November 30, 2023 | NEWS | By Taylor Lynch
The Board of Trustees held a town hall on Monday afternoon to update the Colorado College community on their current projects and endeavors. Taking place on Zoom, the event provided a summary of the Board’s annual Fall Meeting, which took place from Nov. 9 to Nov. 11.
The town hall was led by the Board’s chair Jeff Keller ’91, Vice Chair Ryan Haygood ’97, and included commentary from President L. Song Richardson.
One key update from the town hall was the Investment Committee’s endorsement of divesting from fossil fuel holdings. Keller commended student advocacy relating to this issue, noting, “I will put in a plug for CC students, as we have had an engaging dialogue at our board meeting and other events. I was blown away at what these students know about investment.”
Inspired by student voices, the committee has agreed to make two changes. First, they vowed to prioritize the selling of all directly owned oil and natural gas wells and two legacy investment partners in fossil fuels. Second, the Board voted to establish a special committee dedicated to fossil fuel matters, composed of Trustees, students and faculty. The board intends to discuss investment in renewable energy holdings in their spring meeting.
Another notable takeaway from the meeting was the Board’s recent conversation with Debo Adegbile, a lawyer who represented Harvard in Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard College, one of the Supreme Court cases that overturned affirmative action. Adegbile is an American civil rights lawyer who worked at NAACP Legal Defense Fund, an institution that formerly employed the Board of Trustees’s Vice Chair Ryan Haygood and President L. Song Richardson.
Haygood noted that discussing the issue with Adegbile enabled the Board to consider how CC can recommit to the work of an anti-racist institution in a post-affirmative action world. Haygood also encouraged CC students interested in a career in law to consider working in the civil rights space, inviting them to reach out to Haygood and Richardson for guidance.
To the point of moving forward as an anti-racist institution, L. Song Richardson said, “Obviously we will follow the law, but we will not relinquish that commitment. We will work with Dabo and Supreme Court law to ensure that we don’t back away from diversity, inclusion and belonging.”
The town hall mentioned other recent Board engagements, including the attendance of some Trustees at Colorado College classes, the funding and Board attendance of the Keller Family Venture Grants student presentations and the touring of the former Honnen arena, which is currently in the process of becoming the new home for 3D Arts.
The Board noted their passion for connecting CC students with alumni by working with the Career Center. During their fall meeting the Board met with Director of the Career Center, Megan Niklaus to learn more about the ways the office is working collaboratively with the Advising Hub and Faculty.
“Our success is based on how well students can achieve their goals after graduation. This is how we pride ourselves. The partnership between the Career Center and faculty is to marry liberal arts educational outcomes and work readiness skills,” Richardson said about this collaboration.
Although Keller’s Nov. 28 follow up email noted that the Board of Trustees was aware of student demonstrations related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, he did not acknowledge the petitioned demands of pro-Palestinian students in the town hall. The email communication notes, “We continue to take student activism seriously. The Board had an in-depth, thoughtful discussion with President Richardson and her Cabinet surrounding freedom of expression and the importance of fostering a campus environment in which all students are safe and supported.”
The Board’s next meeting will be held in February. Keller notes that the Spring Meeting will focus on improving the Board’s governance model and enhancing dialogue between student groups interested in Colorado College’s investment and endowment.