Ballots for the three alumni spots open on Wesleyan’s Board of Trustees were recently distributed to seniors, tenured faculty and the alumni community.

“The Alumni Association Nominating Committee selects a slate of candidates each year,” said Director of Alumni Education Linda Secord. “They choose from people who have been recommended by other alumni or they may self-nominate. The nominating committee, with staff support, reviews [candidate] backgrounds and aims to select a balanced slate each year that reflects the population of Wesleyan alumni.”

This year there are seven candidates on the ballot: Leo Y. Au ’71, Michael A. Donnella ’76, Julie G. Kast ’79, Matthew M. Greenfield ’90, Tanya A. Bowers ’94, Channing L. Kelly ’95, and Jacob S. Robinson ’04.

Candidates have been divided into two categories: sixteen or more years past graduation, and fifteen or fewer years past graduation.

There is also the possibility for alumni to petition to be a candidate.

“Petition candidates must get signatures from one percent of the alumni population, which is about 360 people, and no more than 30 percent can be from any one class,” Secord said.

The deadline for all ballots is May 22. Those eligible to vote can do so online or by using a paper ballot. Paper ballots have been distributed to current seniors via campus mail.

“I think my ballot is somewhere on my floor; I might vote if I find it by May 22,” said Alden Blair ’05.

After the ballots are cast, they are counted by a group of people, including some alumni, who represent the alumni association. One winner from each category is chosen based on the highest number of votes received, and the third winner is the next highest from either category.

“Right now, about twelve percent of the alumni vote, occasionally it is higher or lower,” Secord said. “We would love to see much higher participation. Sometimes all of the candidates look good and it is hard to choose, but each vote does matter.”

The Board of Trustees is comprised of 33 members, 24 of which are appointed by the Administration. The remaining nine are elected by the alumni body and serve terms of three years each.

“These nine, fully functioning, vote-casting Board members, bring great diversity of background, race, geography and occupation to the Board,” said board member Kate Quigley Lynch ’82. “The Board of Trustees is entrusted and committed to ensuring academic excellence and to educating Wesleyan students to be members of a world community.”

The board assembles four times a year and is divided into subcommittees that meet with administrators, faculty, and students regarding each specific area. Subcommittees include campus affairs, campus life, university relations, finance, governance, auditing, and facilities working group. Each group has a full agenda, and important issues are discussed by the entire board.

“Right now, the big issue for the board is strategic planning,” said Director of Communications Justin Harmon. “We finished up the end of a big fundraising campaign in December, and we are trying to determine the overarching needs of the University. We need to renew our planning efforts and develop the plan for the next five years.”

Electing trustees is an important part of being an alumnus, as the board aims to accurately represent the interests of the graduated community.

“Meeting Wesleyan alumni are like the best part of family gatherings,” Quigley Lynch said. “You’re glad to see people and interested to hear what they are doing. Board members are like all the Wesleyan volunteers I have met, interesting, opinionated and caring. The decisions trustees make help shape Wesleyan as it is today, and will be, tomorrow.”