Dartmouth's tuition rate will witness a 4.5 percent hike in the coming year, the College's Board of Trustees announced at its winter meeting this weekend. The Dartmouth Medical School and Tuck School of Business will see tuition increases of 4.4 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively.
The Board also approved the College's annual affirmative action plan and received reports on student life, facilities and financial matters from College administrators.
Much of the trustees' time this weekend was focused on student concerns. Trustees scattered throughout the College Friday evening, attending functions at Greek houses and several residence halls.
"For the Board of Trustees, just coming here and talking with people is often as important as the work we do in taking specific action," chair Susan Dentzer '77 told The Dartmouth.
Dean of the College James Larimore also briefed the trustees on his ongoing talks with Greek leaders.
In an interview with The Dartmouth, President James Wright said he shared the trustees' enthusiasm to Larimore's report.
"I think Board members are pleased at the real progress the CFS system has made over the last several years," Wright said. "The leadership, particularly the student leadership of those organizations, has stepped up in some quite remarkable ways."
Wright also noted the trustees' approval of a "more open and inclusive" Greek system than in the past, with current Greek houses playing "a critical role in the life of the community."
His statement came in marked contrast to sentiments raised five years ago following the trustees' controversy-racked announcement of the Student Life Initiative, a series of major changes to Dartmouth's social environment that spawned widespread fear of a Greek system shutdown.
Indeed, in a Feb. 10, 1999 interview with The Dartmouth, Wright remarked that the fraternity and sorority system was not one of inclusion -- making a dramatic move such as the Initiative necessary.
"By definition, a fraternity or a sorority is not inclusive of all members of the community," Wright said in the 1999 interview. "Finally, Dartmouth needs to become a place that's more whole, where the entire community can share more fully in the life of the community."
Now, however, the administration has shifted its focus on the Initiative to campus expansion. But funding of such changes has not come cheap, especially in the economic doldrums of post-Sept. 11 America.
The just-announced tuition increase of 4.5 percent, a $1,314 hike, affects the 2004-2005 academic year, and together with room, board and mandatory fees raises overall charges for arts and sciences undergraduate, graduate and Thayer School students to $39,495. The 2004-2005 increase is down from the previous year's percentage climb.
The Board also pledged to continue Dartmouth's need-blind admissions policy, allocating a growing portion of the College's budget to financial aid. Dartmouth expects to award more than $44 million in financial aid next year, compared to $38 million this year.
Wright said the item he was most pleased to present to the Board was the progress made concerning the College's finances.
"We've applied a lot of discipline to the budget," Wright said. "I think that our budget is looking very strong and moving forward."
In response, Dentzer said the Board was "very pleased" with the progress on the fiscal year 2005 budget. "We think we're in good shape towards the finalization of the budget," she said.
The Board also approved a continuation of the College's affirmative action plan. The College report highlighted statistics showing Dartmouth to have the highest percentage of women faculty members compared to its peer institutions for the 10th year.
The Board also reviewed the College's success in recruiting minority group members, and discussed ways to augment that diversity.
Updates on the progress of the North Maynard and Tuck Mall residence halls, slated for groundbreaking in late 2004, were presented to the trustees and plans for the replacement or renovation of Thayer Hall were introduced.
