Updates following the Board of Trustees Meeting—–October 2024
October 25, 2024
Dear Members of the Trinity College Community,
We welcomed our trustees to campus on October 18 and 19 for a board meeting, and, as is my custom, I am writing to provide the community with a brief update. I do so on the cusp of our traditional Fall Weekend, when we welcome alumni and families back to campus.
The board gathering provided the opportunity to recognize the progress that we’ve made over the last 11 years related to a transformational student experience, increased intellectual vibrancy and engagement, our connections with Hartford, and financial sustainability. Whether your metric is student outcomes, a published ranking, endowment size, or investments in the campus, our progress is evident. We have much to be proud of.
The board meeting also gave us opportunities to celebrate faculty, students, and staff. Trustees were able to witness the caliber of Trinity faculty as extraordinary mentors, scholars, and contributors to Hartford during the first Faculty Excellence Awards ceremony on Thursday evening. At breakfast on Friday, we recognized faculty-grant recipients and the Grants Office staff supporting these endeavors. During lunch, we recognized students who participated in summer research programs.
As always, we had extensive, strategic discussions of where the College is now and where we want to go in the future as we prepare for a presidential transition. We described some of the work that is left to do and that we might face as we navigate continually challenging times. As with most institutions of higher education, our expenses continue to grow faster than our revenues, and this year we saw a small decline in regular decision enrollment. We are mindful of the headwinds that we face.
Board Actions
Trustees voted to approve amendments to the College’s charter and standing rules of the Board of Trustees; this is the result of a yearlong review of our governance documents. They also voted to fund a much-needed project to upgrade our existing IT network. Additionally, they unanimously approved the adoption of a land acknowledgment that serves to recognize and honor the Indigenous peoples who historically inhabited and cared for land where our campus is located.
Additional Updates
- We highlighted our ongoing efforts to build an inclusive culture and previewed data from the third Campus Climate Survey. We were happy to report a rise in satisfaction with overall campus climate for every constituent group on campus. The campus community will hear more about this from Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Anita Davis and Associate Vice President and Chief Data Officer David Andres. We also celebrated our second consecutive Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) and Campus Pride Index awards. Thank you to the many in our community who have worked hard to support this progress, which I hope makes every one of us proud!
- Sonia Cardenas, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the faculty, provided an update on the continuing implementation of our innovative Trinity Plus curriculum. Thanks to the generosity of Lori and David Schnadig ’86, we will begin searching for an executive director of the Trinity Plus Experience to manage the program and to grow the vision of a distinctive liberal arts education paired with real-world opportunities for applied learning. We remain committed to expanding the breadth of immersive experiences—such as the Tuck Business Bridge Program, the Tyree Innovation Fellowship at the Entrepreneurship Center, study abroad, and new J-Term offerings—to provide a full complement to the rigor and depth of Trinity’s liberal arts education.
- We discussed various budgetary challenges, as well as priorities in our facilities plans, which include student housing and an interdisciplinary science building. The trustees also enjoyed an exciting tour of the construction of the Wellness and Recreation Center and the first-year plaza.
- Carrie Pelzel ’74, interim vice president for advancement, updated us on the excellent momentum of the All In campaign. Last year, we saw 100 percent trustee participation in the Trinity Fund and posted the second largest fundraising total in Trinity’s history. Currently at $401 million, our campaign is on track to push past the $425 million goal by June 2025. Thanks for what you have already done and for what you will continue to do to ensure Trinity’s long-term success.
At a reception and dinner, we celebrated the arts at Trinity with a focus on the groundbreaking work of Charles A. Dana Professor of Fine Arts Pablo Delano, who exhibited at the world-renowned Venice Biennale this year.
As we ended this robust and thoughtful meeting, we were reminded that when we focus energy on our mission as the preeminent liberal arts college in an urban setting, together, we can make magic happen.
Onward,
Joanne Berger-Sweeney
President and Trinity College Professor of Neuroscience
