The Board of Trustees named Stephen F. Brauer chair of the Board, effective July 1, 2009, and elected six new trustees, Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton announced at the Board’s winter meeting Dec. 5.
Brauer joined the Board in 1991 and has been the chair of the School of Engineering & Applied Science’s national council. He has championed the goal of accelerating Washington University’s ascent among the world’s premier universities and building a leading engineering school. In late October, ground was broken for the Stephen F. & Camilla T. Brauer Hall, which will house the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering and the International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy & Sustainability (I-CARES). He currently serves as vice chair of the Board.
Brauer, former U.S. ambassador to Belgium, is chairman of Hunter Engineering Co., a leading manufacturer of computer-based, automotive service equipment for the global market, headquartered in St. Louis.
Wrighton recognized and thanked David W. Kemper for his outstanding service to the University as Board chair. Kemper was appointed vice chair, and John F. McDonnell was reappointed vice chair.
The Washington University Libraries Plan for Excellence was presented to the Board by the chair of the Libraries National Council, Jack E. Thomas, and by Shirley K. Baker, vice chancellor for scholarly resources and dean of University Libraries. Wrighton also provided an overview of several University-wide initiatives’ and centers’ Plans for Excellence.
In his report, Wrighton updated trustees on construction of the BJC Institute of Health at Washington University, noting that the facility’s structural steel was expected to “top out” this month and that exterior closure and the installation of building systems were under way. The completion date for this LEED-certified project is December 2009.
Wrighton described the new Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization, which is being established through $12 million in support from Arch Coal, Peabody Energy and Ameren. WUSTL has committed more than $60 million during the past year to advance education and research related to energy, environment and sustainability.
Through the new consortium, the University and its partners hope to make St. Louis an international center for clean coal initiatives.
Wrighton also reported that applications for admissions to the undergraduate programs are strong and that the academic indicators are up again among the applicants in the early-decision pool.
He described an important landmark in cancer research at the School of Medicine in which faculty members for the first time decoded the complete DNA of a cancer patient and traced her leukemia to its genetic roots.
In recapping some high points in athletics, Wrighton noted that the women’s volleyball team captured its eighth University Athletic Association championship Nov. 8, the women’s soccer team advanced to the sectional semifinal, where it lost to defending national champion Wheaton College, and the men’s basketball team remains undefeated and is ranked No. 1 nationally.
Six trustees named, 10 others re-elected
Six new members were elected to the Board.
George P. Bauer is president and chief executive officer of GPB Group Ltd., an investment-banking firm based in New Canaan, Conn. Previously, Bauer spent 31 years with IBM Corp., holding executive positions in marketing, finance and business systems, including chief financial officer positions of several IBM divisions. He also held leadership positions in IBM’s European operations. After his retirement in 1987, he became executive professor of management information systems at Georgia State University. Bauer earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in engineering from Washington University in 1953 and ’58, respectively.
Gregory H. Boyce is chairman and chief executive officer of St. Louis-based Peabody Energy, the world’s largest private-sector coal company. Previously, Boyce was chief executive officer-energy for Rio Tinto mining company in London. Prior to that, he was president and chief executive officer of Kennecott Energy Co., which grew to the nation’s second-largest coal company during his tenure. He also has served as president of Kennecott Minerals Co. and as executive assistant to the vice chairman of Standard Oil of Ohio. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mining engineering from the University of Arizona and an advanced management program degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Business.
John F. Dains is the chief executive officer of Helm Financial Corp., a San Francisco-based, privately held company providing lease options for freight rail cars and locomotives to railroads and shippers throughout North America. In late 2007, Dains relinquished his role as president. Prior to that, he served as the company’s chief financial officer. He also has worked in various financial marketing distribution positions with Petrolite Corp. in St. Louis and IC Industries in Chicago.
Steven F. Leer is chairman and chief executive officer of Arch Coal Inc. He was president and chief executive officer from the time the company was formed in 1997 to 2006. Prior to the launch of Arch Coal, he was president and chief executive officer of Arch Mineral Corp., one of Arch Coal’s predecessor companies. He also has held executive positions with the Valvoline Co., Ashland Inc. and Ashland Coal Inc. Leer earned a master’s of business administration degree from the Olin Business School in 1977. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of the Pacific, which also awarded him an honorary doctorate.
George Paz is president and chief executive officer of St. Louis-based Express Scripts Inc., one of the largest pharmacy benefits management companies in North America with more than 50 million members. Paz joined Express Scripts in 1998 as senior vice president and chief financial officer. He became president in 2003 and chief executive in 2005. Previously, he was a partner at Coopers and Lybrand, managing the firm’s Midwest insurance practice, and was executive vice president and chief financial officer for Life Partners Group. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri.
Harry Seigle is the founder of The Elgin Co. in Elgin, Ill., a company involved in real estate acquisition and management, private investing and philanthropy. Previously, he was chairman and president of Seigle’s Inc., an Elgin, Ill.-based, family-owned building supply company that was sold to Stock Building Supply in 2005. After earning a bachelor’s degree from WUSTL in 1968 and a law degree from Northwestern University in 1971, he worked for Chapman and Cutler LLP in Chicago before joining his family’s business, then known as Elgin Lumber Co., founded in 1881.
Seven eligible regular-term trustees were re-elected to the Board:
John W. Bachmann, George W. Couch III, Andrew E. Newman, Craig D. Schnuck, Andrew C. Taylor, Ronald L. Thompson and John D. Weil.
David V. Habif Jr., W. Patrick McGinnis and Mary Ann Van Lokeren are former regular-term trustees who were elected to the Board.
The Board executive committee for 2009-2010 was appointed and is composed of chair Stephen F. Brauer, vice chair David W. Kemper, vice chair John F. McDonnell, Maxine Clark, William H. Danforth, John P. Dubinsky, Sam Fox, Lee M. Liberman, Andrew E. Newman, James V. O’Donnell, Craig D. Schnuck, Andrew C. Taylor, Lawrence E. Thomas and Howard L. Wood.
In other Board action, two new emeritus trustees were appointed, John H. Biggs and Floyd E. Bloom.
A new ex-officio position was designated for the chief executive officer of BJC HealthCare. Steven H. Lipstein, who has been a member of the Board and is CEO of BJC HealthCare, was reappointed to the Board ex-officio. Washington University’s affiliated teaching hospitals, Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital, are members of BJC HealthCare.
The Board also heard reports from its committees on development, educational policy, University finance, governance, and research-graduate affairs.