Trustees meet, elect new board members and officers

At its spring meeting May 6, the Board of Trustees at Washington University in St. Louis elected six new members and re-elected eight members and its current officers, among other action, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.

The six new board members elected to four-year terms are:

• Donald A. Jubel, chief executive officer of Spartan Light Metal Products;
• Susan B. McCollum, chairman and chief executive officer of Major Brands Inc.;
• Robert O’Loughlin, chairman and chief executive officer of Lodging Hospitality Management Corp.;
• Nicholas E. Somers, executive chairman of International Decision Systems Inc.;
• Mary Danforth Stillman, founder and executive director of Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls; and
• Gary E. Wendlandt, chief executive officer of New York Life Global Funding.

The eight trustees re-elected to second four-year terms are:

• Maxine Clark, founder of Build-A-Bear Workshop;
• John F. Dains, chief executive officer emeritus of Helm Financial Corp.;
• Robert E. Hernreich, professional sports owner, retired;
• Louis G. Hutt Jr., managing member of The Hutt Company LLC;
• Harry J. Seigle, principal of The Elgin Company;
• Barbara Schaps Thomas, retired senior vice president and chief financial officer of HBO Sports;
• Ann Rubenstein Tisch, founder and president of the Young Women’s Leadership Network; and
• Eric B. Upin, chief investment officer of Makena Capital Management.

The board also re-elected its current slate of officers for the 2016-17 term. Remaining as chair is Craig D. Schnuck, chairman emeritus of Schnuck Markets Inc., and continuing as vice chairs are Stephen F. Brauer, chairman and CEO of Hunter Engineering Co., and David W. Kemper, chairman and CEO of Commerce Bancshares Inc.

In addition, two current and two former trustees were elected emeritus trustees. They are current trustees John P. Dubinsky, president and CEO of Westmoreland Associates; and Joyce F. Wood, owner of J. Wood & Associates LLC.; and former trustees Robert W. Frick, who works with young entrepreneurial companies in the San Francisco Bay Area; and Shinichiro Watari, chairman of Cornes & Co. Ltd. of Hong Kong.

In his report to the Board of Trustees, Wrighton noted the recent appointments of two key university positions: Ronné Patrick Turner, associate vice president of enrollment and dean of admission at Northeastern University, as vice provost for admissions; and Mark Rollins, professor of philosophy and chair of the Performing Arts Department, as dean of University College in Arts & Sciences. Both appointments are effective July 1.

Wrighton noted that U.S. Congressman John R. Lewis, one of the most influential leaders in the civil rights movement, will deliver the Commencement address May 20.

Lewis also will receive an honorary degree at the university’s 155th Commencement exercises, as will four other individuals:

• Stephen F. Brauer, chairman and CEO of Hunter Engineering Co. and a former U.S. ambassador to Belgium;
• Paula Kerger, president and chief executive officer of PBS, the nation’s largest non-commercial media organization with 350 member stations throughout the country;
• Staffan Normark, MD, Swedish physician, microbiologist and infectious disease researcher and member of two of the organizations that help select Nobel laureates; and
• Euclid Williamson, founder of Target H.O.P.E., a nationally acclaimed academic achievement and high school retention model for Chicago area schools.

Wrighton acknowledged a number of recent faculty honors, including Larry L. Jacoby, professor of psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, being elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences; Glenn Davis Stone, professor of anthropology and of environmental studies, both in Arts & Sciences, receiving the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellowship; and Jeffrey I. Gordon, MD, the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor and director of the Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology at the School of Medicine, receiving a Thought Leader Award from Agilent Technologies.

He also noted prestigious honors going to students, including three Arts & Sciences juniors. Teddy Sims, an international and area studies major, received the highly selective Truman Scholarship, and Trevor J. Krolak, a biology and neuroscience major, and Krishna S. Paranandi, a molecular biology and biochemistry major, both received the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

Wrighton also recognized the spring accomplishments of the university’s athletic teams, including the  men’s and women’s track & field teams that swept the team titles at the 2016 UAA Outdoor Championships, held April 23-24. For the first time in school history, the women’s team is ranked No. 1 in NCAA Division III.

The chancellor acknowledged the recent deaths of members of the Washington University community: Robert C. Strunk, MD, 73, the Donald B. Strominger Professor of Pediatrics, a beloved and acclaimed pediatric allergist at the School of Medicine, who died April 28; James W. Davis, 80, professor emeritus of political science in Arts & Sciences, a role model for faculty and beloved by students, who died April 27; sophomore Sarah Longyear, 19, an anthropology major in Arts & Sciences with minors in design and marketing, who died April 22; Michael C. Purdy, 47, a medical sciences writer in the Office of Medical Public Affairs, who died April 14; Cathy Rodgers, 87, a former fashion-design faculty member in the Sam Fox School, who died April 6; and Danny Howard Kohl, 87, a professor emeritus of biology in Arts & Sciences, who died March 12.

The trustees passed a memorial resolution in memory of emeritus trustee H. Edwin Trusheim, who died March 23 at age 88.

In addition, the trustees voted on and passed tribute resolutions recognizing the contributions of four longtime university leaders:

• John A. Berg, vice chancellor for admissions, who will retire June 30 after nearly 30 years at the university, of those, 22 years leading undergraduate admissions;
• Michael R. Cannon, executive vice chancellor and general counsel, who will conclude his tenure June 30 after 23 years in the position;
• Mahendra R. Gupta, dean and the Geraldine J. and Robert L. Virgil Professor of Accounting and Management at Olin Business School, who will conclude his 11-year deanship June 30; and
• Edward F. Lawlor, dean and the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor at the Brown School, who will conclude his 12-year deanship June 30.

Trustee Andrew E. Newman, chairman of Hackett Security Inc. and chair of the board’s Buildings and Grounds Committee, gave an update on major capital projects, and trustee Andrew C. Taylor, chairman of Enterprise Holdings Inc. and chair of Leading Together: The Campaign for Washington University, gave an update on the campaign.

The faculty representative to the board, Rebecca Hollander-Blumoff, chair of the Faculty Senate Council and professor of law, and the outgoing student representatives to the board provided reviews of the year.

Representing undergraduate students on the board were Arts & Sciences graduating seniors Shyam Akula, a neurobiology major with a minor in psychological and brain sciences, and Scott Jacobs, a history major with a second major in political science.

In their report to the board, titled “Honoring Our Investment: Low-Income Student Success at Washington University,” Akula and Jacobs outlined the need to increase support and improve the experience of low-income students at Washington University.

Ashley M. Macrander, a PhD candidate in the Department of Education in Arts & Sciences, and Avik Som, an MD/PhD candidate in biomedical engineering, represented graduate students on the board.

In other action, the board heard reports from the following standing committees: compensation, development, global engagement, educational policy, honorary degree, medical finance, university finance and a written report by the audit and the alumni board of governors.