Dartblog

… and the rhetoric is ratcheting up. I highlight this exchange last week between Merle Adelman ‘80 and my good friend Joe Asch ‘79. As well, I excerpt the statements of each of the Association of Alumni slates—the fundamental argument each puts forward in the election. Judge the four writings for yourself.

But I will tell you what I think. In each pair, one of the writings is thoughtful and well-argued, and the other is silly.

From Merle Adelman ‘80, supporter of the Board-Packers:

As I watch this spring’s Alumni Association election from the sidelines, I can’t help but observe that it is a contest between two political parties: a pro-College slate led by John Mathias ‘69 dedicated to ending the litigation launched by the current association’s executive committee against Dartmouth and a pro-lawsuit petition slate led by Michael Murphy ‘61. The petition candidates, supported by the Hanover Institute (an anti-administration political action committee whose directors include petition candidate Frank Gado ‘58) have expanded the alarmist rhetoric of trustee elections into association contests.

What does this petition group of alumni really want? According to petition-elected Trustee Todd Zywicki ‘88, they are waging a war to take back the academy from the liberal left. Zywicki warns that “it’s going to be a multigenerational battle; it’s going to take a lot of resources, and a lot of struggle. And I think what you have to understand is that those who control the university today, they don’t believe in God and they don’t believe in country.”

Dartmouth’s application numbers are up. The range of applicants is the most diverse in history — diverse not only in background and heritage, but in their ideas, opinions and political ideals. The College continues to head in a positive direction in terms of student accomplishments. Liberal left? Conservative right? What I see is that the College we love is under fire with unfounded accusations abounding and lawsuits costing time, money and valuable resources.

To the alumni of Dartmouth College — when you receive your ballot for this year’s Alumni Association election, be sure to vote. Encourage your classmates to do the same.

Reply by Joe Asch ‘79, supporter of Board Parity:

In the 1950s, defenders of the status quo made it a practice on any number of issues (civil rights, colonialism, even fluoridated water!) to label reformers as Communist or anti-American. Rather than engage in reasoned debate, these intemperate folks sought to demonize their opponents.

Merle Adelman ‘80’s letter (“College Under Fire,” Apr. 11) is a present-day example of this tactic. She completely ignores the arguments put forward by Michael Murphy ‘61’s petition slate in the upcoming Association of Alumni election. Instead, she points out with alarm that one of the 11 candidates on Murphy’s slate is a director of the Hanover Institute, and she broadly assails their concerns (“alarmist rhetoric,” “unfounded accusations abounding”). She even trots out trustee Zywicki’s remarks of last year and asserts without evidence that the petition slate members agree with them.

The DartmouthUndying website, which also supports the slate opposing Murphy’s petitioners, goes on in the same aggressive vein as Adelman: “misguided alumni,” “destructive forces,” “our College is being attacked,” “egregious slanders and continuing misinformation.” The site is entirely negative; it does not advance a single argument supporting the trustees’ Board-packing plan, which will reduce the alumni-elected trustees on the Board to one third from one half ­— the share that alumni have held since 1891.

Adelman should have the grace to acknowledge that people who disagree with her might also be motivated by the same love for Dartmouth that she professes. Going negative and trying to stifle debate with namecalling helps no one.

Now the Board-Packing slate’s platform:

Preamble: Our College is being attacked. Its hard earned reputation as one of the nation’s most outstanding colleges is being sullied, its ability to attract the very best students and faculty potentially undermined, and its support base compromised. Our alumni are partially but seriously divided. Some — substantially supported by outside interests — have sued the College in the name of all of us. Dartmouth Undying will send a call to action to all alumni to counter these destructive forces.

First Plank: We will work diligently to bring the Dartmouth family together again.
* by electing responsible and constructive alumni and Trustee leaders;
* by restoring order in the Alumni Association;
* by using our resources and our democratic processes to build Dartmouth up.

Second Plank: We will fight vigorously and act constructively to repair the damage that has been done and we know is being planned.
* by electing positive people to the Association of Alumni Executive Committee;
* by withdrawing the destructive lawsuit – brought by 6 of 11 members of the Association of Alumni Executive Committee – suing our College;
* by countering the egregious slanders and continuing misinformation;
* by reducing the distractions plaguing our College; and
* by addressing the real problems seen by alumni.

Third Plank: We will build a rejuvenated and more effective partnership with the Trustees to serve Dartmouth through the 21st century and beyond.

We are fully committed to the new democratic alumni organization and processes as well as the Trustees’ initiatives for active interchange with alumni.

