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Dartmouth College is facing a crisis. Following an unprecedented period of alumni/ae enthusiasm in the traditional Trustee election process, the College Administration is considering changing the rules.

Since 1891, Dartmouth alumni (and since 1972, alumnae) have been eligible to vote for one-half of the College’s non-ex officio Trustees. Eight of the current sixteen Trustees were elected by ordinary (which is to say extraordinary) members of the Dartmouth family.

In the United States, only a handful of institutions of higher learning allow their graduates to have such a strong voice. Dartmouth’s promise of alumni/ae balloting for half of its Trustees is simply unequaled anywhere in America.

But that could all change very soon.

An unelected “Governance Committee” (including Dartmouth President James Wright and four other Trustees) is thinking about re-writing the rules. For the first time in 116 years, Dartmouth alumni/ae could be disenfranchised completely.

On September 7, 2007, this Committee is expected to recommend sweeping changes in the way Dartmouth Trustees are selected.

This is not about the recent election of “petition” Trustees. It’s not about divisive politics. It’s about keeping Dartmouth Dartmouth. Attending the College on the Hill today is a magnificent undergraduate experience, as it has always been. Changing the basis for Trustee selection could lead to a Harvard-style Trustee Board in which the voice of alumni/ae—and Dartmouth’s emphasis on undergraduate education—will be diminished.

Two-term Maine Governor (and Dartmouth ’66) Angus King recently wrote that the Administration's current plan:

“... would be extremely disruptive of the traditionally strong relationship between the College and her alumni and, I believe, would ultimately only harm the College and her mission ... Dartmouth's proper mission is to be the very best undergraduate college in the world and not a second-tier research university.”

The Association of Alumni of Dartmouth College has also stated its concerns:

“We believe that reducing the proportion of Alumni Trustees on Dartmouth’s Board of Trustees—or eliminating them entirely—would be detrimental to the close partnership between alumni and the College.”

Whether you’re a Dartmouth ‘65, an ‘85, or an ‘05, you deserve the same voice in the College’s direction as the ‘25s and ‘45s enjoyed.

It’s time to link arms, face the Trustees, and shout “Lest The Old Traditions Fail!”

Time is short. Can we save Dartmouth? Yes, but only with your help.