The Transition Team

There have been questions about the make up of the Transition Team who will lead the Association and Alumni Council through the transition to the new governance structure if the AGTF-proposed constitution passes. Hopefully, this explanation will help clarify things:

The following Association members will continue to hold their offices during the transition period.

• President of the Association
• President of the Alumni Council
• President-elect of the Alumni Council

These are all elected officers. At the end of the transition period, these officers transition into new positions within the leadership structure; the President of the Association, Al Collins, becomes the Immediate Past President and transitions out of the structure. The First Vice President is elected at the end of this transition period according to Article 4, and enters the leadership cycle -- a cycle that works for many non-profit governance boards because it encourages a smooth transition from one board to the next.

The members of the Association Executive Committee who are in office before the effective date shall make up the rest of the transition committee and, in consultation with the AGTF, be authorized to take actions as appropriate to deal with unforeseen transition issues.

While the first thought in people's minds is "managing trustee elections," this is the responsiblity of the Nominating Committee and the Balloting Committee. Please refer to the latest version of the AGTF-proposed constitution, Articles 12.6 and 12.7 for the details.

Our goal is to ensure a smooth transition to the new governance structure while maintaining our responsibilities and duties to the Association and to the College.

Postponing the Meeting - Our Rationale

Article IV, Section 1 of the current constitution states that officers of the Association are to be elected at each annual meeting. Our original intent was to do this at the October 15, 2006 meeting.

Our decision to postpone annual meeting was made to allow for the completion of the vote on the proposed new alumni constitution and for petition amendments to the current constitution. Once this vote has taken place, we will set a date for the annual meeting to take place in a timely fashion during the academic year and will hold elections for officers and the Executive Committee of either the new Dartmouth Alumni Association or the current Association, depending on the results of the election.

It makes no sense to elect new Association officers and find out two weeks later that the whole organizational structure has been voided.

This approach gives members of the Association the opportunity to focus on one set of issues at a time, and allows for a smooth transition to a new governance structure if the new constitution is passed. We have pledged to keep our stated commitment to have all-media voting for Association officers whether or not the proposed new constitution is passed. Delaying the annual meeting by approximately six months enables us to work within the parameters of the current constitution and still achieve that commitment. This Executive Committee will see the Association through the transition to alumni-wide, all-media voting in a constitutionally proper manner.

Current Constitution Allows for Changes in Meeting Date

According to Article III, Section 1 of the current constitution, "the annual meeting shall be held at the College on the Tuesday following Commencement Day unless otherwise scheduled by the Executive Committee of the Association." The consitution gives the Executive Committee the right to set the meeting date, and to change it if required. We have held the meeting at various times of the academic year in an effort to maximize the opportunity for a wide variety of alumni to attend. There is no legal requirement to hold the meeting at Homecoming or around Commencment.