We will help make the Alumni Council’s newly created Alumni Liaison Committee (ALC) work, and work well. The ALC will provide a forum and a medium through which the Trustees regularly share with the community as a whole the issues — both opportune and challenging — they see the College confronting in the years ahead. The ALC will organize a vigorous exchange on these issues. The ALC will begin to function at the same time the newly created Trustee committees — on alumni relations, faculty affairs and student affairs — begin their work, and will become the main vehicle for alumni to interact with the first of these three. We will help all the new Trustees’ committees succeed. Together with the Alumni Council and the Association of Alumni, we will work diligently to build a new competence in and respect for these alumni and Trustee organizations.

And finally the Board Parity slate’s statement:

In many ways, our beliefs today are informed by the answer to the question, ‘What made Dartmouth so great?’ Like all alumni, we take enormous pride today at Dartmouth having been at the highest level of American colleges. Even today, by many standards – especially by the number of outstanding applicants – Dartmouth is still nonpareil.

Looking back to the second half of the 19th century, however, no one would have predicted this. The College was very small, and getting deeper and deeper into trouble. Many of the other private colleges that date from this era – e.g., Bowdoin (1794); Union (1795); Hamilton (1812); Colgate (1819); Trinity (1823) – were equal or superior to Dartmouth. These are all very fine schools, but the simple fact is that today Dartmouth has surpassed them all – Dartmouth is on another level.

So how do we explain this reach for greatness by Dartmouth? We believe that there have been two basic reasons, and they both date from the same moment in history. One is outstanding leadership; the other is an unusual, intense level of alumni support and participation in the life and future of the College.

The Association of Alumni was formed in 1854 because many alumni were concerned by the direction of the College. These disagreements intensified, as efforts over the next few decades to induce the Board of Trustees to reform were not successful. Finally, when the College reached a crisis, the now famous Agreement of 1891 was concluded. Dartmouth alumni pledged to provide financial and other support, and the Trustees agreed to seat 50% of the Board with elected alumni trustees; 50% with appointed charter trustees, plus the President who could break ties.

This was the turning point in Dartmouth’s history. Shortly after this Agreement the first of Dartmouth’s great leaders – William Jewett Tucker – became President (1893). When Tucker took over, Dartmouth had 26 faculty, 300 students, was deep in debt, and had a small physical plant. When Tucker retired in 1909, there were 81 faculty, 1,100 students, and over 20 new buildings. Tucker’s biographer said that he “refounded Dartmouth.” There is no question but that the outpouring of alumni support following the 1891 Agreement and the active participation on the Board by the alumni trustees nominated by the Association were decisive.

Tucker was followed by two other outstanding Dartmouth presidents: Ernest Martin Hopkins and John Sloan Dickey. Both considered alumni indispensable in making Dartmouth a great college. President Hopkins said it best, in 1930:

And the fact is that a college cannot be of maximum influence except with the support of its alumni, and consequently that a college must have the support of its alumni if it is to be truly great. (Emphasis added)

Presidents Tucker, Hopkins and Dickey believed and lived this principle throughout their terms of leadership. Never once did any of them question the alumni right to nominate 50% of the Board of Trustees. They welcomed this alumni involvement, encouraged it, and instituted various methods of alumni participation, many of which persist in the life of the College. When President Dickey stepped down in 1970, Dartmouth had surged ahead of those fine other New England colleges; since then continued good leadership and intense alumni support have widened the gap.

Dartmouth’s alumni support is legendary. Following the 1891 Agreement, the Association raised funds to relieve the severe financial problems. Since then, alumni giving has been enormous – $39.1 million in fiscal 2007. Dartmouth has usually led all colleges in America in percentage of alumni who make contributions. Approximately 7,400 applicants were interviewed by alumni in the most recent year; the total number of alumni volunteer hours is estimated at 230,000.

So we believe the answer to ‘What made Dartmouth great?’ goes back to 1891, to the unique Agreement with alumni and the succession of superb leadership in its wake. Now the current Board of Trustees, with a blithe disregard for history, intends to destroy the centerpiece of the historic accord that brought Dartmouth its legendary level of alumni support. We believe that as the years go by, a diminished, marginalized alumni body would not be able to maintain the same level of support, and as that declines, so too would Dartmouth decline — again. We will not let that happen on our watch, so we ask for your vote for all the petition candidates so that we may continue the effort of the Association of Alumni to stop the Trustees’ Board-packing plan.