2008 Association of Alumni Candidates

John H. Mathias Jr. '69
Candidate for President

Biography
John is a senior partner in the law firm of Jenner & Block in Chicago. At Dartmouth he was a member of the varsity basketball team, the Undergraduate Council, Dragon (President), Phi Delt (Rush Chairman), Naval ROTC (XO), and Phi Beta Kappa. After Harvard Law School (1972), he served three years in the Navy. A financial aid recipient, he has led the annual Dartmouth Club of Chicago Scholarship fund drive for 25 years and has served on his last five class reunion giving committees. He and Julie have five Dartmouth children (’07, ’09, ’09, ’11, ’11) and are currently co-chairs of the Family Fellows Committee of the Dartmouth Parents Fund. He is a founder of the Dartmouth Lawyers Association, a Senior Trustee of The Latin School of Chicago, and a board member of Chicago Sinfonietta.

Statement
Dartmouth alumni should be united in support of the finest undergraduate college anywhere. With President Wright’s coming retirement in June 2009, we must not allow the appearance of alumni disunity to hamper our ability to attract the best candidates in the search for Dartmouth’s next President.

We owe Dartmouth--not vice versa. Nothing should compromise our duty to protect and enhance Dartmouth’s reputation and stature in the world community. Alumni can and should advocate and interact effectively on the most important issues and opportunities facing the College in years ahead with collective goodwill.

The lawsuit against Dartmouth filed by last year’s slate of petition elected Executive Committee members is causing acrimony among alumni while diverting money and resources from undergraduate education. Worse yet, financial support for this divisive lawsuit comes from anonymous outside interests having hidden agendas and lacking accountability for the welfare of the College. This is an intolerable situation which should be promptly ended.

Conflicting views among alumni about procedures for election or appointment of Trustees, no matter how sincerely held, are not sufficient cause for seeking judicial or legislative intervention into College and alumni internal affairs, as has been done here. The Dartmouth family is capable of resolving these issues on its own.

I pledge my best efforts to promote and restore Dartmouth alumni unity. I will avoid the polarizing “independents vs. insiders” rhetoric too often heard in recent alumni elections. I believe we are all on the same side for the betterment of Dartmouth.

Please vote for our slate: Bascomb, Keare, Spalding, Baldauf, Brown, Engelman, Harris, Jaxheimer, Kerr, and Schram.

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