November 28, 2023

Dear CC Community,

The CC Board of Trustees gathered on campus for our annual fall meeting from Nov. 9-11.

We had the fantastic opportunity to hear from Debo Adegbile, Partner and Chair of the Anti-Discrimination Practice at WilmerHale, and a key member of the team representing Harvard in the recent U.S. Supreme Court case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc., v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Debo shared his insights about what the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action means for CC and our path forward. The Board discussed evolving admission strategies at CC, which will enable us to continue upholding our commitments to academic excellence and access while following the law. 

For the last several months, a dedicated group of CC students has advocated for the college to divest from carbon industries and fossil fuels. The Board’s Investment Committee carefully considered the students’ research and recommendations and continues to do so. At this meeting, the Board agreed to prioritize selling all directly owned oil and natural gas wells and two legacy investment partnerships in fossil fuels. We also voted to establish a special committee of Trustees, students, and campus leadership to vote by proxy on directly held securities related to fossil fuel matters. At our Spring meeting, we will discuss working with Partners Capital to invest in renewable or transformational energy.

During our time on campus, we also witnessed student demonstrations related to the Israel-Hamas war and were made aware of specific demands made to the college from student groups. We continue to take student activism seriously. The Board had an in-depth, thoughtful discussion with President Richardson and her Cabinet surrounding freedom of expression and the importance of fostering a campus environment in which all students are safe and supported.

The Board spent significant time discussing the college’s vision, mission, and priorities, including strategies to support and engage with the alumni community. Megan Nicklaus, Director of the Career Center, shared some of the amazing work the college has been doing focused on post-graduate success and student outcomes. In particular, we were thrilled to hear about the Career Center’s collaboration with faculty and the Advising Hub to integrate career readiness competencies into the curriculum. We also heard from Professor of Education Mike Taber ’86, MAT ‘87, P’12, P’17, and Ed Bowditch ’86, Trustee and Alumni Association Council past president, about plans for CC’s 150th anniversary celebrations next fall.

We toured a newly renovated near-campus apartment and visited the repurposed Honnen Arena as it transforms into the new home for 3D Arts. Several Trustees also sat in on classroom sessions, sharing afterwards how inspiring it was to watch CC faculty and students in action. On Friday night, we enjoyed cheering on the Tiger women’s basketball team as they defeated Nebraska Wesleyan.

As always, The Keller Family Venture Grants student presentations were a major highlight of our time on campus. Every year, many board members share that this glimpse into students’ self-driven research projects is their favorite CC event.

Thank you to all who spent time with us, shared updates from across the college, and helped us to understand and contextualize key priorities during this meeting.

If you missed this week’s virtual town hall discussion, you can view a recording here.

I wish our students, faculty, and staff a restful and rejuvenating holiday season, and I look forward to our next meeting on campus in February.

Sincerely,

Jeff Keller ’91, P’23

CC Board of Trustees Chair