Dear Fellow Alumni:

The results have been announced and we are humbled to have been elected to the board of trustees in the largest voter turnout in Dartmouth election history. 32% of alumni cast a ballot over the four week election period. At 17,762 Mort received the highest number of votes for trustee ever. In the head-to-head contest John received 14,176 votes while Joe Asch '79 received 5,823 votes. This turnout and the margin of victory are a clear sign that the vast majority of voters support Dartmouth and are squarely focused on moving beyond divisiveness and infighting in favor of helping Dartmouth tackle the tough challenges it faces. As we have said throughout the campaign, we too support this point of view and are honored to have the opportunity to work in the College's best interests as members of the board come June 13th.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to those of you who voted for us as we realize that without your support we would not have the opportunity to serve Dartmouth on the board. With the privilege of being trustees comes the responsibility of representing all alumni and so to those whose support we did not earn we say that we will seek counsel and input from across the spectrum. While the election results clearly indicate alumni sentiment we firmly believe that listening to all input is an integral part of the the board's duties. We look forward to doing so throughout our terms.

In closing we's like to congratulate Joe Asch for a well-run and vigorous campaign. His passion for Dartmouth is evident and we hope and expect that it will continue unabated.

For Dartmouth,

Mort and John

Replogle, Kondracke elected to the Board of Trustees

The following article was taken from The Dartmouth:

Alumni Council-nominated candidate John Replogle ‘88 won the election for one of two open seats on the Board of Trustees over petition candidate Joe Asch ‘79, garnering 70.9 percent of votes in the election, Association of Alumni president John Mathias announced at the Association meeting Saturday. His nomination to the Board of Trustees was approved by the Board this morning, along with the nomination of Council-nominated candidate Morton Kondracke ‘60, who ran uncontested for the other seat.

To view the full article, please click here.

Prez. Kim on Trustee Qualities

Before the largest crowd in the Dartmouth Club of DC’s history, President Kim responded on Wednesday (3/24) to an alumna’s question about the optimal Trustee qualifications as follows: “This is not a management job – it’s my responsibility to manage the College. We need someone with wide experience across a broad career, who will come in for the five annual meetings and focus on the critical strategic challenges we face. And I need someone who can provide real expertise when I want to reach out for counsel. How great is it that when questions come up on human resources challenges, or other important matters, I can tap into the expertise of someone like Jeff Immelt (CEO of GE), who can give me the benefit of what he’s doing running a big business right now.”

NAAAD Supports John and Mort

NAAAD urges you to vote in the Dartmouth Trustee and Association of Alumni Executive Committee elections, from March 10-April 7, 2010.

The Native American Alumni Association of Dartmouth (NAAAD) will endorse Morton Kondrake '60 and John Replogle '88 for the Board of Trustees.

Kondrake and Replogle have been fully vetted by the Alumni Council over a two-year process. For more information on this process, click here.

Chair of Native American Studies Endorses John

John and Mort have been endorsed by both BADA and DGALA, 25 former Trustees, the full Alumni Council, a long list of legendary and current faculty, and now Bruce Duthu '80 Chair Native American Studies. He explains:

“I'm supporting John Replogle because he understands that Dartmouth's top ranking… is inextricably linked with our long-standing commitment to research and scholarship. John is committed to the proposition that responsible stewardship of the college starts with creating an atmosphere marked by civility, hard but honest debate, courage to speak the truth, and commitment to future generations of Dartmouth's sons and daughters.”

- N. Bruce Duthu '80, Samson Occom Professor and Chair Native American Studies

Co-Founder of Nat’l Review & Legendary Prof Jeff Hart Endorses Mort & John

Proving that quality transcends politics, Professor of English Emeritus Jeffrey Hart has joined the long list of legendary and current faculty endorsing John and Mort. He writes:

“Mort Kondracke (unopposed) and John Replogle have my support. Of the two contesting candidates (Replogle and Asch), both good men, I consider John Replogle better prepared and superior in judgment.

