The Colgate Alumni Council
Alumni Council Elections
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Join your fellow alumni and vote for these great independent candidates
for Alumni Council!
Regardless of the linkage Colgate is trying to make between the independent candidates and A Better Colgate, all the petition candidates are independent candidates. A Better Colgate made many alumni aware of the process by which to run as a petitioned candidate and encouraged any qualified alumnus/ae to petition onto the ballot.
All the candidates, both independent and those selected for the Alumni Council slate, have been nominated through a legitimate process, according to the AC Bylaws. As such, each should be treated fairly and equally. But, the Alumni Council campaigns for its slate on the University paid website and through the University database of alumni.
The Alumni Council states that their mission is "Promoting Dialogue, Inviting Engagement, and Making Colgate Connections". Open elections actually promotes engagement and dialogue. Until 1982, open elections for the Alumni Council was the norm. The process changed in response to hurt feelings by an alumnus who lost an election.
Our motive is clear: We think open elections are a good thing. We want the Colgate community to get into the habit of voting in open elections with a view to allowing alumni to elect a meaningful number of trustees, as is the practice of some of America's most prestigious and forward-looking universities.
Better Transparency + Better Accountability + Better Alumni Particitipation
= A Better Colgate! Go Gate!
Alumni may vote on only four of the ERA candidates; because the other five candidates are not contested; your vote is a ratification of the selection by the Alumni Council.
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Independent Candidates |
Candidates selected by Colgate |
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Era I: 1929- 1965 |
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Era II: 1966- 1975 |
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Era III: 1976-1982 |
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Era IV: 1983-1989 |
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Era V: 1990-1996 |
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Era VI: 1997-2003 |
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Era VII: 2004-2010 |
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At large: |
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At large: |
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The Colgate Alumni Corporation is a 56-member board that serves primarily to support the efforts of the trustees and administration by engaging alumni in Colgate activities and through fundraising. The Alumni Council has no policy-making authority for the university.
Six members of the Alumni Council serve on the Colgate Board of Trustees. They are selected by the Executive Committee and recommended for ratification by the Council Nominating Committee and approved by the Council members.
Alumni may place their names in nomination for a seat on the Alumni Council. The Nominating Committee selects a slate of nine names that appear on the ballot, one candidate for each Era, a period of time including one-seventh of the total living alumni, plus two at-large candidates. Era groupings are reconfigured every three years to reflect an even distribution of the current alumni population. The current Era groupings were reconfigured during summer 2010.
Criteria for selection includes “varied Colgate volunteer service, a demonstrated commitment to Colgate over time, meaningful personal or professional accomplishments or contributions to the greater community, a readiness and willingness to become more involved on behalf of the university, and a consistent history of giving financial support to Colgate.”
The Nominating Committee’s slate is posted in the Colgate Scene following the January Board meeting of the Alumni Council. The slate is assumed to be unanimously approved by the alumni, unless 75 written petitions for an independent candidate are received no later than April 10, 2011.
Rules for petition candidates are published in the Alumni Council Bylaws.
In 2006, eight independent candidates successfully petitioned onto the Alumni Council ballot. The University created numerous impediments to voting, but as many as 39 percent of voters chose the independent candidate. Regardless that there was no history of open elections, alumni made it clear: we want a voice in Colgate’s future!