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This past October, at the annual meeting during Homecoming, when the Colgate Board of Trustees allow members of the Colgate community to speak before the Board, representatives of A Better Colgate presented a petition to reform trustee governance.
The petition is 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.
We waited for five months for an answer. Our request for a Trustee Election Work Group was denied.
The Trustees’ basic objections to reform: 1) almost every other school selects trustees as Colgate does; 2) elections can be controversial; and 3) there is no need to change.
We disagree. Many prestigious schools allow alumni to elect some trustees; we believe Colgate alumni can conduct themselves appropriately in an open election; and as the graph below shows, the status quo begs for changes to make a better Colgate.
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’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!
See who's signed the Petition!