Wheaton trustees approve Sudan divestment policy

The Wheaton Board of Trustees voted unanimously to divest from its endowment holdings any direct investments in companies identified as conducting business in the Sudan. The board's decision was announced by Wheaton President Ronald Crutcher.

''Wheaton joins many other colleges and the larger international community in deploring and condemning the genocide being committed in Darfur by the Sudanese government against its own people,'' said Deborah Dluhy, chair of the Wheaton Board of Trustees.

The Board of Trustees' decision is the culmination of more than eight months of discussion at Wheaton about the extraordinary human tragedy taking place in the Darfur region of Sudan, and the college≠s investment policies. Students organized a series of educational panels and public events to raise awareness about the genocide taking place in Sudan, and to urge the college to divest.

''The students thoughtful approach to this issue exemplifies the Wheaton community≠s ideals of critical thinking, civic activism and civil discourse,'' said President Crutcher. ''I am very proud of the way our students went about educating themselves on the complexities of targeted divestment and bringing the issue to the attention of the entire college community.''

In announcing the Board's decision, President Crutcher praised the students for their ''careful study, collaborative work with faculty and friends, discussion with the Board of Trustees, and campus wide educational programming.'' It was, he said, ''a civil, deliberative process from which the entire community has learned.''

In the Board's deliberations, trustees said that Wheaton's endowment is a key strategic resource, and its continuing growth is essential to the college's operations. However, the Board also noted that the U.S. government, the United Nations and various international organizations have declared that genocide is taking place in Sudan, and that the situation represented ''unusual and compelling circumstances'' that required action.

Review of Wheaton's investment portfolio identified $60,000 invested in a company conducting business in the Sudan as part of $11 million in assets managed by a private investment manager. The college has since divested itself of those holdings and invested the assets in an account screened to exclude companies doing business in Sudan. The Board of Trustees committed to ''best effort'' screening in the future to avoid investments in companies doing business in Sudan.

Wheaton College, located in Norton, Mass., is a highly selective college of the liberal arts and sciences with a student body of 1,500. Since 2001, more than 75 Wheaton students have won national scholarship awards, including three Rhodes Scholarships as well as Truman, Fulbright, Madison, Watson, British Marshall, Goldwater and Rotary International scholarships. Wheaton is one of only two liberal arts colleges in the country to have produced three Rhodes in that time. The Institute for International Education ranked Wheaton fourth among the nation's liberal arts colleges in the production of Fulbright scholars.