Update for Saturday, Oct. 17, 2026 meeting 

 
Dear Earlham Community, 

The fall meeting of Earlham College’s Board of Trustees took place October 15-16 on campus. The meeting was attended by a quorum of Board members and by Steve Maxwell ‘75 and Kirk Wright ’80 of the Earlham Foundation Board. Also attending were the members of College Council and Board Liaisons representing faculty, staff, and students.

This was the first scheduled Board meeting led by new Chair Fred McClure ’84. At the request of the Board, liaisons were welcomed to all sessions except the executive sessions. In addition, the on-campus sessions of the Board’s Property and Finance Committee and its Enrollment and Marketing Committee were extended to two hours to allow ample time for presentations and discussion. (The Board’s other committees—Academic Affairs; Audit, Risk Management and Compliance; Campus and Community Life; Earlham School of Religion Committee; Institutional Advancement; and Nominating and Governance—met online prior to the full Board meeting for discussions and to prepare items for full Board action.) 

In his opening remarks, Board Chair McClure encouraged participants to “Engage, Embrace, and Encourage”: engage in the difficult work required to address real-world issues, embrace the opportunity to change our students’ lives for the better, and candidly encourage each another to remain committed to the work at hand. 

In my opening remarks, I highlighted the strength of this year’s incoming class and the enthusiasm our faculty have expressed for these bright, engaged students. At the same time, I acknowledged that the class is smaller than we need to achieve our long-term enrollment goals.  

Our main ongoing administrative efforts have been strategic planning for Earlham’s sustainability and preparation for the Higher Education Commission (HLC) Focused visit, which took place October 26-27.  

Enrollment remains our central challenge, but with new enrollment and marketing approaches in place we are optimistic we will see increased enrollment in the coming years.  

The successful petition for access to $40 million of the Lilly unrestricted endowment, combined with the significant budget reductions made last year, has strengthened Earlham’s financial position and provided important stability as we continue working toward the Board’s mandate of a balanced budget. 

The following actions were approved by the full Board on Friday, October 16: 

Institutional Advancement 

Acceptance of gifts and grants of $50,000 or more received between 5/15/2026 and 9/11/2026 totaling approximately $1.2M, including a grant payment from the Lilly Endowment for Earlham Summer, a restricted gift in support of athletics facilities improvement, and restricted gifts in support of endowed scholarships and the archives. 

Reallocation of Earlham School of Religion (ESR) unrestricted bequests previously designated to the Quaker Leadership Center to now be designated to support ESR Marketing and Admissions. 

Nominating and Governance 

Approval of the Slate and Officers of the Board of Trustees, including terms for renewal, terms ending, and the transition of Trustee David Stump ’72 from Honorary to Emeritus status, with a minute of appreciation for David Stump’s many years of service. 

Approval of selected nominations to the ESR Board of Advisors. 

Approval of terms for Trustees appointed to the Earlham Foundation Board. 

Property and Finance 

Approval of 2027-28 increases to tuition (3.5%), room and board (4%), and fees (2%) in the College, in line with those taking place at other Great Lakes Colleges Association schools. Agreement to form an ad hoc committee of the Board to consider potential alternative pricing approaches in future years. 

Approval of a capital project to install a gas boiler for Landrum Bolling Center at a price not to exceed a quoted estimate of $430,000 as part of a multi-year transition to building-based boilers, ultimately replacing Earlham’s aging centralized steam system. 

Audit, Risk Management, and Compliance 

Approval of a new Senior Administrator Records Retention Policy. 

Approval of a revised Whistleblower Policy. 

The Board also approved a minute of appreciation for the recent service of Tom Thornburg ’84 as Board Chair and a minute honoring computer science pioneer Margaret Hamilton ’58, who passed away recently. The Board approved the renaming of Earlham’s Center for Science and Technology for Margaret Hamilton, with formal details to come later. 

*** 

Board members were grateful for the opportunity to attend Epic Expo, our annual showcase of student and faculty scholarship and creativity, on Friday, Oct. 16, and noted the excellence of our students’ posters and presentations. In reflecting on the sense of occasion at the poster session, one Board member described the scene as “crowded happiness.” The Board expressed its sincere appreciation and thanks to our students, faculty, and staff for all their work on Epic Expo. 

Though this fall’s Board Meeting brought no big surprises, all in attendance were fully aware of the need for Earlham to continue the work of reining in costs and increasing revenues to achieve sustainability. The implications of strategic planning for Earlham’s future were discussed extensively throughout the meeting, as was the ongoing challenge of increasing enrollment. Together, we must keep working hard on solutions that will ensure Earlham’s future. 

Sincerely, 

Paul Sniegowski 
President, Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion