The below message was sent to faculty, staff, and students on February 16, 2026.
Dear Bryn Mawr Community,
We write to update you on the most recent Board of Trustees' meeting, which was held on campus February 6-7, 2026.
We welcomed board members to campus with a dinner with the Advisory Council of the Faculty and several new employees at the College. On Friday, the Board met in plenary sessions to discuss the College's strategic direction and finances as well as enrollment and financial aid. Also on Friday, board members had an opportunity to meet with students over lunch either through the Student Experience Working Group (more details below) or with members of the Presidential Student Advisory Council and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
As is tradition during the February Board meeting, the Bryn Mawr and Haverford Boards met together for a plenary session and meal, this year hosted at Haverford. The plenary session featured a presentation by Sarah Pfatteicher, author of Collaborative Thinking: How to Build and Sustain College Consortia (2025) and executive director of Five Colleges, Inc., the organizational hub for the consortial relationship among Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith colleges and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Saturday's first session, which included faculty, staff, and student representatives to the Board, featured a panel discussion on student and faculty partnerships through experiential education, moderated by Dean for Career & Civic Engagement Katie Krimmel. This panel featured:
At its Regular Meeting on Saturday, the Board and campus representatives heard reports from the following committees and working groups (descriptions of each committee's responsibilities are available online), as follows.
Audit Committee: The committee received its annual briefing on the College's comprehensive insurance program from Director of Administrative Services Sakinah Rahman. Vice President and Chief Information Officer and Constance A. Jones Director of Libraries Chris Barth presented about the College's information security systems. General Counsel Brandyn Hicks provided updates on institutional risk management and mitigation.
Buildings and Grounds Committee: The committee heard an update on the work of the DLR Group on the Comprehensive Campus Plan, with a focus on the library of the future and improvements for residence halls. This group also received project updates on campus safety, residence hall refreshes performed over winter break, and overall capital projects.
Committee on Trustees: Topics of discussion at this meeting included a review of the board's bylaws, nominations and pipeline for new trustees, and planning for the biennial survey of the board.
External Relations Committee: This committee discussed the pillar of the strategic direction draft that focuses on enhancing visibility, reputation, and impact. They also discussed the appointment of Katie Nash as the College's inaugural vice president for external relations and preparations for her arrival in late February. They also received an update on matters relating to government relations from Laurie Fenlason '87, consultant.
Finance Committee: The committee reviewed the current fiscal year budget and endowment performance. They approved a new endowment spend formula. The committee also discussed tuition rates for the undergraduate, postbaccalaureate, and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences programs for 2026-2027; those rates were subsequently approved by the full board.
Academic Affairs Working Group: The working group, an ad hoc advisory body to the board, met with the Advisory Council of the Faculty to discuss topics related to the strategic direction of redoubling Bryn Mawr's commitment to academic excellence. The meeting included updates on the undergraduate curriculum, the work of the Committee on Academic Priorities, progress toward rebalancing faculty workload, and the "Academic Collaboration in the Bi-Co Grants Program." Provost Dee Matthews also shared early impressions and forward-looking visions. The group received a brief update on the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Accreditation process from Chris Barth.
Student Experience Working Group: This group of trustees met with graduate and undergraduate students, including student representatives to the Board, on the topic of learning at Bryn Mawr. Students discussed what has been central to their learning at the College, how their learning here differs from previous experiences, and the spaces - both on and off campus - that have been most important to their academic experience.
We are grateful for all of the ways our community, including students, staff, faculty, Board members, alums, parents, friends, and so many more, works together in ongoing support of Bryn Mawr’s mission.
With thanks,
Wendy and Cynthia
Wendy Cadge
President and Professor of Sociology
Cynthia Archer ’75
Chair, Board of Trustees
