Please know that no information here has been altered or exaggerated - just the facts…

“CHESTER COLLEGE OF NEW ENGLAND
CHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Statement by Chester College of New England Board of Trustees, May 7, 2012

The Board of Trustees of Chester College of New England met on May 7, 2012 and issued the following statement:

We have received the No Confidence vote of the faculty and staff of the College and reviewed it carefully. We respect the talent, dedication and spirit of the faculty, staff and students of the College and their determination to see it survive, and appreciate all of their efforts.

President Robert A. Baines has consistently acted at the direction of the Board of Trustees and only after consultation with it, the accrediting agencies and senior educators in New Hampshire and New England, as well as senior management of the College including the Vice President for Academic and Student Services, the Vice President for Finance, the Vice President for Admissions and Marketing and the Dean of Students.

The College has invested substantial funds and efforts in recruiting students, hiring talented staff including professional admissions and marketing personnel. Unfortunately, these investments have not produced results that met the targets set by the staff and approved by the board. Senior management consistently was informed of the uncertainty of the College’s future and its limited options.

Our efforts in contacting and entering into discussions with other institutions by necessity had to be conducted in private, and in all cases were aimed at preserving the College and helping its students. All discussions have included protecting credits earned by Chester students, their cost of education and time to completion of their degrees, goals recognized as important by all members of the Chester community.

While the Board of Trustees understands the emotional situation in which the College finds itself in a time of uncertainty, the Board has the legal and fiduciary responsibility for the operation and direction of the College. It today has voted its unanimous confidence in President Baines, and affirms that his leadership is consistent with the direction of the board and the best interest of the College and its students.

As planned, the Board of Trustees will meet after Commencement to review its options.”

Update from Laura Ives…

“The students raised $15,000 at the Gala, Silent Auction. That brings the total to $87,000 for donations, including written pledges that Chester students raised in just over one week.”

An update from Laura Ives…

“There are 12 Alumni, 14 Student, and 2 Faculty & Staff stories on the Save Chester site.

There are 347 people in this group. I want every single one of you to submit a story, even if it’s just a paragraph or two!

From Nicole Glynn
http://savechester.marginaliastudios.com/category/alumni-stories/”

A message from Jenna Gawne, Director of Student Services:

“Hi Students,

There is now a student button on the eventbrite website for the silent auction. (Go Here: savechestercollege.eventbrite.com ) Pay what you can (and a little bit more) and come to this fantastic event. I will note however, that if a bunch of large donors show up in the first few minutes we might need some of you to filter out just to make room. It’s a big space however, so the more the merrier!

Also, a few of us are going to the Chester, NH Board of Selectmen on Thursday, May 3rd at 7:00PM and we will be on TV at the same time (in Chester only) on channel 20. I would really appreciate it if someone could make a large banner to put up in front of the college (for the town) Thursday afternoon that read something like, “Watch us on channel 20 at 7:00PM!” Let me know if you are interested! The college closing would greatly effect the town financially and that is what we are going to talk to the Board of Selectmen about.

Thanks everyone! Keep your spirits up, drink your OJ and take naps—- this is a stressful time of year!”

To contact Jenna, email:
jenna.gawne@chestercollege.edu