accept the award in-person, spoke to the Council about his teachings and research, and took time for questions from the audience.
After lunch, the Alumni Council toured two recently completed buildings in the West End District, Dartmouth’s hub of technology and innovation. Tours of the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society were led by senior executive director of Development and Academic Coordination at Dartmouth Katherine Norton ’01, and Angus McReynolds, the Institute's undergraduate education and internship coordinator. The Class of 1982 Engineering and Computer Science Center tours were led by Devin Balkcom, chair of the computer science department, and Associate Professor of Engineering Chris Levey. Both tours focused on the interdisciplinary nature of each space, along with the deliberate architectural design decisions.
Following the tours, councilors were again joined by Bob Lasher ’88, Board Chair Emerita and Chair of the Hopkins Center Advisory Board Laurel Richie ‘81, and Samuel Levey, associate dean of the faculty for the arts and humanities, for an update on the renovation and reimagination of the Hopkins Center for the Arts. The renovation project will transform the Hop into a place of welcome, gathering, and creation, and position the Hop as the hub for Dartmouth’s Arts District. Goals for the Arts District include fostering the liberal arts, encouraging experiential learning, nurturing creativity and innovation, and breaking down barriers across campus.
Friday evening councilors attended the Alumni Awards Gala dinner, where they celebrated (for the first time since fall 2019) recipients of both the Alumni Award and Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award. The festive dinner program opened with a welcome from President Laurie Shapiro ’95. The Young Alumni Distinguished Service Awards were presented to Kate Lyon ’05, Ashley Shackelton ’05, Andrew Son ’09, and Nadine Parris ’06 (Nadine was unable to attend in-person). The Dartmouth Alumni Award was presented to Catherine Briggs ’88, William Bogardus ’67, and Adrienne “Tee” Lotson ’82.
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Saturday morning started with breakfast in Anonymous Hall on the north end of campus. The building honors the countless alumni and friends who have faithfully and quietly supported the College over two centuries and is the permanent home of the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies and the Program in Linguistics. There, the chairs and vice chairs of the Alumni Council committees gathered to introduce themselves to each other and to members of the Volunteer Engagement team, share what their committees are working on, and give feedback on the Alumni Council onboarding process.
The councilors then moved to The Class of 1978 Life Sciences Center to hear from President Phil Hanlon ’77. President Hanlon shared an update on his five primary objectives for the coming year and answered questions from councilors. Hadley Mullin ’96, a councilor and member of the Presidential Commission on Financial Aid, also shared highlights from the PCFA’s Year One Summary Report.
The meeting was then adjourned.
Following President Hanlon, the chairs of each committee gave brief reports on what their groups have been working on this year.
Members of the Board of Trustees then met with the council for an open forum. Trustees Caroline Kerr ’05 (in-person) and Odette Harris ’91 (virtual) shared their insights and perspectives on a number of issues, including the student residential and academic experience and the board’s approach to revised plans for new student housing.
To close the meeting, president-elect Chitra Narasimhan ’92 read the results of the Alumni Council Leadership elections. Alex Barnett ’07 was elected president-elect of the Alumni Council, Cheryl Shepard ’90 was elected to the Alumni Liaison committee, and Kate Carolan ’05 and Luzi Robinson ’88 were elected to the Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee. Their terms will all begin on July 1, 2022.
The meeting was then adjourned.