Statement By Frederic J. Fransen
Executive Director
Center for Excellence in Higher Education
Indianapolis, Indiana
on the Resignation of Dartmouth College President James Wright and Friday’s Court Decision in
Association of Alumni of Dartmouth College v. Trustees of Dartmouth College

Indianapolis, IN – The resignation of Dartmouth College President James Wright and Friday’s court decision denying Dartmouth College’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging its plan to alter an 1891 agreement with donors who saved the then-financially troubled college – an agreement mandating that half of the College’s Board of Trustees will be openly and democratically elected by the alumni – is a resounding victory for the college’s alumni and contributors.

Dartmouth’s unique governance structure was created so that alumni – by being able to play an active role in deciding the makeup of the Board of Trustees – could have a real say in campus policy and decision-making. This is a good thing, and Dartmouth’s effort  to unilaterally rewrite the 117-year-old agreement between the College and alumni donors just magnifies the importance of such oversight.

Donors should have the right to see that the institutions they support focus on their mission and that they use available resources wisely and efficiently in pursuit of that mission. College’s need to recognize that promises are made to be kept. Time doesn’t erase such promises.

The combination of the President’s decision to resign and the denial of the motion to dismiss should pave the way for a quicker resolution in favor of alumni participation and good governance. 

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For more information, please contact Jennifer Berkowitz at (828) 687-2633.