This year, the Board of Trustees increased the cost of attendance, selected a new president and voted on a new member, Mitchell Kurz '73, to replace Peter Robinson '79. Kurz joined the Board following Commencement ceremonies on June 9.
The Board increased Dartmouth's room, board and tuition costs by 3.8 percent to $60,201 for the 2013-2014 academic year. In the past five years, tuition increases have hovered between 4.8 and 5.9 percent, and this year's was the lowest in the past decade. Including miscellaneous charges such as fees and books, the cost of attendance will total $63,282.
This increase pushed Dartmouth's tuition above that of Columbia University, making the College the most expensive Ivy League institution in tuition. Dartmouth's tuition will be $45,444, compared to Columbia's $45,028.
The College expanded its financial aid budget by 6 percent to $82 million. Financial aid recipients receive awards covering roughly 66 percent of the cost of attendance, Dean of Admissions Maria Laskaris said.
The Board also raised tuition costs for graduate schools. The cost of attendance at the Geisel School of Medicine will rise 5.5 percent to $53,432, and the Tuck School of Business' cost will rise 4.9 percent to $58,935.
In November, the Board unanimously elected Philip Hanlon as Dartmouth's 18th president. Board chair Steve Mandel '78 praised the search committee's choice and emphasized Hanlon's competency as an administrator, scholar and professor.
"Phil truly understands how great scholarship and research are essential to an undergraduate learning experience that produces leaders who can shape and change a world that is increasingly complex, diverse and interdisciplinary," Mandel said in a press release.
Hanlon will assume his presidency on June 10.
On March 12, Kurz was elected to the Board in an uncontested trustee race.
When selecting a candidate, the Board looked for communication skills and dedication to education, nominating committee chair Peter Frederick '65 said.
Kurz worked at Young and Rubicam for 24 years as president and chief operating officer for multinational clients. He also served as chairman and chief operating officer at Wunderman Worldwide, a marketing and consulting firm that is part of Young and Rubicam Brands.
Kurz was also an academic dean and director of college counseling at the Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics.
At the College, Kurz was a double major in economics and psychology. He lettered in lacrosse and played football his freshman year, was the business manager for the Jack O'Lantern and a member of Alpha Theta fraternity. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
Kurz has sat on the Tucker Foundation's advisory Board of Visitors since 2009.
Kurz plans to use his marketing and branding backgrounds to improve Dartmouth's global image, he said. At its March meeting, the Board focused on reforming harm reduction and sexual assault policies and addressed the increasing tuition and financial aid costs.
In October, the state attorney general's office declined to pursue an investigation into the Board's alleged mismanagement of the College's endowment. The attorney general's office had received a complaint last May from an anonymous group calling itself "Friends of Eleazar Wheelock" that questioned Dartmouth's investment in companies owned or managed by Trustees.
Trustees had disclosed their investment in these companies and had achieved a two-thirds majority vote by the Board before doing so, both of which are required by state law. The anonymous letter came after financial disclosures revealed that Dartmouth's endowment had a 5.8 percent growth rate in the 2012 fiscal year, the largest of any Ivy League institution last year.
In a New York Times article about Dartmouth's investment practices, former trustee Charles Haldeman, Jr. '70 said that while the Board was cognizant of potential conflicts of interest, high returns made them worthwhile.
The latest Board meeting was held from June 7 to 9.
