To the Editor of the Etownian:

As the chairman of the Elizabethtown College Board of Trustees, I am grateful to the editor of the Etownian for providing the venue by which I am able to deliver a message to students on behalf of our Board of Trustees.

As many students know by now, the comprehensive fee for the 2014-15 academic year was endorsed by the Board of Trustees at our recent annual winter meeting. This year the comprehensive fee reflects a 4.5 percent increase, which includes tuition charges of $39,920 and standard room and board charges of $9,820. By now, the letters with this news have probably arrived in your homes, and you may have already had conversations with your parents about the cost of an Elizabethtown College education. Like you, the members of the Board are extremely concerned with rising tuition costs. When we vote to set fees for the upcoming year, we don’t take that responsibility lightly. In fact, many of us vote with great concern, knowing that the increased costs present challenges to some of our students and their families.

This year the Board was particularly impressed by the initiative shown by your Student Senate. The student senators represented the student body well at our winter meeting. Members of your Senate presented a compelling letter to the Board encouraging us and members of the administration to evaluate how the College sets the comprehensive fee. On the day this paper is published, President Strikwerda and I will join the Student Senate meeting and respond to questions and address Senate’s suggestions. I am looking forward to an open and frank dialogue with members of Senate. And while there is no guarantee of the outcome of our conversation, I am encouraged that senators made the time on their agenda and am very pleased to have the opportunity to meet with your senators face-to-face.

In addition to evaluating the comprehensive fee, Senate encouraged the College to consider an external review of the structure of its meal plans. Vice President of Administration Robert Wallett is also interested in engaging services for an external review and has requested funding through the 2014-15 budget process. He will keep Student Senate apprised as to the status of the budget request.

Just as we appreciate the opportunity to meet with students, we routinely collaborate with the president and members of senior staff, always looking for ways to support the College more effectively in its mission and support for students. The Student Affairs Committee of the Board works closely with Dean Marianne Calenda and the student senate president to understand students’ interests and concerns, and this year was no different; it is a big reason I asked for the opportunity to address students  via The Etownian.

The Board will continue to work with Student Senate and the Etownian to make ongoing communications with students as robust as possible. Trustees always request, receive and enjoy conversations with students at Board meetings and at other gatherings during the year, like “Into the Streets,” homecoming and Scholarship and Creative Arts Day. You have my commitment, on behalf of the Board, that we will work to increase these contacts and look for ways to ensure that students and trustees know each other’s concerns and understand their shared commitments to the College.

In April, President Strikwerda will issue his first comprehensive President’s Report since joining the College. One will be mailed to your home. I encourage you to review the report to get a better sense of the work that is taking place at the College, how it benefits you and, ultimately, how your investment is paying dividends through the academic experience. The real measure of our collective success lies primarily in our students’ post-graduate success. For those of you who are graduating in a few months, whether continuing scholarly work in graduate school, pursuing full-time employment or taking time to continue the service work you may have started at Elizabethtown, I wish you success. You have been well prepared.

Returning students, you have the commitment of the trustees that we will continue to welcome open dialogue with the students of our community.

Sincerely,

James E. Shreiner

Chair, Board of Trustees

Elizabethtown College