Dear Members of the Campus Community,
The board of trustees recently concluded its two-day fall series of meetings, during which we discussed key issues and opportunities for Puget Sound, with a particular emphasis on student success, enrollment, and retention. We welcomed several new trustees; enjoyed meeting with students, faculty and staff members; and advanced several key initiatives to support Puget Sound and the 10-year Leadership for a Changing World strategic plan.
Welcome to New and Returning Trustees. The board is enriched each year by the generosity, expertise, and perspectives of new members. This fall we are happy to welcome returning trustees Kathleen Duncan ’82, a trustee for the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Foundation (Los Angeles, CA); Gwendolyn Lillis P’05, co-founder and chair of the Lillis Foundation (Castle Rock, CO); and the following new trustees:
Business Meeting. In advance of the meeting we read reports submitted by President Crawford and ex-officio representatives, including Faculty Senate Chair Sara Freeman ’95 and ASUPS President Mushawn Knowles ’20, who were in attendance at the business meeting; and Alumni Association President Andrea Tull Davis ’02, who joined us for earlier meetings. The trustees value hearing directly from students, faculty, staff, and alumni about their work, and also appreciate the opportunity to meet informally with members of the campus community throughout our visit.
Highlights of the business meeting include:
Finally, we attended to other duties of the board, including reports from the following board committees: academic and student affairs, ad hoc bond committee, development and alumni relations, finance and facilities, and trusteeship. We also engaged in a workshop to assess the board’s organization and approach to governance, and convened a third meeting of the President’s Advisory Committee on Campaign Planning as part of our commitment to fully realize the objectives of Puget Sound’s strategic plan. More information about the work of the board is available at pugetsound.edu/trustees.
Please remember that our business meetings are open to all members of the Puget Sound community. We were happy to have with us several students, representatives of the faculty working in the FEPPS program, members of the Staff Senate, and other interested parties.
Community Engagement. During my time at Puget Sound as a parent of a student in the class of 2007, a trustee, and now chair of the board of trustees, I continue to be struck by the passion and engagement of this community in preparing our students for success. Our students benefit from the university’s practice of soliciting recommendations from the faculty, ASUPS, staff, and alumni leadership to appoint individuals to advise board policy committees, strategic planning work groups, budget task forces, executive search committees, and more. I would especially like to recognize the following for their engagement with the board of trustees this year, along with the dozens of staff members who support our work and serve as essential resources in preparing and executing our meetings.
On behalf of my fellow trustees, we look forward to returning to campus in February, concurrent with the meetings of the Alumni Council Executive Committee.
Sincerely,
Robert C. Pohlad P’07
Chair, Puget Sound Board of Trustees