Shoemaker to step down as Trustee chair

Merck CEO will replace him University Board of Trustees Chairperson Alvin Shoemaker said he will step down from his position next week after serving eight years at the board's helm. Sources say Trustee Roy Vagelos, chairperson of Merck & Co., will be named his successor next week. Although Shoemaker would not confirm that his replacement will be Vagelos, he said the choice of his successor is an "outstanding" one. Shoemaker will officially resign at the October meeting of the Executive Committee of the Trustees. The Trustees are expected to elect Vagelos as their new chair at that time, sources said. Shoemaker will be resigning several months before his term is scheduled to end in June. The Trustees hold elections each June, and just re-elected Shoemaker four months ago. "I really had not planned to stay the entire year," he said. "But I felt it was important to be around for the first couple of months of the new presidency to see that everything was off to a good start. "With a new president, provost, and other officers, it's good to have a new chairman too," Shoemaker added. Shoemaker received his undergraduate degree from the Wharton School in 1960 and became a member of the Board of Trustees in 1984. He has chaired the Board of Trustees since June 1986. He served as vice chairperson for a year before becoming chairperson, replacing former Board of Trustees Chairperson Paul Miller. Over his eight-year tenure, the University's endowment has tripled, Shoemaker said. In addition, Shoemaker led the effort to rebuild the Penn Club, now open in New York City. "We now have more members than Harvard, Princeton, Yale or Cornell in only six months time," Shoemaker said. "The whole idea is to keep our young alumni involved." Shoemaker also cited his involvement with the Campaign for Penn, which is expected to raise $1.3 billion by December, as part of his legacy. But most importantly, Shoemaker said, he hopes students, faculty, staff and administrators have a "sense of self-confidence, because we're going in the right direction." Several Trustees said last night they will miss Shoemaker when he steps down. "He is a man with terrific ideas and a great sense of humor, and a great sense of things that matter for the University," Trustee Elsie Sterling Howard said. Howard said Shoemaker founded the Trustees Council of Penn Women, which she chairs, and "has a wonderful appreciation for women." She added that Shoemaker felt "he had accomplished many of the things he set out to do." Trustee Stephen Heyman said Shoemaker is "unbelievable," adding that his successor would have an easier time because of the path Shoemaker paved. University President Judith Rodin said Shoemaker's "commitment and willingness to move us forward is just extraordinary." "It was wonderful for me to get to know him and work with him," Rodin said. Shoemaker led the presidential search that ended in Rodin's appointment last December. During his tenure as chairperson, he has dealt with issues including the Daily Pennsylvanian confiscation. Last September, he and the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees criticized interim President Claire Fagin for not disciplining the students who seized copies of the DP. In his earlier years, Shoemaker had to deal with controversy regarding divestment from companies doing business in South Africa while apartheid was in full force. The Board of Trustees' decisions in the matter caused a great deal of student protest, including sit-ins and a lawsuit that was later dropped.