Alumni Council members convened in Hanover this weekend for the 207th session to represent their constituents and discuss the current state of the College.
The session, which ran from Thursday to Saturday, included speaker presentations from College President Phil Hanlon and Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson.
Alumni Council president Mark Davis ’81 Tu’84 said the group’s conversation with Hanlon was a highlight.
“We obviously wanted to hear from him and get a sense of what he’s thinking about,” Davis said. “He gave an excellent presentation, and I think the councilors were very impressed.”
Davis declined to comment on the specifics of Hanlon’s speech.
Market research director Jean Romeo, executive vice president and chief financial officer Richard Mills and senior vice president for advancement Bob Lasher also addressed the group.
Alumni Council vice president Louis Spelios ’95 said the council’s priorities were to meet with Hanlon for the first time and discuss campus life with current students. A five-student panel presented at a Thursday night dinner, and around 35 students participated in the lunch discussions on Friday as well.
“One thing we’re doing differently in this particular session is that we’re putting a greater focus on the students,” Spelios said on Wednesday. “We’re very interested in getting feedback from students about what’s happening on campus, and thinking about what our role is in contributing to or advancing that conversation.”
In addition to student life, alumni constituents are also interested in curricular expansion.
“We’re very interested in the development of particular disciplines, and how students are interacting with faculty in those disciplines,” Spelios said. “The identity of an undergraduate college is very important to alumni, and we’re always interested in hearing how that’s continuing to be developed.”
Council committees led the meetings, including those on student affairs, academic affairs, admissions and enrollment. The nominating and alumni trustee search committee and the alumni liaison committee, both elected bodies, met as well.
At Friday’s awards gala in the Hanover Inn, the College presented four Dartmouth Alumni Awards and two Young Alumni Distinguished Service Awards.
Dartmouth Alumni Award recipients are selected following their 25th reunion based on long-standing service to the College, as well as career achievement and community service. The Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award recognizes exceptional volunteer service to the College, and recipients are eligible up to their 15th year after graduation.
Jethro Rothe-Kushel ’03, one of the recipients of the Young Alumni Distinguished Service Award, expressed his gratitude for both the recognition and support that Dartmouth has given him.
“Dartmouth is at the heart of where I am today,” Rothe-Kushel said. “It is my hope that upon graduation, each student feels honored to enter into a world-class alumni experience.”
Stina Brock ’01 Th’02 also received the award. Donald Berlin ’51, R. Bradford Evans ’64, Peter Frederick ’65 and Kenneth Johansen ’60 Th’62 received the Dartmouth Alumni Award.
The council consists of 125 alumni who are elected to represent various alumni constituencies, such as different class years, national regions and associations. Representatives are sent to Hanover to better understand what is happening on campus and to relay information back to their alumni constituencies.
“There are a lot of questions we consider when we’re on campus that are of interest not only to students but also to alumni and faculty,” Spelios said. “We are one of the key ways the alumni body maintains its engagement with the school, and we play an important role in finding resolutions to the issues of the day.”
Representatives are elected or nominated by their constituents, through class reunions, the alumni clubs’ leadership or the executive committees of classes. Each term lasts three years.
The 208th Council session will be held in May.