- Professor Emeritus Jeffrey Hart '51 (English)

Endorsement Letter – Peter Saccio

Dear Former Students,

Two years ago, when Dartmouth was being sued by the Executive Council of its own Association of Alumni, I wrote many of you urging you to vote for a new membership of that Executive Council. Your votes brought about the withdrawal of the suit, a gratifying result for which I thank you.

Now there is an election for two vacancies on the Board of Trustees, both to be decided by alumni/ae voting. I write again, with several requests.

The first is simply that you vote. In these elections, the decision is made by a rather small turnout. I blame no one for that: you are busy with your lives, you may not recognize the names of the candidates, you are bombarded by mystifying statements. I feel the same way about elections at my own alma mater. But I urge you to make an effort: it really does matter up here. Support for petition candidates has been a conservative hard-core, nearly all of whom always vote. Victory of people nominated by the Alumni Council depends on how many other alumni/ae participate.

Appeal filed in case; litigation continues

From today's Dartmouth comes news of another effort to continue the lawsuit that has wasted more than $1 million of Dartmouth's scarce resources. John and Mort have been consistent in their opposition to this and related litigation. Read the full article here.

Early Voter Turnout Sets Record

Voting for two Trustee seats began March 10; turnout in the first week ran substantially ahead of past elections. Lynne Gaudet '81, the director of alumni leadership in the College's Office of Alumni Relations attributed the activity to “increased access to candidate information through online media, electronic communications and mailings.” Read the full story at www.thedartmouth.com/2010/03/09/news/elections.

President Kim Makes His Views on Asch Candidacy Clear

…”I do not — either directly or indirectly — endorse Mr. Asch's candidacy, nor did I encourage him to run.” Read the full letter from President Kim at www.thedartmouth.com/2010/03/09/opinion/letter.

Trustees Emeriti Support Mort

To the Dartmouth Community:

As trustees emeriti of Dartmouth, we know that selecting women and men to serve on the College’s Board requires great care and deliberation. This is why we fully support the process through which the Dartmouth Alumni Council's Nominating and Alumni Search Committee identifies candidates for seats on the Board. The committee, composed of dedicated alumni, undertakes a wide-ranging search, reviews dozens of dossiers and conducts thorough interviews to find the most qualified candidates. Those whom it selects have the requisite backgrounds to become Trustees truly worthy of that name.

This year, the Committee recommended, and the full Alumni Council ratified, the selection of two candidates for two open seats. One of those candidates, Mort Kondracke '60, is running unopposed for one seat. The other, John Replogle '88, is opposed by another candidate, Joe Asch '79, who collected the requisite number of signatures to be a petition candidate on the ballot.

We strongly urge our fellow alumni to respect the Alumni Council’s selection process and vote for the candidates it selected, Mr. Kondracke and Mr. Replogle. The Council’s imprimatur makes clear that these two were far and away the most qualified candidates that it identified for Board service this year. They have the personal characteristics, talents, skills and track record of achievements to be the ultimate stewards of Dartmouth that Board service entails. Dartmouth deserves no less.

Please mark your ballots in the forthcoming Trustee Nomination process for Mort Kondracke ’60 and John Replogle ’88. Also, with regard to the separate vote to elect the leadership of the Association of Alumni, please vote for the slate proposed by the Association Nominating Committee. This proposed slate consists essentially of the same group of people who ended the costly law suit against the College and the Board of Trustees. They are committed to working constructively with the Alumni Council and the Board.

Sincerely yours,

Trustees Emeriti of Dartmouth

Stephen W. Bosworth '61
Russell L. Carson '65
Michael Chu '68
Robert A. Danziger '56
Susan Dentzer ’77
Peter M. Fahey ‘68
Robert E. Field '43
Karen C. Francis '84
Ann Fritz Hackett '76
Robert P. Henderson '53
Ira Michael Heyman '51
Richard D. Hill '41
Nancy K. Jeton ‘76
William Haven King ‘63
Barry L. MacLean '60
Priscilla F. Maynard '41W
Norman E. McCulloch Jr. '50
William H. Neukom '64
Jonathan Newcomb '68
Richard M. Page ‘54
Robert B. Reich '68
Ronald B. Schram '64
David M. Shribman ‘76
Kate Stith-Cabranes '73
David R. Weber '65

