University Times

The nominating committee of Pitt's Board of Trustees yesterday named three candidates for board membership, including one as an emeritus trustee.

Nominated as special trustees for the 2000-2004 class were Michael A. Bryson, executive vice president of finance and chief financial officer of Mellon Bank Corp., and Catherine D. DeAngelis, editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Nominated as an emeritus trustee was Richard P. Simmons, retired chair, president and CEO of Allegheny Technologies, Inc. and a Pitt trustee from 1986 to 1992.

The committee also recommended electing two current special trustees as term trustees for the 1999-2003 class: John H. Pelusi Jr., president and CEO, Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P., and William E. Strickland, executive director of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and president and CEO, Manchester Bidwell Corp. Pelusi chairs the trustees' property and facilities committee, and Strickland chairs the affirmative action committee.

Term trustees have voting rights at meetings of the full Board of Trustees as well as committee meetings. Special trustees may vote only at committee meetings. Traditionally, new members of Pitt's board join as special trustees.

In other action, the nominating committee recommended three amendments to Pitt's bylaws:

* Reinstituting the previous provision that a board chairperson may serve no more than five consecutive one-year terms. The board removed that restriction to allow J.W. Connolly to be elected as chairperson for up to two terms beyond the five-year limit. Connolly ended up serving just one additional year, stepping down last June after six years as chairperson.

Chancellor Mark Nordenberg, who attended yesterday's nominating committee meeting, said trustees believed that Connolly had been an exceptional leader during an "unusual and challenging time," but that reverting to the five-term rule was appropriate now.

* Establishing a trustees retirement policy. Under the policy, no term, special or alumni trustee could be elected after having reached age 72. Trustees, having reached age 72, could serve until the end of their terms but would be ineligible for re-election.

* Including meetings of the trustees' conflict of interest committee among the meetings at which the board chairperson presides. Currently, the chairperson presides over meetings of the full board and its executive committee.

The full board will act on the nominations and bylaws amendments at its Feb. 14 meeting.

— Bruce Steele