Summary of Board of Trustees' Meeting, October 2017

The Board of Trustees met last Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Grinnell. The following is a brief summary of the meeting.

1. New Board members Odile Disch-Bhadkamkar, Julie Gosselink, and Sheryl Walter ’78, were welcomed to their first regular, campus Board meeting;
2. The Board approved awarding the Bachelor of Arts degree at mid-year to those students who successfully complete the degree requirements;
3. Board members attended the programs coordinated by the Task Force on Fossil Fuels and Climate Impact in conjunction with the Campus Advisory Committee on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings before the Board meeting, and heard a summary of their efforts to date and their plans for the coming months;
4. Board members participated in a tour of the Humanities and Social Studies Complex building project construction site;
5. The Trustees dined with members of the social studies division faculty and the 2017 Grinnell Prize winner, Gina Clayton, on Thursday evening;
6. Board members participated in informal, small group conversations with students at the Thursday evening session organized by the Student Government Association;
7. President Kington provided a campus update;
8. Board members heard a presentation on the progress of the reaccreditation efforts and their role in the process;
9. The Trustees approved the College’s audited financial statement for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017;
10. Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Michael Latham spoke on strategic issues in teaching and learning at Grinnell, and solicited impressions from the Trustees;
11. Members of the Board and other campus constituents heard and applauded the announcement of a generous financial gift from Michael Kahn ’74 and his wife, Virginia Munger Kahn ’76. Their gift will support a full range of career development initiatives that will help prepare our students to lead lives of purpose and have compelling careers around the world;
12. Members of the Board dined with members of the senior administration at the President’s home on Friday evening, during which the contributions of two members of the senior administration who are departing the college, Vice President for Finance and Treasurer of the College Kate Walker and Chief Investment Officer Scott Wilson, were celebrated;
13. The Trustees heard a presentation on the College’s strategic plan progress, which included an admission recruitment address by Vice President for Enrollment Joe Bagnoli;
14. An update on progress of and plans for the Zone of Confluence was shared with the Board by President Kington.

Patricia Finkelman ’80, Chair, Board of Trustees
Raynard S. Kington, President