The Board of Trustees meets this weekend to discuss pressing College issues, including the current construction of the concert hall, higher energy costs, and next-year's re-accreditation process.
According to Bowdoin College President Barry Mills, the new intellectual property policy "won't be settled by the October meeting because the faculty hasn't had a chance to respond" to it yet. Thus, it will not be on the agenda for this meeting, its first of three annual meetings.
Though the trustees are commonly aware of the general issues on the agenda months in advance, as the meeting approaches, priorities occasionally shift or additional topics are placed on the agenda.
This first meeting in which trustees will participate will commence with a half-day orientation for new trustees so that they can become better acquainted with the College and the trustee committees.
Friday's proceedings are set to include most of the business details, which are generally worked out within the 14 committees and subcommittees. Within each committee are eight to ten trustees, one faculty member, and one student.
This diversification of the committees came about in an effort made by the College administration to ensure that "the students and faculty are aware of what's going on and have a voice and vote in the committee," according to Bowdoin College Secretary Richard Mersereau.
Saturday's schedule is to be geared toward having a presentation on a more focused and involved issue than those previously addressed in the meetings. In this particular meeting, the focus will be on acquainting the trustees with the re-accreditation process, which is undergone once every ten years and which will be taking place next year.
Though there are many issues to be discussed within the various committees, according to Mersereau, they generally get passed unanimously.
The Board of Trustees is made up of 45 members, most of whom are either alumni or parents representing a wide variety of backgrounds and experience.
According to Mersereau, "Governance is taken very seriously?how it works, who is on board, expertise, diversity, points of view... We very consciously try to shape the board with smart, experienced, successful people who bring different qualities and perspectives to the table."
The main role of the board is to hire the president of the College and then to work with the president to make sure that the direction the College is going in is parallel to their expectations. While they do not make executive decisions, they play an integral role in guiding the workings of the school.
"Good governance means no surprises," Mersereau said. "It's a process of agreeing upon what the issues are and discussing them, and by the time there's a vote it has been thrashed out, people have had their voice heard, and it's usually unanimous."