Becoming a Trustee

The more than 60 members of the University Board of Trustees comprise perhaps the most influential body at Penn -- and a rigorous selection process matches the extensive duties of the group.

The intense selection process is often somewhat of a mystery, even to those who are selected.

The process is "almost as mysterious as the selection of popes," Trustee Gilbert Casellas said. "I was honored to be selected, but I'm not quite sure how that happened."

University Secretary Leslie Kruhly is one of the key players in the preliminary selection of candidates for trustee membership.

"The most typical path to becoming a trustee ... is a culmination of a process of at least a number of years of involvement in some way at Penn," Kruhly explained.

Trustees typically begin their career of volunteer service by sitting on various overseer boards at the University -- of which there are 16, each with about 30 members. In this way, alumni become involved in the various schools at Penn or other closely affiliated institutions, such as the University Museum overseer board.

However, there is not a "typical" pattern when it comes to trustee selection, as active Penn alumni can come to the University's attention in any number of ways.

"We're always looking at our roster of alums who have achieved," Kruhly said. "So sometimes the person is approached by us -- not to become a trustee automatically, but to become involved in one of the overseer boards."

Once a potential trustee is identified, the Nominations Committee of the Board of Trustees reviews the candidate, and, if appropriate, nominates the candidate to the full board, which then holds a final vote. Trustee selection is an ongoing process, though membership demand varies from year to year.

"There's an internal working group of people from this office and from [the Office of] Development and Alumni Relations, and we are continually looking at a pool of volunteers that we've become aware of," Director of Trustee Affairs Molly Roth said.

The office also does "some active prospecting for people that have demonstrated some kinds of excellence in various different fields and endeavors and [tries] to find ways to re-engage them."

The Secretary's Office does extensive research about each candidate before decisions are made by the Nominations Committee.

"This office provides binders of descriptions ... on all the people we're looking at," Kruhly said.

When new trustees are elected to the board, an orientation is held to familiarize them with the daunting task of determining the direction of the University.

Roth and others work to "orient them to the workings of the culture of the board ... to the essential principles of how the University operates that they might not have been exposed to," Roth said.

In addition, new trustees are mentored by those who have served on the board for some time. The board is divided into different categories of trustees, whose terms vary in length.

Four members are selected by the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, rather than the University. According to state statute, Penn must allow these voting members onto the board in order to receive certain kinds of state funding.

Fourteen trustees are selected by Penn Alumni, the representative body of University alumni. There are eight representatives from various regions around the country, in addition to five "at-large" alumni trustees, as well as the president of Penn Alumni.

Current Penn Alumni President Paul Williams became involved with alumni activities in the late 1980s before joining the board in January 2000.

"One step leads to another," Williams explained.

Philadelphia dermatologist and College alumna Susan Taylor is also an alumni trustee, who became involved first with the Trustees' Council of Penn Women a group dedicated to promoting and supporting women in the Penn community. Her leadership there quickly led to her involvement with the Brister Society, a society for Penn alumni of color. In addition, she is on the board of the Graduate School of Education.

"Igained so much from my education and my experiences at the University of Pennsylvania that Iwanted to in small ways, and hopefully in some large ways as well be able to give back to Penn,"Taylor said. "So although Iam on several other boards, Ithink I put Penn number one ... in terms of my time and my financial support as well."

Those who become involved through overseer boards and other volunteer functions often become term trustees and can serve up to two consecutive five-year terms. Up to 10 trustees can be elected as charter trustees after five years of service on the board. These members remain on the board until retirement. Once charter trustees reach the age of 70, they become trustees emeriti.

Casellas, who was asked to serve as a trustee due to his active involvement with the Law School, explained his overarching duties as a trustee.

"As a trustee, you don't actually do on a day-to-day basis the work of the University,"Casellas said. "But what you try to do is provide a vision and provide a conscience so that the University stays true to its mission and its values."

And providing that vision is no easy task.

The University "is an enormous institution, broadly speaking," Taylor said. "It is a large corporation on one hand, but, more importantly, it is one of the finest institutions of learning in America. It is mammoth in scope."

"Prior to becoming a trustee, one gets glimpses of various activities of the University," she added. "When one becomes a trustee, one begins to understand the workings of the University, the scope of the University all that is involved in running and administering a university. The magnitude of the University was the biggest surprise."

Kruhly explained that though much is expected of the trustees, all are fully aware of the commitment before they begin their terms.

"We expect them to come to a minimum six days of meetings a year. We expect them to make Penn, if not their number one, certainly their second-most important philanthropic endeavor," Kruhly said. "These are specific expectations that they commit to in advance."

Though all trustees agreed that their position was extremely rewarding, a sense of accomplishment is their only compensation. Trustees are unpaid, expected to cover their travel expenses and hotel rooms for meetings and give substantially to the University.

Still, Taylor had only positive things to say about serving as a trustee.

"We do get mountains of literature to read, but Ifind it all very interesting. It's fascinating, so it's not necessarily daunting to read," Taylor said. "It just provides tremendous insight into the workings of the University."

"I enjoy the trustees meetings. I find them very thought-provoking, productive and interesting," she added. "I find that the committee meetings provide a detailed overview of a specific area of the University," she said.

Williams who traveled weekly during the period leading up to Amy Gutmann's selection as Penn's next president agreed that time can be an issue.

"The activity consumes quite a bit of time. That's the expectation," Williams said. "Part of being a volunteer board member ... is that there's an understanding that we all have limits, but some activities do have deadlines."

Despite the extensive time commitments, Casellas said serving as a trustee is incredibly rewarding.

"It's taxing, but not in a negative way,"Casellas said. "It's taxing like exercise is: When you're all done, you're glad you did it, and you feel good."

"It's been an absolutely wonderful honor to serve on the Board of Trustees something that Icould never have imagined when Iwas a student," he added.

"My fellow trustees are just absolutely warm, committed human beings who just care so much about the University and maintaining its rightful place among the top universities."

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