As many readers know, Dartmouth is unique in that since 1891 it has permitted alumni to elect half of the non-ex officio members of the Board of Trustees as Alumni Trustees. The other half are appointed by the Board as Charter Trustees. Two seats are designated as ex officio seats in the College Charter, one for the president of the College and one for New Hampshire’s Governor. Today there are 18 members on the Board–8 Alumni Trustees, 8 Charter Trustees, and the 2 ex officio members.
This right of the alumni to elect half the Board was the result of a bargain struck between alumni and the College in 1891 and memorialized in a set of resolutions adopted by the Board that traditionally have been referred to as the 1891 Agreement. This tradition of parity has been honored for 116 years–nearly half of Dartmouth’s existence. In recent communications to alumni, however, Chairman of the Board Ed Haldeman questioned the validity of this longstanding agreement.
I respond to Chairman Haldeman’s arguments in an editorial column published in today’s edition of The Dartmouth. The published text of the column is available here.
Read the 1891 Agreement for yourself here.
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