At its March 7 meeting, the Board of Trustees received reports on chemistry research and education from Edward S. Macias, Ph.D., executive vice chancellor and dean of Arts & Sciences, and Joseph J.H. Ackerman, Ph.D., the William Greenleaf Eliot Professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry in Arts & Sciences, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.
After the chancellor’s report by Wrighton, Macias and Ackerman outlined the research and teaching initiatives undertaken by the chemistry department.
Their presentation served as an introduction to the dedication of the new Arts & Sciences Laboratory Science Building that immediately followed the trustee gathering. Keynote speakers for the dedication were Samuel W. Bodman, Ph.D., deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, and David R. Harvey, Ph.D., chairman and chiefexecutive officer of Sigma Aldrich Corp.
In his report to the trustees, Wrighton presented an overview of the activities now in planning stages for the celebration of the University’s 150th anniversary, which begins with Founders Week Sept. 14-20. He noted that a University open house for the community will launch the celebrations on Sept. 14, followed by a series of events at the University involving major speakers and events over a six-day period.
Wrighton also revealed that an environmental initiative involving students and faculty is in preliminary stages, and that a 150th-anniversary exhibit would be shown in the Gallery of Art in Steinberg Hall.
Reporting on the status of admissions, Wrighton noted that applications for the fall 2003 freshman class topped 20,000, a 4 percent increase over the prior year. He said it is the strongest group of applicants in the University’s history.
He added that more than 1,300 applications have been received for the new University Scholars Program, which allows high school seniors to apply simultaneously for admission to an undergraduate program as well as to one of 11 graduate or professional degree programs.
In reviewing the status of the Campaign for Washington University, Wrighton said three installations have recently been scheduled or taken place for endowed professorships, bringing the total of professorships created during the campaignto 115.
In other action, the trustees supported memorial resolutions and observed a moment of silence in memory of two trustees who recently passed away — Robert Brookings Smith and William M. Van Cleve.
The trustees heard reports from the following standing committees: audit, development, educational policy, Hilltop finance, Medical finance, investments, undergraduate life, research-graduate affairs and the Alumni Board of Governors.
The meeting adjourned and was immediately followed by the dedication of the Arts & Sciences Laboratory Science Building.
The next trustee meeting is scheduled for May 2.