President Kim on Trustee Qualifications

Last Wednesday night (March 3) President Kim met with some 700 alumni at the Dartmouth Club of New York. When asked in the public Q&A session what qualifications he'd like to see in Trustees to be elected by alumni beginning March 10, President Kim “I think we need someone who is wildly successful in his career, who would bring to the Board a wealth of experiences that would help us to take Dartmouth to new heights. I also think that what we don’t need is someone who wants to second-guess everything we do and get involved in micromanaging our administration around operational details that are really my responsibility. The Board needs a big thinker who is an accomplished, proven leader, and I need a true partner whose counsel I can seek. I’ve developed that relationship with many on the board who are world-class leaders of global companies and I think that’s a great model.”

These characteristics were also valued by the Trustees Nominating Committee for the Alumni Council, which considered over 400 alumni for these two open posts, and are strongly reflected in the backgrounds of the two candidates (John Replogle ’88 and Mort Kondracke ’60) overwhelmingly nominated by the full Alumni Council.

Class of '60 Representatives Endorse Mort & John

Phil Kron, Gene Kohn and Jim Adler recently wrote their class, endorsing Mort and John for Trustees. The following is an excerpt from that letter:

“Our classmate Mort Kondracke is running unopposed for Alumni Trustee. Mort is well known nationally as an insightful journalist who does his homework and calls 'em as he sees 'em. We know him as a loyal classmate and a great guy. Let's show our support with a 100% class-wide vote for one of our own! (For more about Mort's background and views, visit his website at www.Mort4Dartmouth.com )”

“The second Alumni Trustee seat is a contested election, with John Replogle '88, the Alumni Council's nominated candidate, running against Joe Asch '79, a self-selected petition candidate.”

“JOHN REPLOGLE - Starting with his student days, John has a long record of service to Dartmouth, stemming from his love of and respect for its traditions and confidence in its future. He has an outstanding track record as a corporate executive and extensive board experience, with a clear understanding of the proper consultative and advisory nature of such a role. John is seen by those who know him as a critical thinker, a person able to work constructively with others to get the job done. He has the stature and experience needed for the job. (For more about John's background and views, visit his website at www.John4Dartmouth.com.)”

“JOE ASCH - Joe is a local Upper Valley businessman and blogger, known for being an unrelenting critic of the Dartmouth administration on subjects ranging from class size to the manner in which employee time sheets are submitted. Many believe his aggressively confrontational, micro-managing style makes him ill equipped to serve as a Dartmouth Trustee. While he now says he supports President Jim Kim, he was highly critical of his appointment by the Board of Trustees, immediately saying publicly he lacked the scholarly credentials and chief executive experience needed for the job.”

“Joe has the support of The Dartmouth Review, The Hanover Institute and others who initiated or supported the recent lawsuits against the College - yet he does NOT have the support of key people in his own class! The current and past Class of 1979 presidents and several other class leaders who know him well have signed a strong statement supporting John Replogle (and Mort). They do NOT want to see their own classmate become a Trustee! Can you imagine the Class of 1960 not backing Mort Kondracke???”

Alumni Council Representative of Class of ’65 Endorses Mort and John

Pete Frederick’s recent letter to his class laid out the context for the Alumni Council’s 89-1 vote nominating Mort and John, and his own reasons for supporting them. The following is an excerpt from that letter:

“Much has and will be written about the competition between the nominated candidates and the petition candidates. I have followed this issue quite closely for 10 years. Allow my quick synopsis. With the exceptions of the College President, the Governor of New Hampshire and one widow who completed her husband’s term the members of the Dartmouth board have been and are alumni. There are three ways to get on the board 1) the sitting board of 24 alumni selects an individual to serve on the board. The board members do their research consult with other alumni and alumni organizations to select an alumnus that has the skills the board needs. 2) The alumni Council of over 100 alumni representing over 100 groups ( I represent the class of ‘65) select a nominating committee from their number which spends literally years preparing lists of potential trustees, vetting the list and seeking more nominees. We all have been asked at one time on another to suggest someone to be on the board. The committee nominates an alumnus for each open position on the board. 3) An alumnus/ae who was not nominated by the alumni council or was not selected by the board can pass a petition to get on the ballot. All alumni have the opportunity to vote for those nominated in 2 and 3. Dartmouth is truly unique in that its alumni have the opportunity to vote for its management team. Please take advantage of that opportunity and vote between March 10 and April 7. There have been arguments and lawsuits dealing with which of the 3 processes is used to select how many trustees. The lawsuits have been a waste of money and will only benefit the lawyers, not the College nor the alumni. (Yes you are correct, I am not a lawyer). The situation is as it is and can be changed via negotiations between the Trustees and those elected / selected by the larger alumni body to represent them….

