New trustees accept Board elections

Tufts' newest trustees have accepted their nominations, and will soon be on campus to begin their work.

The four trustees were elected at the Nov. 1 trustee meeting. Karen Pritzker, Bill Richardson, Dr. Alfred Tauber, and Bill Thompson, Jr. have been contacted by President Larry Bacow and Trustee Board Chair James Stern, who followed up on the trustees' invitation. The trustees can serve a maximum of two five-year terms.

Pritzker is a member of the family that founded and operates the Hyatt Hotel chain. She attended Tufts for two years before finishing her degree at Northwestern University. Pritzker and her husband Dan, who graduated from Tufts in 1981, have made several contributions to the University over the years. They also serve on the board of the Pritzker Cousins Foundation, which donated nearly $3 million in 2001.

Last year the couple also pledged $5 million over five years for the Jay Pritzker Scholarship Challenge Grant. The program, which began this year, gives financial aid to minority students and matches the grants of other contributors to minority students.

This fund is critical in attracting minority students, administrators said. "The Pritzker Scholarship is a major asset in our efforts to enhance Tufts' already impressive commitment to undergraduate diversity," Dean of Admissions Lee Coffin said. "Thanks to the generosity of the Pritzker family, the University can recruit and enroll a new generation of students from underrepresented groups who otherwise could not afford to attend Tufts."

Director of Financial Aid Patricia Reilly said, "Considering the commitment that the Pritzker family scholarship fund has made to minority students, I think [Karen Pritzker would] be a wonderful addition to the board."

Bill Richardson is the governor of New Mexico. He was elected in 2002 after serving as Clinton's Secretary of Energy. Richardson was previously the US Ambassador to the United Nations and a member of the US House of Representatives for eight terms.

He graduated from Tufts in 1970 and received a master's degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in 1971.

Trustees and administrators said Richardson's experience and his close ties to government will promote the University's interests. "Bill Richardson brings a wealth of experience at the highest levels of public service and will be enormously helpful in our relations with the federal government," Stern said.

"His accomplishments and impressive experience at multiple levels of government will be a tremendous asset to the Board of Trustees," Vice President for University Relations Mary Jeka said.

Tauber, who received a BA from Tufts in 1969 and an MD from the Tufts School of Medicine in 1973, teaches pathology and philosophy at the Boston University School of Medicine, in addition to practicing hematology at the Boston Medical Center.

Tauber "brings a critical health sciences perspective to the Board," Stern said.

His experience as a professor will also help the board, according to Trustee Secretary Linda Dixon. "The trustees love having people who are professors because they understand how the academic world works," she said.

Bill Thompson graduated from Tufts with a Political Science degree 1974. He is the Comptroller for the City of New York. Before being elected in 2001, he was the the city's Board of Education president. He was also the Senior Vice President for Public Finance at the investment-banking firm George K. Baum.

His experience in both the business and education fields made him an ideal choice for the Board. Thompson "is a dedicated public servant and business manager who understands the world of higher education," Stern said.

The new trustees are expected to visit the Tufts campus and meet with other Board members to familiarize themselves with the issues and procedures before the next Board meeting in February.