State officials appointed to Trustees

Glen Rock High School '93 Glen Rock, N.J. The University Board of Trustees approved the appointment of four non-elected officials to the Board as part of a deal between the University and the state, last fall. In return, the University received $35 million in funding from the state for the current fiscal year. Although the issue has been controversial in the past, the resolution made at a Board of Trustees Stated Meeting in October was approved without debate, questions or comments. "A long-term question of Commonwealth support in higher education is not yet resolved," former Board of Trustees Chairperson Alvin Shoemaker said. "The University will continue to work with the state to craft the most productive relationship in order to move forward." University spokesperson Barbara Beck admitted that, given the November election results, "there is a certain amount of insecurity surrounding the future of state funding," adding that the Trustees' decision to appoint the state-selected Trustees decision was a good one. "If the state is going to give the University money, then the University should be accountable," she said. At that same meeting, the Board of Trustees elected its new chairperson, selecting former Merck & Co. Chief Executive Officer Roy Vagelos to replace Shoemaker. Vagelos, who graduated from the University in 1950, served as chairperson of Merck, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, since 1985. He retired last November. "I am sorry to see him step down," Trustee Gloria Chisum said. "But I think Dr. Vagelos will also be an outstanding chairman, because he's a superb human being and will work hard on behalf of the University, just as Mr. Shoemaker has done." Chisum, who serves as vice-chairperson of the Board of Trustees, noted that the duration of Vagelos' term at Merck was "an extraordinary period for that company." Vagelos also served on the consultation committee for the presidential search, which ended in University President Judith Rodin's appointment last December. Shoemaker chaired the Presidential Search Committee.