The People’s United Front to Save Dartmouth

by Hal Parker | September 5, 2007 at 5:19 pm

The People's United Front to Save DartmouthWSJ editorial page writer Joseph Rago (D '05) begins his profile of embattled Dartmouth trustee T.J. Rodgers with some dubious praise for the unsung heroics of yacht-less millionaires:

Some men of his means and achievement buy a yacht, or turn to philanthropic work, or join other corporate boards. Mr. Rodgers went back to school: He became a trustee of his alma mater, Dartmouth College--and not a recumbent one.

Still Mr. Rodgers comes off as a likeable and capable figure at the center of a fiercely-fought controversy over trustee alumni representation, a controversy which has lately spilled beyond the nativist-angst-filled pages of the Dartmouth Review and invaded both the op/ed section of the Wall Street Journal as well as the advertising pages of the New York Times (see right). Two groups, Committee to Save Dartmouth College and Vote Dartmouth, have set up websites devoted to the issue, one of which publishes the contact information of every Dartmouth trustee. Its blog invokes the civic wisdom of P Diddy: "Vote or die!" They've even got one of those highly-effective online petitions going. "Dear Dartmouth," the rest of the world wonders, "What the hell is going on?"

UPDATED 9/8: The Board of Trustees has decided to add eight charter trustees (i.e., unelected by alumni) to its membership, in effect packing itself. The D has the story. Also, see Joe Malchow's excellent account at Joe's Dartblog.

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