<< BackA message from the Alumni Council President
Dear Colgate Alumni:
This year there is a contested election for two seats on the Alumni Council.
***Please VOTE in this election, because participation is important, and vote online, to keep costs down for Colgate***
As President of the Alumni Council, which is the board of directors of the over 30,000-member Colgate Alumni Corporation (and which you're a member of), I care deeply about the integrity of the voting process. I am committed to a fair election, and I support the right of alumni to file petitions and run, though I firmly believe that there are countless other ways to become effectively involved with Colgate without petitioning for an expensive and potentially divisive contested election. I also believe in the comprehensiveness and quality of the Nominations Committee's process, and the excellent candidates it traditionally produces, and has produced this year. I support them wholeheartedly.
Please consider joining me in voting for Christopher “Kip” Smith ’63 and Bart Hale ’04, the Alumni Council-nominated candidates.
This year, as in 2006 and 2011, the alumni who have filed petitions to run against the Alumni Council-nominated candidates are supported by a group called “A Better Colgate,” or ABC.
ABC (formerly known as SA4C) has an agenda: it seeks to reform the governance of Colgate through the direct election of the Board of Trustees by Colgate alumni, and it in the past has suggested that alumni withhold contributions from Colgate until its demands are met. ABC has again mounted a challenge to the Alumni Council's candidates to try to promote its agenda. As alumni, they have the right to do this, but as the president of the Alumni Council, I also have the right to give you my views on their campaign.
Your Vote Is Important
You should have received an e-mail and a letter announcing the election and directing you to the official election website, run by an independent, third-party balloting firm. Please go to that website, read the candidates' bios, and consider who will best represent you and who has the commitment to Colgate and its alumni that you and the institution deserve. I believe that those candidates are the proven volunteer leaders nominated by the Alumni Council: Christopher “Kip” Smith ’63 and Bart Hale ‘04. I ask you to vote, and to join me in voting for them.
If you want to be more involved with Colgate, please let us know. A good first step is checking out the official website of Colgate alumni at www.colgateconnect.org, which contains hundreds of ways to reconnect with Colgate and your fellow alumni right now. I appreciate your consideration. Thank you.
Best regards,
Christine Gallagher ‘83
President