The Board of Trustees met on October 11 and 12 for the first of three annual Trustee Weekends, during which they approved a solar generation project and a new administrative building, among other issues. The meetings, which coincided this year with Homecoming Weekend, were the first meetings ever led by a female chair, Deborah Jensen Barker ’80.
Committee meetings on Friday covered academics, admissions, financial aid, facilities, finance, information technology and student affairs in addition to a variety of other discussions.
“These are very accomplished people with a wealth of experience and great affection for Bowdoin,” wrote Scott Hood, vice president for communications and public affairs, in an email to the Orient.
The Board of Trustees approved the College’s proposal for a solar panel project that would generate energy to power Bowdoin’s largest athletic facilities. If the project receives local, state and federal approval, it will help decrease Bowdoin’s use of non-renewable energy.
“The project will also provide educational and research opportunities for Bowdoin students and faculty, and it underscores Bowdoin’s commitment to the environment as we work toward carbon neutrality by 2020,” Hood said.
Additionally, the Board approved the construction of a new administrative building that the College expects to complete in the spring of 2015. Once built, it will house the Human Resources Department, the Controller’s Office and the Office of Student Aid.
The new building will be located at 216 Maine Street near Brunswick Station.
“A goal of this project will be to construct an attractive College building at the gateway of campus that reflects and fits in well with the architecture of that part of town,” Hood said.
In addition to making these decisions, trustees viewed presentations on the College’s endowment and what students do after graduation. The trustees also attended the dedication of the Edwards Center for Art and Dance on October 11.
The board’s former chair, Don Zuckert ’56, passed away October 13 of a heart attack, according to an email from President Mills to Bowdoin students and employees. Zuckert was the chair of the Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2005.