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BY MARTHA MARRAZZA

In print | Published December 1, 2005

Board members and college officials will convene for the quarterly Board of Managers meeting this Friday and Saturday to discuss topics ranging from financial aid to the alcohol policy.

The Board of Managers, mainly composed of alumni and other friends of Swarthmore, meets four times each year to manage and maintain the affairs of the college. Comprised of approximately 35 members, the board is mainly responsible for hiring the president and overseeing the finances of the school, Dean Bob Gross ’62 said. The other board meetings fall in February, May and September. While the December meeting was previously denoted as the official annual meeting, this marks the first year that the annual meeting has been moved to May.

Dean of Student Life Myrt Westphal elaborated on the board’s role. “They are the main ruling body of the college,” she said. “The board is composed of mostly alums and big friends of the college. They’re like a Board of Trustees.”

Similar to a Board of Trustees, the Board of Managers exercises the most sway over financial issues of the college. “They are charged with ensuring that the college stays strong well into the future,” Gross said. “They are broadly interested in what goes on at the college, but their primary responsibilities are hiring the president, approving the budget and overseeing the endowment and the college’s investments. We discuss what is topical at the meetings.”

According to Gross, the makeup of the board includes a wide variety of members. “The nominating committee of the board is responsible for selecting new members. They attempt to balance out the ages of members and also the male/female ratios, members of color, etc.,” he said. “New members are usually people of accomplishment in their fields who have remained connected to the college since their graduation through alumni and other volunteer activities.”

Vice President Maurice Eldridge ‘61, also the assistant secretary of the Swarthmore corporation that the board oversees, described the upcoming meeting as “routine.” "We’ll have a preview of the budget, including a projection of our expected financial condition over the next five years, but there are no hard decisions that need to be made," he said. “Saturday’s meeting will provide an opportunity to focus on philanthropy and the progress of our current campaign. The committee for social responsibility will hear from students involved in the Katrina relief efforts, War News Radio, Swarthmore Sudan and hopefully from the Kick Coke campaign.”

In addition, board members will discuss the student alcohol policy this weekend, Gross said. “As part of the student life committee meeting, we will update members about the current discussion of the alcohol policy,” he said. “We sent members a copy of our policy and other materials, so they will have read that and be ready to discuss it come Friday.”

Gross said the December meetings are generally straightforward because larger decisions come up in the February or May meetings. “December is usually a more informational meeting,” he said. “The February meeting is where the budget gets approved and tenure decisions are ratified, so it tends to be a more direct business or decision-making meeting.”

Although Eldridge agreed that the December meetings tend to feature more discussion than decision-making, he emphasized the importance of all board meetings. “I think the meetings are always important,” he said. “It’s really good for the college to have people who are responsible for its well-being to come and be actively engaged.”

The structure of each Board of Managers meeting is dictated by President Al Bloom, Gross said. Generally, the board breaks into committees on the first day of the conference while the second day is reserved for an official three-hour session.

“The Friday agenda is composed mostly of committee meetings. Student Council sponsors a lunch where some topic is usually presented by students and informally discussed with board members,” Gross said. “Saturday is the official three hour board meeting, with the report from the President and committee reports. There, we discuss whatever items of business are most current, like admissions policy, the progress of our development campaign, etc.”

Besides hosting a lunch for the board members, the Student Council co-presidents act as official board observers along with two faculty members. “The Friday lunch for the board is traditionally a Student Council function,” said Student Council Co-President Tom Evnen ’07. “We basically have a lunch, catered by the college, and Student Council invites students to it. At lunch we have a meeting. This year we are going to be talking about multiculturalism at Swarthmore.”

Student Council Co-President Saeed Ola ‘07 said although the board will deliberate topics that directly affect students, like the alcohol policy, he does not expect a clear-cut decision to be made. "I don’t think a definitive alcohol policy will be decided," he said. “They may look into the legality of such issues, but I don’t think they will come up with a policy.”

Board of Managers member Cynthia Graae ’62 said she and other members of the board stay in touch with the Swarthmore community through a variety of ways. “I read the Phoenix. I read the news clips that are circulated to board members. Al Bloom makes an extensive report at every board meeting and throughout the year we receive reports from other college administrators, including Bob Gross, Treasurer Sue Welsh, Vice President for Facilities Stu Hain and Dean of Admissions Jim Bock,” Graae said.

“In previous years I was in touch with lots of students. We have briefings by faculty and others who work with students,” she said. “There is a lunch with members of the Student Council at every board meeting. Talking with students is a great way to know about the college.”

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