Dartblog

On several occasions I have commented (here and here) on the need for our Trustees to spend time with members of the faculty in order to obtain perspectives about the College that are unfiltered by the President’s Office. Trustees who are primarily reliant on the President’s briefing books will necessarily have a distorted view of life in Hanover, and equally necessarily do their jobs less well than they should.

Dinners and social events organized by the President’s staff that include administrative minders or handlers — as the Dartmouth faculty often calls them — don’t count here. The goal is to provide a situation where faculty members can communicate in confidence with Trustees.

I recently learned that Williams College has a tradition of dinners between Trustees and faculty, and I spoke with Diane Koperniak, an Executive Assistant in the Williams President’s Office to get more information about it. According to Ms. Koperniak, during meetings each year, Trustees who can come to Williamstown the evening before a meeting are invited to dine with faculty members.

A number of separate dinners are organized, usually at local restaurants, though in the past dinners were often held at the homes of faculty members. One or two trustees attend each meal along with several members of the faculty. Attendance at the dinners is usually limited to Williams faculty members and trustees. Additionally, Trustees also dine on occasion with students and staff members — also unshepherded — in order to understand the views of all members of the Williams community.

Call it transparency or, if you want, self-confidence, on the part of Williams, but such a program is one that the College should emulate.