Dear Friends,

The Governance Committee of the Board of Trustees is conducting a study of Principia’s governance structure and functions in light of best practices found in top educational institutions. As was announced in the Trustees’ letter of September 18 http://www.prin.edu/trustees/correspondence/09182007.shtml, consultant Dr. William A. Weary has been engaged to assist in this review. He will visit our campuses during the week of October 22. Over the course of four days, two days on each campus, Bill Weary will be having conversations with a wide spectrum of groups and individuals to discuss Principia’s governance structure, its functions, and how decisions are made within the institution. You may visit Bill’s website to learn more about him and his practice at http://www.fieldstoneconsulting.com.

In the coming days, some of you will be hearing from the campus heads to set up times for these conversations. Individuals from all Principia constituencies will be asked to provide the consultant a full range of perspectives. These interviews will be confidential and will afford interviewees an opportunity to share their views on Principia’s governance structure, its functions, and the ways in which decisions are made at Principia. Any individuals not scheduled for a meeting who wish to speak with Dr. Weary on the issues of governance at Principia may request to do so. The campus heads will do their best to schedule these meetings, with the understanding that time is very limited.

Thank you to those involved in this endeavor for your willingness to provide the input so vitally important to its success.

The Governance Committee
David Anable
Helen Elswit
Cathy Raffles
Michael Sharples