Alumni Council

Alumni Council serves as the advisory body to the College on behalf of the Earlham Alumni Association. Council leadership can be reached via email by any Earlhamite.

Interested in serving on Alumni Council? Alumni of Earlham College are invited to apply to serve on Council by completing our nomination form. You can also nominate a fellow alum who might be a good fit.

Elected members may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms. Alumni Council meets twice each year on campus to focus on programs and communications to fulfill a number of goals including:

• facilitating the continuing relationship between Earlham College and its alumni
• encouraging communication and fellowship among alumni
• advancing the interest and needs of Earlham College
• aiding in general promotion of the College to its alumni and the public

In response to these goals, the following committees are responsible for carrying out the work of Alumni Council: 

• The Alumni Engagement Committee connects Earlham alumni to each other and to the College, fostering a lifelong sense of community and shared purpose. By collaborating with Class Chairs, reunion committees, and campus partners, the committee works to strengthen alumni bonds, support current and future Earlhamites, and uphold the values that make the Earlham experience unique. Central to its mission is recreating and sustaining the vibrant, inclusive community that Earlhamites cherish—one rooted in connection, support, and a shared Earlham legacy.

Pete Buttigieg told an Earlham audience in February, “Hope is believing it is possible.”

We came away from the weekend with much hope for Earlham’s future.

We heard from Paul Sniegowski, Lori Schroeder (Academic Dean), Elana Passman (Clerk of the Faculty) and two students.

• They understand that the cuts are crucial for Earlham’s long-term survival and see this time as an opportunity to be creative and build on the college’s solid liberal arts foundation, grounded in its Quaker principles and practices.
• They were also clear that, as Elana said, “The campus is grieving.”
• The budget reduction and curriculum evolution process has been inclusive and transparent, in alignment with Earlham’s values.
• Because the process has been deliberative and inclusive, the ability to have immediate clarity about what has and will change and what will continue has led to uncertainty and some confusion (particularly among current students as to their academic futures.
  • Lori assured us that all students who have declared a major would be able to graduate with that major, and that all students also have an ability to create their own majors as programs may merge or change.
• We understand that during times of confusion, disinformation can increase. Leadership was open to suggestions to continue ways of filling communication gaps, both on campus and beyond, including in the Richmond community. Many people are working hard to find ways to address this issue.
• We were again reassured that Earlham has good, competent leaders at this point and they will help Earlham build on its strengths and also innovate. Decisions about curricular changes will be made by early April.

As part of the need for staff reduction, we planned how Alumni Council, as it functions now, will be put on “pause” and we look forward to finding new ways during this break for alumni to connect with each other and with campus

• E.g. going forward, twice yearly, there will be an Alumni Association virtual meeting, in which all Alumni can join, to hear even more about what is happening at the College and how we, as Alumni, can help.

Because of reduced staffing throughout the college, it is now more important than ever for alumni to continue and further engage with other alumni and Earlham’s Campus to build and strengthen our Earlham community. Ways to do this include:

• Be an Alumni Admissions Ambassador (contact Michelle King)
• Take part in Birding Day (May 8-10th)
• Support Earlham Day (April 22nd)
• Encourage H. S. students to attend Earlham Summer College
• Help inspire students to connect with and consider EC by keeping up-to-date on student and faculty activities highlighted on Earlham’s website, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram pages
• Be a reunion planner for your class (start or join a group) – contact Amber Hall
  • When you’re on campus for Homecoming, come hear students share their experiences at the EPIC Expo.
• And lastly, connect with other alums and spread the news and the hope.

Talking Points from the Fall 2025 Alumni Council Meeting

• The vibe on campus this weekend was overwhelmingly positive. The atmosphere on campus was dynamic and welcoming.  Over 700 alumni attended homecoming and there were many chances for dialog with other alumni and with students.  It was clear students are receiving a high-quality education, evidenced by the many student presentations, conversations and campus activities in place.
• The next few years will be extremely challenging for the Earlham community, and critical steps are now being taken. Amid a chaotic outside world (including the national scene and the plain fact that there are fewer college-age students in our population overall – aka “the demographic cliff”), we learned about Earlham’s financial situation in depth as well as steps to fix it. These include a combination of significant budget cuts over the next four years, combined with borrowing from Earlham’s endowment, and retargeting our enrollment strategy – all aimed at bringing the budget into balance by 2030.
• New leaders are in place.
  • Paul Sniegowski, in his second year as President, is universally seen as leading with transparency, sharing hard facts about Earlham’s financial situation and that tough actions are now required. He has convened a Consultative Working Group (CWG) representing faculty, staff and administration and they are charged with developing budget recommendations to achieve needed savings.  His message is that we should be concerned if Earlham did NOT take such actions because taking action means the challenge is surmountable. In taking these actions, he finds the hope that Earlham can weather this crisis and exist long into the future.
  • Jeff Perkins EC’94 is the new Vice President for Admissions, Marketing and Communication. He has a mandate to reorganize and retarget our enrollment, marketing and communication efforts. He has done a deep dive into data about how Earlham has been recruiting and shared with us what he has learned and how it informs the planned changes to enrollment and messaging about Earlham.
• Alumni action is necessary and critical.  We need to help in these ways:
  • Fill in a review at niche.com, a website that helps prospective students find the right college for them. Positive reviews from alums will lift our modest score and draw attention to prospective students.
  • Help identify prospective Earlham students through your work, neighborhood, family, place of worship, etc.)
  • Tell Jeff Perkins about any high school you know of that has students who would be a good fit with Earlham.  [email protected]
  • Give a financial gift.
  • Stay positive and make other alums aware that the time for action is now. Earlham’s challenges are real and urgent, but corrective steps are being taken in a transparent and collaborative manner. We would be more concerned if we didn’t have clear-eyed, compassionate and committed leadership with a plan to address this situation.

Alumni can contribute to the Earlham community in a number of ways: 

“Breathe deeply, stay focused on our goals, and hold onto what makes Earlham special—our outstanding teaching, our values, and our supportive community.”  – Tom Thornburg (EC Class of ‘84 and current Board President) 

For questions about Alumni Council, you may reach out to the executive committee listed below:

Wendy Smiseck ’91, Alumni Council Chair  

Brandy Bennett ‘05

Martha Hill ’79

Hans Kersten ’86

Chris Meyer ’69

Deborah Roose ’71

Chip Yeakey ’03