(a) Sixteen from among members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), who reside within or are members of the respective Presbyteries (as constituted from time to time) in the State of North Carolina, to be elected by the Trustees and confirmed by the Presbyteries. These Trustees are to be allocated among such Presbyteries by the Executive Committee of the Trustees at convenient intervals but at least every four years: provided, however, that each of such Presbyteries shall be allocated at least one of the sixteen memberships;
(b) Eight from among the national membership of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), to be elected by the Trustees and confirmed by the congregation or Presbytery in which they hold membership;
(c) Twelve by the Trustees, at least four of whom shall be Alumni: and
(d) Eight by and from the Alumni, on nominations by the Alumni Association, chosen by an electorate composed of the Alumni Association and the then current Senior Class.
The Trustees, acting through the President, shall before each election be privileged to recommend to the Alumni Association, without any obligation on the part of the Alumni Association, persons believed by the Trustees to be desirable additions to the Trustees.
In addition to the forty-four Trustees elected for four-year terms as set forth above. the following persons shall serve as Trustees, ex officio, for the terms set forth below:
(e) The President of Davidson College shall be a Trustee. with voice and vote. during his or her term of office;
(f) The President and the President-elect of the Alumni Association shall be Trustees, but without voting power, during their respective terms of office: and
(g) The Chair of the Board of Visitors shall be a Trustee. but without % voting power, during his or her term of office and for one year thereafter.
2. A Trustee who has served two consecutive full four-year terms shall not be eligible for re-election until one year after the expiration of his or her second full term.
3. All persons nominated for the office of Trustee shall be notified upon nomination that if elected, they will be required to give assent to the following questions which would be posed by the Chair of the Trustees in a brief ceremony at the opening of the first meeting which they attend:
(a) Do you approve of and pledge to support the purpose of Davidson College as stated in the Preamble of the Davidson College Constitution?
(b) In accepting the office of Trustee, will you be faithful in promoting the purpose of the College, seeking to honor the traditions that have shaped Davidson as a place where faith and reason work together in mutual respect for service to God and humanity?
4. If a Trustee should ever find himself or herself no longer able to support the purpose of Davidson College as stated in the Preamble of the Davidson College Constitution, he or she shall notify the Chair of the Board of Trustees immediately.
5. Historically, persons elected as Trustees have been active members of a Christian church. In order to preserve the religious heritage of Davidson College and in openness to and respect for the world’s various religious traditions; at all times at least eighty percent (80%) of the elected voting members of the Board of Trustees shall be active members of a Christian church.
November 22, 2004
A majority of the Ad Hoc Committee endorses this revised version of Paragraph S:
Historically, persons elected as Trustees have been active members of a Christian church. In openness to and respect for the world’s various religious traditions and the variety of religious preferences among the graduates and friends of Davidson, the Nominating Committee and the Alumni Association may recommend persons for office of Trustee who are not active members of a Christian church but who meet all other criteria for serving as a Trustee. As part of continuing the historic commitment of Davidson to the Reformed Tradition of the Christian faith, the Nominating Committee shall insure that at least 80% of all voting Trustees are active members of a Christian church
6. A Trustee who misses three consecutive regular meetings of the Trustees will be deemed to have resigned as a Trustee.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF DAVIDSON COLLEGE
TO CREATE A NEW ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP IN THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION
As an outgrowth of the Committee’s broad discussion of Davidson’s faith heritage and its importance as a component of the educational mission of the school, the Committee also discussed the desirability of creating an Endowed Professorship in the Department of Religion. The area of training and expertise of any holder of this position would be Christian theology in general, and Reformed Theology in particular. Recognizing that creation of this position would require the minimum commitment of $1.5MM, the Committee recommends that the Board of Trustees consider a challenge to itself to raise the funds necessary to endow such a professorship.
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