At its spring meeting May 6, the Board of Trustees elected six new members to the board and elected officers, among other actions, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.
The six electees are John D. Beuerlein, general partner of Edward Jones; Thomas J. Hillman, founder and managing partner of FTL Capital Partners LLC; Sanford C. Loewentheil, vice chairman of L+M Development Partners; Scott Rudolph, chairman of the board of NBTY Inc.; Gary M. Sumers, senior managing director of Blackstone Group; and Joyce F. Wood, owner of Wood & Associates Management Co.
Three trustees were re-elected for a second four-year term: Gregory H. Boyce, chairman and CEO of Peabody Energy; George Paz, chairman, president and CEO of Express Scripts Inc.; and Shinichiro Watari, chairman of Cornes & Co. Ltd.
In addition, four former trustees returned to the board: Andrew M. Bursky, CEO of Atlas Holdings LLC; Arnold Donald, president and CEO of the Executive Leadership Council; Priscilla L. Hill-Ardoin, retired senior vice president for regulatory compliance and chief privacy officer for AT&T Services Inc.; and Jack E. Thomas, chairman and CEO of Coin Acceptors Inc.
Three current trustees also were elected as emeritus trustees: John W. Bachmann, senior partner of Edward Jones; William B. Neaves, president emeritus of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research; and Harvey Saligman, general partner of Cynwyd Investments.
In addition, the board elected its officers for 2011-12: Stephen F. Brauer, chair; David W. Kemper, vice chair; and John F. McDonnell, vice chair.
In his report to the Board of Trustees, Wrighton said that the “Spring Preview” visit season for high school seniors remained strong this year. He said the university’s plan was to arrive under its freshman enrollment target of 1,500 by the student response deadline in early May and then to use the waiting list to reach, but not exceed, the goal. Next fall’s class has been selected from a record-breaking applicant pool of nearly 29,000. He reported that the university’s tuition and fees increase of 3.9 percent is at the midpoint of about 20 private, peer research universities.
Wrighton gave an update on construction projects on both the Danforth and Medical campuses, noting that on the Danforth Campus construction continues on Preston M. Green Hall and renovation work continues on a number of projects, including North Campus space for the Brown School’s public health program, Cupples II and Mallinckrodt Center. On the Medical Campus, construction on internal research space continues at the BJC Institute of Health at Washington University.
Wrighton made special note of the fact that Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and human rights activist, has been selected to give this year’s Commencement address on May 20. Wiesel also will receive an honorary degree at the university’s 150th Commencement exercises, as will four other individuals: Emeritus Trustee John H. Biggs, PhD, former chairman and CEO of TIAA-CREF and former vice chancellor for administration and finance at Washington University; Shirley Ann Jackson, PhD, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Griffin P. Rodgers, MD, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the National Institutes of Health; and George W. von Mallinckrodt, KBE, president of Schroders plc.
The university’s annual Faculty Achievement Awards were announced recently, Wrighton said.
Erik Trinkaus, PhD, considered by many to be the world’s most influential scholar of Neandertal and early modern human biology and evolution, and Wayne M. Yokoyama, MD, an internationally renowned immunologist and arthritis researcher, are this year’s awardees. They will receive their awards and give presentations of their scholarly work during a ceremony in December.
Wrighton also reported that the university is once again being considered as a host for a presidential debate sponsored by the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD). The CPD announced on April 1 that the university was one of 12 potential sites and plans to announce their final site selections later in the year. The university hosted presidential debates in 1992, 2000 and 2004, and hosted the vice presidential debate in 2008 — the most-watched debate since 1980.
Wrighton recognized the extraordinary accomplishments of many of the university’s athletic teams, including the men’s outdoor track and field team, which captured its third-straight UAA championship. He noted that it was the first time in school history that the Bears have swept the men’s cross country, indoor track and outdoor track championships in the same season. The Department of Athletics is currently in third place in the 2010-11 Division III Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings.
During the meeting, the trustees heard a presentation from Iver Bernstein, PhD, professor of history, of African and African American Studies, and of American Culture Studies, all in Arts & Sciences, titled “Interpreting the American Civil War after 150 Years.”
In other actions, the board received reports from the following standing committees: nominating and governance, compensation, development, educational policy, honorary degree, medical finance, university finance, audit and the alumni board of governors.
The board received a review of the year from student representatives Jordan Aibel, a graduating senior in Arts & Sciences from Miami, Fla.; Greg M. Schweizer, a graduating senior in Arts & Sciences from Champaign, Ill.; Drew Gulick, a graduating MBA student from St. Louis; and Melissa Holtmeyer, a doctoral student in engineering from Washington, Mo., as well as from faculty representative Heather A. Corcoran, Faculty Senate Council chair and associate professor of art.
