The 225th meeting of the Alumni Council took place in Hanover on October 21-23, 2022. The meeting began on Friday evening with the opening session led by Alumni Council President Chitra Narasimhan ’92, who shared the theme for the meeting – Navigating the Dartmouth Experience in 2022: 10 Years of Progress – which encompasses both the student experience today as well as the progress the institution has made throughout the last decade under President Hanlon’s leadership. Chitra kicked off the meeting, welcomed council members back to campus, and gave a brief overview of the weekend agenda. Vice President of Alumni Relations Cheryl Bascomb ’82 reflected on how far Dartmouth has come in the last ten years; shared how the Volunteer Engagement team is structured within the Alumni Relations department; and overviewed the milestone celebrations throughout the year, with Coeducation Weekend coming up next month. The council then heard from Alumni Liaison Committee Chair Laurie Lewis Shapiro ’95, who shared the alumni sentiment captured ahead of this meeting and previewed what’s ahead for the committee this year, including a newly designed online feedback form, additional pulse check surveys, and building on the “Going Forward” advisory pieces that were added in the ALC annual report.

Over dinner on Friday evening, councilors were joined by four student leaders from the Hill Winds Program, which trains current students in networking skills and engagement with Dartmouth alumni. The conversation focused on what it’s like to be a student at Dartmouth today, and the students demonstrated honesty and vulnerability in sharing their personal stories with the group.

Saturday, October 22, 2022

On Saturday, councilors began their morning with Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Elizabeth Smith. Dean Smith shared an overview of the recent renovations made to Dartmouth Hall, which were made possible by the generosity of women from the Dartmouth community. The building is now home to the Leslie Center for the Humanities and several foreign language programs; classrooms and meeting spaces have been reconfigured and updated with state-of-the-art technology; and new energy efficient systems were installed to convert Dartmouth Hall's heating infrastructure from steam to hot water. Dartmouth Hall will be rededicated on Friday, November 11th and available to watch via livestream during Coeducation Weekend.

Following Dean Smith’s remarks, council members took a group photo on the Green and attended their individual committee meetings in various locations around campus.

Provost David Kotz ‘86 joined councilors over lunch to help everyone better understand the role of the Provost as the chief academic and financial officer for the College. Provost Kotz works closely with President Hanlon to improve and maintain the quality of education at Dartmouth; collaborates with all the deans of the campus to support faculty, staff, and students; and sets the annual budget for the College. Provost Kotz also highlighted how faculty recruitment and retention are critical to Dartmouth’s overall academic excellence, and shared that in 2019 Dartmouth was elected to the Association of American Universities, which represents 65 of America’s leading public and private research universities.

After lunch, Dean Lee Coffin, Vice Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, explained that his focus right now is on researching the past ten years of admissions, which will inform President-elect Beilock when she begins her tenure next year. He reiterated that Dartmouth has a great story to tell with its unique sense of place. Dean Coffin highlighted the impact of the universal need-blind international admissions policy and the special place Dartmouth holds as only the sixth institution in the country to not only implement need-blind admissions, but to also commit to working with admitted students to make it financially viable to attend. To close, Dean Coffin previewed some challenges on the horizon, such as increased applicant numbers, the debate over legacy admissions, and the Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard case before the Supreme Court that would impact how race is considered in admissions and how this may impact Dartmouth’s holistic review of applicants.

Next, councilors joined one of three breakout groups for a short working session. The topics covered included what volunteers want and need out of VOX, possible DEI training opportunities for alumni volunteers, and how the constituent communication process can be enhanced.

In response to the deep concern councilors and their constituents expressed about the mental health climate on campus, Dean of the College Scott Brown ‘84a joined councilors once again for an update on Dartmouth’s significant efforts on this front. Dean Brown reinforced Dartmouth’s emphasis on an institution-wide commitment to care, and he highlighted several ways this has intensified since he last spoke with councilors in the spring – the College has increased its counseling staff; provided free access for the community to Headspace, a mindfulness and meditation app; and partnered with Uwill to provide teletherapy services for students. Additionally, now in the second year of Dartmouth’s partnership with the Jed Foundation, working groups are beginning to act on recommendations from Jed aimed at strengthening access to mental health, well-being, and belonging. Undergraduates also have a new wellness education requirement, beginning with the Class of 2026.

On Saturday night, the Alumni Council gathered to honor President Phil Hanlon in an evening titled Dartmouth Then, Now, and Looking Forward. Both Phil and Gail Gentes joined the council for their last in-person meeting (the spring meeting will be held virtually), and Alumni Council president Chitra Narasimhan ’92 moderated a reflective and thoughtful conversation with Phil as he looked back over the past ten years. The Alumni Council past presidents who served under Phil also put together a tribute video as a warm sendoff for his next chapter.

Sunday, October 23, 2022

Saturday morning started with breakfast in Floren Varsity House, where councilors received an update on how Dartmouth supports varsity student-athletes, with a focus on mental health, during an athletics panel featuring several members of the athletics team. Mike Harrity, Haldeman Family Director of Athletics and Recreation, led the discussion, which highlighted the ways Athletics is a leader on campus in addressing this critical issue.

Following the athletics panel, the chairs of each committee gave brief reports on what their groups have been working on this year.

The council was then joined by Trustees Susie Huang '84, Board Chair Liz Lempres '83 Th'84, and Chris Lord '86 during the Open Forum question and answer session. As chairs of the Presidential Search Committee, Susie and Chris shared insight into the committee’s process and ultimate selection of President-Elect Sian Leah Beilock, who will begin her tenure in the 2023-24 academic year. Additional councilor questions focused on the topic of mental health, and the Trustees emphasized that this is a top priority for the Board.

To close the meeting, president Chitra Narasimhan ’92 allowed time for councilors to ask any lingering questions and previewed the agenda for the spring meeting.

The meeting was then adjourned.

Community Activities

In addition to the regular scheduled Alumni Council sessions, a highlight of coming together in person included various opportunities throughout the weekend for councilors to engage in activities on campus.

  • Day of Caring: Classes and other regularly scheduled activities were suspended on Friday, October 21st to allow all students, faculty, and staff across the institution time for healing and self-care. The Alumni Council was fortunate to be on campus for their first day of meetings and was able to participate in the Day of Caring by handing out cider donuts to students and other community members on the Green. This activity was a highlight for many councilors and spoke to the emphasis Dartmouth is placing on prioritizing mental health and wellbeing, which was a concern that carried throughout the council meeting.
  • Food Shelf: Councilors also participated in a service project over the weekend, gathering food and cash donations (totaling over $1,000) for Dartmouth’s Food Shelf, a food pantry in Dick’s House, that supports students who face food insecurity here on campus.
  • Mindfulness Moment: In support of councilors’ own wellness and to better understand the resources available to students on campus, the group participated in an optional mindfulness activity and discussion with members of the Mental Health Student Union.
  • Diwali on the Green: Shanti, the Hindu Students Association on campus, held a series of events for Diwali: The Festival of Lights. Many councilors joined students on the Green to participate in the community lighting of diyas.