Tufts trustees held a luncheon Friday afternoon with members of the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate and other students. The luncheon in Ballou Hall allowed trustees to interact with students and discuss the theme of "connection."
Trustees then stayed on campus into the weekend to hear presentations and meet in committees.
"We want to give ourselves the opportunity to hear your thoughts, your suggestions and your wisdom based on your knowledge and love of Tufts about things we spend time with and want to hear your thoughts about," Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman said to open the event.
TCU President junior Neil DiBiase said that three trustee representatives, seniors Brittany Sommer and Harsha Dronamraju and sophomore Adam Kornetsky, picked the theme of connectedness based on their year-long projects. Sommer is developing diversity initiatives on campus, while Dronamraju wants to create off-campus communities. Kornetsky's project focuses on designing and increasing student space in the fitness center, which is set to be completed in 2011.
"[We focused on] how we as a student body can be better connected to each other and better connected to the community around us," DiBiase said.
One trustee, Sharon Halverson (J '65) spoke about how she and her classmates have worked to stay connected because of the opportunities Tufts gave her and others through financial aid.
"We knew that there was a respect because of the great education we'd been given that we had to give something back," Halverson said.
Junior Matt Shapanka, a TCU senator, mentioned idealism among Tufts students as a connection between them and alumni. The emphasis on passion over practicality in the student body, Shapanka said, separates Tufts from other universities.
"Tufts doesn't want kids who volunteer at food banks; they want kids who start food banks," Shapanka said.
At each of the 11 tables at the event, trustees, administration officials and students discussed ways to help students stay connected to Tufts after they graduate. President Lawrence Bacow, Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser and Executive Vice President Patricia Campbell were all in attendance. Some trustees could not attend but had the opportunity to join committee meetings and presentations through teleconference.
Jeff Kindler (E '77), the chief operating officer of Pfizer, has a daughter at Tufts and said that although the campus has changed cosmetically, the atmosphere is still the same.
"The thing that doesn't seem to change, both through my daughter and when I went here, is the warmth and the friendship and the camaraderie," Kindler said. "The closest friends I have in the world I made when I was at Tufts."
Chair of the Board of Trustees Jim Stern (E '72) spoke about why he loves the university.
"What's amazing about the place is that it has the air of a small New England college with all the excitement of a research university," Stern said.
Stern said that his time at Tufts turned him into a donor.
"Largely because I had such an exciting experience here, I just wanted to make it better for those that followed," he said. "I still do."
