The below message was sent to faculty, staff, and students on February 21, 2025.
Dear Bryn Mawr Community,
As is our practice, we write to update you on the February Board of Trustees meeting, which was held on February 7-8, 2025.
At the annual February meeting, the Bryn Mawr and Haverford College Boards traditionally meet together for a plenary session and meal. We hosted our Haverford colleagues on Bryn Mawr’s campus for those events this year. That plenary session included a joint presentation from each school’s provost (the senior administrator responsible for academic matters) on Bi-Co academic collaborations, as well as a joint presentation about the Bi-Co Environmental Studies Department from Sara Grossman (Associate Professor of Environmental Studies on the Johanna Alderfer Harris and William H. Harris Professorship in Environmental Studies at Bryn Mawr) and Joshua Moses (The Spielman Professor in the Social Sciences; Associate Professor of Anthropology and Environmental Studies; Chair of Environmental Studies).
In addition to the Bi-Co Plenary session with Haverford’s Board of Managers, our Board also met on Friday in plenary sessions to discuss the higher education policy environment, board governance, College finances, and Wendy’s mid-year reflections (that she shared with the campus community in January). For the session on board governance, we read selected chapters from Shared Governance for Agile Institutions: A Practical Guide for Universities and Colleges by Steven C. Bahls.
At the Regular Meeting on Saturday, the Board and campus representatives heard reports from each standing committee, sub-committee, or working group that met in conjunction with this meeting (for descriptions of the responsibilities of each committee, see our email about the October Board meeting):
Audit Committee: As it does every year, the committee reviewed and approved a draft of the federal 990 tax form for 2023 in advance of filing in mid-April. Director of Information Security and Data Privacy Officer Darron Daniels presented about the College’s information security systems. The committee also received an annual briefing on our comprehensive insurance program from College Counsel Susan Kraus.
Buildings and Grounds Committee: The committee heard an update on physical plant improvements underway on campus, including the completion of Wyndham Alumnae House, the final stage of the Park Science renovations, the selection of an architecture firm for the student space planning project, and the request for proposals (RFP) process for the comprehensive campus plan. Sara Grossman, associate professor of environmental studies on the Johanna Alderfer Harris and William H. Harris Professorship in Environmental Studies, and Shannon Kearns, chief of staff, shared updates on the College’s work on sustainability, including the creation of a new role of Director of Sustainability and Environmental Action, for which we are currently seeking applications. The committee also discussed strategic approaches to investing in buildings and grounds.
Committee on Trustees: In keeping with its charter, the committee is discussing the skillset of current board members, identifying potential new trustees, and reviewing surveys about board service. The committee also recommended a resolution to amend the College’s by-laws to align the term dates for trustees with the College’s fiscal year (so terms will end on May 31st instead of at the April board meeting). The board approved this amendment at its regular meeting on Saturday morning, February 8th.
External Relations Committee: Millie Bond, senior advisor for external relations and secretary of the college, presented to the committee about objectives and strategies for external relations with the goal of building and amplifying the College’s engagement with external audiences. Samara Sit, chief communications officer, shared early feedback on the rollout of the institutional positioning project and early plans for Project Digicomm, an initiative to possibly introduce a user-friendly mobile app and portal for the College’s internal audiences as well as a reimagined website. Bob Miller, chief alumnae/i relations and development officer, discussed policies for donor bequests.
Finance Committee: The committee welcomed Samir Datta, incoming vice president for finance and administration, and thanked Tijana Stefanovic for covering those responsibilities for the past year. The committee also discussed setting tuition rates for the undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences programs for 2025-2026, which resulted in a recommendation to the board.
Academic Affairs Working Group: The working group, an ad hoc advisory body to the board, met with the Advisory Council of the Faculty and discussed interdisciplinarity, experiential education and applied learning, intellectual partnership, and intellectual mentorship of students. The working group is considering the academic experience of the future and potential steps to realize it.
In addition to hearing reports from the committees and approving their recommended resolutions at the Regular Meeting, the Board also met in a closed session to review three faculty candidates for tenure. The Board voted to confirm the reappointment with tenure and promotion to associate professor of Jennie Bradbury (Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology), Patrick Melvin (Chemistry), and Adam Williamson (Biology), effective at the start of the fall 2025 semester. Read more about their work.
Members of the Board who arrived on campus early had an informal dinner with members of the Curriculum Committee, the Committee on Academic Priorities, and the Junior Faculty Conveners of the Advisory Council of the Faculty. This dinner featured a fireside chat between President Cadge and Dee Matthews, associate professor and co-chair of creative writing, about her volume of poetry Bread and Circus.
As ever, we are grateful for all of the ways our community, including students, staff, faculty, Board members, alums, parents, friends, and so many more, works together in ongoing support of our mission.
With thanks,
Wendy and Cynthia
Wendy Cadge
President and Professor of Sociology
Cynthia Archer ‘75
Chair, Board of Trustees