“I know and respect the folks on the alumni council nominating committee, and am aware of the process they use to select nominees. I think they have selected two very good candidates. I know Mort and respect him. I have met John and like him. I am impressed with the demonstrated abilities of both. I do not know Joe. I know he wants to be a trustee and was not selected by the current board or the alumni council nominating committee. I know at one point he supported the lawsuit which I personally think was frivolous and a financial drain to the college. According to the D, Joe applauded the dismissal of Deans Marty Redman and Deb Carney as a good step in cleaning out the cobwebs of the administration. I personally worked with both Deb and Marty to get Beta reinstated on campus. I hold both in high regard. We did not always agree, however Beta is back. I disagree with the comments about them accredited to Joe. “

"Trustee hopefuls seek faculty, alum. support"

The following article was taken from The Dartmouth:

With the voting period for the upcoming alumni-elected Board of Trustees election beginning next Wednesday, March 10, both Alumni Council-nominated candidates — Morton Kondracke ’60 and John Replogle ’88 — will continue to visit Dartmouth Alumni Clubs nationwide, while petition candidate Joe Asch ’79 has spent roughly $28,000 to send a mailing to thousands of College alumni. Several College faculty members have also released public statements on their opinions of Replogle and Asch, who are competing for one seat as candidates for the Board.

To view the full article, please click here.

Parity Statement

I appreciate that some alumni consider "parity" between charter trustees and alumni-elected trustees to be the most important issue in this election--in fact, a litmus test of trustee qualification.

I certainly favor expanded elected alumni representation on the board and will work to achieve it. I am even open to working for parity if it can be achieved while providing Dartmouth with the qualified trustees we need.

Legendary Faculty Member Don Pease Supports John

Dear Alumni,

I strongly support the candidacy of John Replogle for the sole contested seat in the Trustee Elections for which voting will begin on March 10.

His service to the College as a student leader and alumni officer amply demonstrates his commitment to Dartmouth's betterment. In my conversations with him over the years I have also found that John Replogle possesses the temperament and leadership skills that I consider the prerequisite for a Dartmouth College Trustee. He knows how to listen to disparate viewpoints, how to ask challenging questions, and how to make tough decisions.

Communications

Even though Dartmouth attracts some of the best young people in the country and is rated by US News as the No. 1 institution for undergraduate teaching, the College has a communications problem. I hope to help fix it.

One piece of evidence is that when a student is accepted at both Dartmouth and any other Ivy League school, we lose the overwhelming number to every one but Cornell.

Dartmouth's Collaborative Atmosphere

Dartmouth’s most exceptional characteristic—its dedication to undergraduate teaching—is not just of theoretical matter to me. Close association with a professor saved my college career from early failure. As a trustee, I will dedicate myself to insuring that the teaching tradition is maintained.

Joe's Classmates Support John

We, the undersigned, want you to know that Mort Kondracke '60 and John Replogle '88 have our full support in the election for the Dartmouth Board of Trustees that begins on March 10, 2010. Both candidates were selected by the Dartmouth Alumni Council's Nominating and Alumni Search Committee in a thorough review of dozens of qualified candidates. We believe in this method of candidate selection since it gives dedicated alumni from diverse backgrounds ample opportunity to assess the abilities of candidates to both add compelling value to the existing Board of Trustees and effectively work with the existing Trustees and President.

