The Dartmouth Board of Trustees arrives on campus Friday to begin its annual March meeting. The trustees' weekend agenda includes reviewing the ongoing capital campaign and formalizing an anticipated tuition increase.
The 17-member body will take its first look at the College's budget for fiscal year 2006 and vote on a tuition increase, which has been in the four to five percent range in recent years.
Carrie Pelzel, vice president for development, will present the latest figures for the Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience, the College's fundraising drive, which at present totals $522.4 million.
Provost Barry Scherr will also brief the trustees on the progress of the construction campaign currently underway throughout campus. According to College President James Wright, the Board will also consider longer-term planning for construction projects affecting life sciences, arts and dining facilities.
"We need to talk about them and make certain that strategically we're all together on this," Wright said.
Wright said he has encouraged the Board to schedule time Saturday evening for student events, because "students and faculty always need an opportunity to meet with the Board." To this end, the trustees are expected to attend a variety of student performance and athletic events including the Dartmouth Dance Ensemble show "The Fantastiks," the women's basketball game and the men's hockey game.
"We're encouraging Board members to be out and experience the student experience on a Saturday night," Wright said. "I think it's important for them to do that. They need to sample the life of this community."
The trustees are also set to interact with student leaders in meetings that Dean of the College James Larimore has scheduled with Student Assembly leaders and the Palaeopitus senior society.
Some time has also been scheduled for the trustees to meet with newly tenured faculty members. Organizers expect 20 to 25 professors to attend the event.
The Board's working groups will discuss matters of academic excellence and alumni relations, and the entire group will review the College's annual affirmative action plan.
In addition to Scherr and Pelzel, Executive Vice President for Finance Adam Keller and Special Assistant to the President for Institutional Diversity and Equity Ozzie Harris are among the administrators making presentations before the Board this weekend.
