The Middlebury Board of Trustees, at its annual meeting on May 8-9, approved a budget of $314.1 million for fiscal year 2016, which begins on July 1, 2015. That represents a 4.7 percent increase over the current fiscal year budget.

The budget encompasses the operations of Middlebury College, the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, Middlebury Language Schools, Middlebury C.V. Starr Schools Abroad, Middlebury School of the Environment, Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English and Middlebury Bread Loaf Writers’ Conferences.

The board also approved tenure recommendations for three members of the faculty, effective July 1:

  • Joyce Mao, Associate Professor of History
  • Sarah Stroup, Associate Professor of Political Science
  • Jessica Teets, Associate Professor of Political Science

The trustees opened their meeting with a discussion of student stress and the campus climate this spring. Vice President for Student Affairs Katy Smith Abbott, Vice President for Academic Affairs Andi Lloyd, and Provost Susan Baldridge all described the atmosphere on campus and provided their assessment of the pressures students today experience, the unique set of events—including the deaths of one student, two faculty and one staff member—that took place on campus this academic year, and the multitude of forces in society and at Middlebury that impact student experiences. All three presenters noted that following a special meeting of the faculty on the subject, many faculty members had taken steps to reduce workloads and create opportunities for more informal interactions with students inside and outside the classroom. The president and board chair requested that the senior administration work this summer and have in place in September a small number of concrete steps to address the issues as a community, and to continue this discussion across the institution.

Over the course of their two days together, the board, either in committees or meeting as a whole, received an update on Middlebury’s digital learning initiatives; discussed the operations of the Language Schools, Schools Abroad, School of the Environment, and Bread Loaf School of English; heard a report about the institution’s fundraising priorities and progress this year; and were briefed about the status of faculty governance discussions at Middlebury College.

Middlebury’s investment manager, Investure, presented its annual report on the performance of the endowment, which now totals $1.1 billion, and the firm’s current investment strategy.

The trustees elected four new members to the board for five-year terms and three current board members to new five-year terms, all starting July 1.

The four new members are Joseph W. Brown ’90 (Term Trustee), Leilani McClellan Brown ’93 (Term Trustee), Janine Feng ’92 (Term Trustee), and Henry J. Simonds ’97 (Alumni Trustee)

Garrett M. Moran ’76 and James Edward Virtue ’82 were appointed to third five-year terms as Charter Trustees. Russell J. Leng ’60 was appointed to a second five-year term.

Two former trustees, each of whom served three terms, were named Emeritus Trustees. They are former board chair Frederick M. Fritz ’68 and Kendrick R. Wilson III P ’01, P ‘03

The board also honored five outgoing trustees whose terms will end on June 30: Donald M. Elliman ’67 and Patrick L. McConathy both completed ten years of service; Anthony M. Civale ‘96 and Amy Geier completed their five-year terms.

Near the close of the meeting, the trustees gathered in the Board Room in Old Chapel took a special moment to honor Middlebury President Ronald D. Liebowitz, whose tenure on the board will conclude with the end of his 11-year presidency on June 30, and to thank him for his transformational leadership of the institution.

Liebowitz thanked the board and, especially, the two chairs he worked with closely during his presidency: current chair Marna C. Whittington and her predecessor, Frederick Fritz.