Colgate Spins; Reform Effort Continues
March 9, 2010
TO: Colgate University Alumni
From: Todd Buchner, Chairman, and the Board of A Better Colgate
I am writing to give you this update about an important recent development in our efforts. As you know, A Better Colgate’s ongoing effort is to reform governance at Colgate through direct alumni elections of a portion of the Trustees.
Last Homecoming Weekend during the Board of Trustees meeting in Hamilton, members of the Board of A Better Colgate traveled back to campus to present our petition, supported by at least 2,177 identified alumni. We also made a request to form a Trustee Election Work Group, in a good faith effort to work with Trustees to study this issue.
Last week, after waiting some five months for the Trustees to deliberate, we received a letter from Chairman Chris Clifford and the Board of Trustees denying our request. Though disappointed, we believe we’re making progress toward reforming trustee governance at Colgate. A Better Colgate remains committed to providing a voice for alumni to guide the future of Colgate. We believe that openness, transparency, and accountability with alumni and Colgate is the best approach.
We thought, then, that this would be the appropriate time to hear from you, our fellow alumni. As a next step, we want to put a simple question to the alumni: Should alumni be allowed to directly elect a meaningful number of Trustees to the Board?
We believe entrusting alumni to directly elect some of Colgate’s leaders will strengthen
the Board of Trustees and will foster a more robust and inclusive nomination process.
By empowering alumni we can make Colgate better. In the last 10 years, we have seen a
disturbing downward trend with regard to Colgate rankings in US News & World Report
and alumni donations.
As shown in the graph below, the red line marks Colgate’s fall in peer school rankings from a high of 15 to the current 19. The blue line marks the decline in alumni donor participation from a high of 55% to the current 40%. (Source: US News & World 2010 Report)
We encourage you to talk with your Colgate friends – especially those on the Alumni Council, Class Agents and Class Editors about this question of making the Board of Trustees transparent and accountable to the alumni.
As an independent voice for Colgate alumni, we think the time has come to hear directly from our alumni – we invite your opinion. Visit www.abettercolgate.com to take our survey on this matter and ask your friends to do so as well.
We’re optimistic. We love Colgate. We want alumni involvement to improve. Importantly, we believe the direct election of some trustees by alumni will capture this spirit and most importantly strengthen Colgate for generations to come!
Go ‘Gate!
P.S. We are a volunteer organization. Your tax-deductible donation – and your talking with your friends in the Colgate community, helps make our effort successful. Please send a donation today via check or via credit card online at www.abettercolgate.com. Thank you!