"Electing the Owner"

The following article was taken from The Dartmouth:

As Dartmouth faces another trustee election, long before choosing which candidate to back, many alumni will decide it’s not worth going to the polls. Ten years ago, an election like this made me an alumni-elected trustee, and I served on the Board until last June. Like any other busy alum, I understand why people wonder if it’s worth the time to figure out the election. The answer of course depends on what’s at stake...

To view the full article, please click here.

Letter to the Editor: "An Immodest Proposal"

The following letter to the editor was taken from The Dartmouth:

To the Editor:

In a paid ad in The Dartmouth Tuesday, Joseph Asch ’79 disingenuously proposed a campaign finance “truce” with me and his opponent for trustee, John Replogle ’88...

To view the full article, please click here.

Statement Regarding President Kim’s Initial Budget Proposal

I am impressed that President Kim is dealing with Dartmouth’s fiscal crisis is a manner that is strategic, humane and dedicated to not only to maintaining, but improving, the College’s excellence as an undergraduate teaching institution.

It’s also impressive that President Kim has been consistently open in explaining the origins of the crisis and its consequences, sending out messages and holding one meeting after another with faculty, students, the community and alumni where he has exposed himself to questioning and invited recommendations.

Statement on Hanover Police Sting Operations

I agree with all the points made by John Replogle. I'd add that, instead of unilaterally establishing a sting policy against Dartmouth students, Hanover's police chief and other town leaders owe the College's new president the opportunity to work with them on alcohol policy--and on the full gamut of town-gown issues as well.

President Kim has demonstrated that he is sensitive to the well-being of the Upper Valley community in the way he is handling Dartmouth’s fiscal crisis, limiting the number of layoffs to the minimum. Dartmouth’s home town owes him similar consideration.

Letter to the Editor: Picking Sides by Merle Adelman ’80

The following letter to the editor was taken from The Dartmouth:

To the Editor:

Did I hear a flip-flop drop?

Petition trustee hopeful Joe Asch ’79 claims he never supported the second round of litigation funded by the Hanover Institute against the College. Perhaps he has forgotten attending the December hearing in Grafton County Superior Court, sitting and commiserating with Frank Gado ’58, affiliate of the Hanover Institute and ardent litigant. Asch skipped the announcement of the Alumni Council’s trustee candidates in Hanover that morning in order to attend...

Asch will say whatever it takes to get himself elected. To view the full article, please click here.

The Dartmouth: Steering committee set for Board candidates

"The two Alumni Council-nominated trustee candidates for the upcoming Board of Trustees election — Morton Kondracke ’60 and John Replogle ’88 — announced the composition of a joint steering committee for their campaigns on Thursday. The candidates will both use the committee — composed of over 100 Dartmouth alumni — as a forum for dialogue between the candidates and the alumni body, Replogle said."

To read more, CLICK HERE.

Steering Committee

John and I have received a tremendous amount of support and encouragement from a broad cross section of alumni since the Alumni Council voted in December for us to run for the two open seats on the board in the election that begins March 10. Today we're pleased to announce the initial 100 members of our campaign steering committees representing nearly every class from 1951 to 2008 and an enormous variety of backgrounds all of whom are united with a common interest in supporting the College and President Kim. We are humbled by the number and wide-range of alumni who have stepped forward to support us as trustee candidates and are grateful for their time and efforts.

Statement of Governance and Trustee Responsibilities

Here's a quick link to Dartmouth's Statement of Governance and Trustee Responsibilities. Please click here to head over to the Dartmouth site and read more about trustee responsibilities.

About the Alumni Council Nominating Process

The Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee, chaired by Tom Daniels ‘82, conducted a thorough and rigorous process. It reviewed over 400 alumni over the course of 16 meetings over the past two years. This included vetting over 100 alumni who were formally nominated, as well as over 300 other alumni whom the committee thought deserved consideration to ensure that the process included a full look at the entire alumni body and skill sets that could be brought to the board.

Dartmouth Alumni Council Nominates Two Trustee Candidates

Following an extensive review process by its Nominating and Alumni Trustee Search Committee and in accordance with the Association of Alumni constitution, the Dartmouth Alumni Council has nominated one candidate for each of two open alumni-nominated trustee seats on the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees. They include: