BY DAVID LAU

In print | Published December 7, 2006

This past weekend, the Board of Managers held their final meetings for the Fall 2006 semester. While no major decisions were made at the meetings, the Board did hold individual committee meetings that dealt with a wide range of topics. These included the recently released intercollegiate athletics report by the Advisory Committee on Physical Education and Athletics, open discussions on various aspects of the curriculum that included presentations by faculty members in the three academic divisions of the college, and student presentations on aspects of the Foreign Study program. “No momentous decisions were made,” Provost Constance Hungerford, a member of the Board of Managers Academic Affairs Committee, said. “This was not a meeting where we had something to pass.”

Given that the capital campaign was also coming to an end in January 2007, the ongoing results of the campaign were announced. “The goal of the campaign was to raise $230 million, which went towards things like the new dorm, Science Center, financial aid and the first tenure line in Islamic studies,” Hungerford said. “We’ve reached the goal and gone beyond it, something like $10 million over.”

On Saturday, in the large general meeting in which all members of the Board of Managers gathered, more informative presentations were given by each committee on its ongoing discussions and work. “In its formal meeting on Saturday, the Board was given a preliminary look at highlights of the five-year budget projections, a report on another clean audit with a management letter praising of the business staff of the college and routine reports from committees,” Vice President Maurice Eldridge ’61, a member of the Board of Managers Executive Committee, said in an e-mail.

“The second half of the meeting was devoted to small group explorations of broad topics that managers think should be central to the planning process slated to begin next semester. The four groups then reported back to the full board on three areas of importance and three areas which ought to be watched with care for the long-term well-being of the college,” Eldridge said.

While no major announcements were made during the meetings, the Board began to prepare for budgetary decisions for both the revenue and expenditure side that will be considered for approval at the upcoming Feb. 23 meetings.

One of the student observers who was allowed to attend certain parts of the meetings, Student Council co-president Joella Fink ‘07, found the meetings useful but also suggested ways in which more of the student body’s opinions and desires could be better conveyed to the Board of Managers at future meetings.

“It is incredibly valuable for students to have a better idea of what the Board of Managers is deciding and discussing,” she said. “At this moment, it’s more evaluating what’s important and valuable about Swarthmore.”

She expressed some hope that at future Board of Managers luncheons students would be more willing and able to talk to members of the Board about their concerns.

“The Board of Managers luncheon is the only type of access that students have to the Board of Managers,” she said. “Student Council is responsible for picking a theme for the luncheon, and we are open to student suggestions for this theme in the future.”

Despite these concerns, those who attended the meetings found the weekend to be rather successful. “The weekend of meetings was successful,” Eldridge said. “I think the managers particularly enjoyed the opportunity to consider and contribute to the planning process and look forward as well to participating in it and staying well informed about it.”

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