Chancellor Wrighton also welcomed new student representatives to the board. They are: Ashley Brosius, a junior in Arts & Sciences from Moline, Ill.; David Messenger, a junior in Arts & Sciences from Bronx, N.Y.; Daniel Conner, an MBA/engineering joint degree graduate student from Kihei, Hawaii; and Cong (Lucy) Li, a doctoral student in neuroscience from Beijing, China.
The six new trustees:
John D. Beuerlein
Over the course of his 34-year career with St. Louis-based Edward Jones, Beuerlein has served in a number of leadership roles in various areas, beginning in 1980 when he became a partner and managed the company’s syndicate department. Ten years later, he was named director of equity marketing and later assumed the responsibility for market development of the East Coast division and advanced sales training for senior investment representatives in the United States, Canada and Great Britain.
As general partner, he is responsible for the firm’s global customer experience program and leads a number of programs designed to communicate and strengthen the company’s culture among its more than 30,000 associates. He earned an MBA from Washington University in 1977 and has been an active alumnus of the Olin Business School, as well as a member of the university’s Alumni Board of Governors.
Thomas J. Hillman
Hillman has been involved with private business enterprises over the course of his career and has served as an active partner and catalyst for starting, acquiring, building and monetizing a number of businesses. He serves as managing partner of FTL Capital Partners LLC, a St. Louis-based merchant banking and strategic management consulting firm. He is actively involved with FTL Capital’s current portfolio of companies doing business in a wide variety of fields, including home improvement finance, minerals manufacturing, tax credits sales, and recruitment software solutions.
Hillman also is chairman of FindStuff.com, a comparison-shopping Internet company, and was the founder of Announce Media, an Internet lead generation and search engine company. He is an active board member with a number of national and local nonprofit organizations, including Innovate St. Louis, HealthPoint Capital LP, Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation Board, and the National Council of Entrepreneurism at Washington University. He is a 1978 graduate of Washington University.
Sanford C. Loewentheil
A third generation builder, Loewentheil has been a developer for nearly 30 years, with a focus on the construction and development of affordable housing in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. L+M Development Partners is an integrated family of companies specializing in development, construction, financing, law, marketing and property management. The company’s projects include new construction, renovation of historic buildings and adaptive re-use. Wherever possible, L+M’s buildings employ green technology that incorporates beauty, sustainability and energy efficiency.
A 1976 graduate of Washington University, he has been an active alumnus, serving in a number of volunteer and leadership roles, including being a member of the Arts & Sciences National Council and the New York Regional Cabinet. He serves on the boards of trustees of Sulam Yaakov, a synagogue located in Larchmont, N.Y., and Rye Country Day School located in Rye, N.Y.
Scott Rudolph
Rudolph has spent more than 30 years in the nutritional supplement business, including serving as chairman of the board of NBTY since 1986 and as CEO from 1986 until 2010. Formerly known as Nature’s Bounty, NBTY Inc. was founded in 1971 as a mail order, catalog-based provider of vitamins and other health supplements. Today, led by Rudolph, NBTY is a leading global manufacturer, marketer and distributor of high-quality, value-priced nutritional supplements with more than $2.6 billion in sales and more than 14,000 employees.
He currently serves as the interim president of Dowling College on Long Island, N.Y., which is his alma mater. He is a member of the Parents Council at Washington University, and is also a trustee of a several organizations, including Dowling College, North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System and the Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center.
Gary M. Sumers
Since joining New York-based Blackstone Group in 1995, Sumers has led the company’s strategic asset management group, as well as overseeing financial reporting activities and property disposition activities. The Blackstone Group is a leading global alternative asset manager and provider of financial advisory services. Founded in 1985, it has offices throughout the world.
Before joining Blackstone, Sumers was chief operating officer of General Growth Properties and previously had practiced law in Chicago. He is a 1975 graduate of Washington University and earned a law degree at Northwestern University. He has been an active Washington University alumnus, serving on the Arts & Sciences National Council and the New York City Regional Cabinet, among other volunteer roles.
Joyce F. Wood
Wood began her career as a certified public accountant in the St. Louis offices of Arthur Andersen & Co., and is currently principal of J. Wood & Associates LLC. She earned both BSBA and MBA degrees from WUSTL and has been an active alumna, serving in a number of volunteer roles such as a member of the Institute of Public Health and Medical School National Councils and chairing numerous Olin Business School committees. She was the recipient of the Olin Business School’s Dean’s Medal in 2000.
Her civic affiliations include chair of Parkland Health Center Board and a director of their Foundation Board; chair of the finance committee for the Missouri Baptist Board; outside director of the St. Louis Trust Company; and a member of the Missouri State Government Review Committee under Gov. Matt Blunt. She was the recipient of an Outstanding Hospital Trustee award from the Missouri Hospital Association.