Board of Trustees Convenes for October 2025 Meeting

The Board of Trustees met on campus on October 16-17. In addition to updating the college’s Investment Policy, as described in previous stories and further explained in a statement last week, the Board approved 2026-27 tuition and fees for the College of Arts and Sciences, officially approved the launch of a new philanthropic campaign, and designated a bequest to support additional philanthropy.

• The board approved a 4.5 percent increase in CAS tuition and a 4 percent increase in room and board for 2026-27. These changes are in line with increases in recent years, as well as market considerations.
• The board officially approved the launch of a new major institutionwide philanthropic campaign. The “silent phase” of the new campaign began on June 1, 2024. The themes, priorities and precise details of the campaign will be determined by May 2026, with the public launch of the campaign to come some time thereafter.
• David Radmore BS ’54, MA ’59, and his wife Ruth, recently bequeathed a portion of their estate to Lewis & Clark. The board approved use of this generous bequest to support the hiring of a principal gifts officer in the Office of Advancement. A principal gifts officer will be responsible for nurturing top donor prospects, securing transformative gifts to support the strategic imperatives, and leading collaborative fundraising efforts across our three schools.
• Earlier in October, the board’s Audit Committee received and reviewed the college’s audited fiscal year 2025 financial statements. The financial statements are available on the Business Office website.

In addition to approving the actions described above, the board reviewed and discussed our five top strategic priorities for the current academic year, as well as a new institutional branding and messaging platforms to better position Lewis & Clark among key audiences.

The board’s committees discussed a number of additional timely topics. The Academic Affairs committee discussed admissions results at the three schools. Although the incoming CAS class is smaller than anticipated, the Law School’s incoming class was both larger and academically stronger than in previous years and the Graduate School predicts a modest increase in credit hours this year. The committee also discussed upcoming changes to federal financial aid policies, with a particular focus on the potential impact of the elimination of Graduate Plus loans for graduate and law students beginning in fall 2026. The Campus Life committee discussed the important role of international students at Lewis & Clark and heard from a panel of international students about their experiences on campus. In addition to approving the launch of a new campaign, the Institutional Advancement Committee heard from a current student and Posse Scholar about the direct impact of philanthropy on students’ success and experiences.