Dear Members of the Campus Community,
First—congratulations to our 2020 graduates! The board of trustees held its annual meeting remotely on May 14 and 15 and enjoyed seeing the virtual Commencement celebration over the weekend, but we are very disappointed to not be able to congratulate you in person. Please know that we are happy to welcome you as Logger alumni, and look forward to seeing you at what I am sure will be a very memorable Commencement ceremony next May.
Above all, we hope that all members of the campus community and your families are safe and healthy. The trustees recognize the tremendous amount of work that has taken place on campus in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and want every student, faculty, and staff member to know how much you are appreciated. I could not have more confidence in this university. The board stands with you, and we will get through this together.
Below please find some highlights from the board’s meetings last week, as we work to advance the goals of Puget Sound’s strategic plan, Leadership for a Changing World and help the university navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
Annual Meeting Workshop. Director of Counseling, Health and Wellness Services Kelly Brown, Ph.D., joined us to provide an overview of public health in Pierce County and Washington state, along with forecasts and considerations for the upcoming academic year. Cabinet members also provided information to inform a discussion of the ways in which the pandemic could affect Puget Sound’s enrollment, operations and budget next year and beyond. We look forward to receiving President Crawford’s recommendations following completion of the work of the Budget Adjustment Group and Operational Planning Group in the coming weeks.
Approval of New Programs. We are very pleased to approve the Occupational Therapy Doctoral program and a Master of Public Health program. These will be strong additions to Puget Sound’s academic offerings and are responsive to the interests of students and the needs of the broader community. Thank you to the faculty for bringing these programs forward.
Faculty Tenure and Promotion. We were pleased to endorse the awarding of tenure and promotion to associate professor Laura Krughoff in English and Chris Kendall in Politics and Government; and promotion to professor for Sara Freeman in Theatre Arts and John Wesley in English.
Reports from Campus Leaders. We received our first reports from new ASUPS President Nicole Gherima Cariño ’21 and from Staff Senate Chair Ben Tucker, and also heard from Faculty Senate Chair Sara Freeman ’95, Alumni Council President Andrea Tull Davis ’02 and President Crawford. This was Sara’s last meeting with us as Faculty Senate Chair and Andrea’s last as Alumni Council President; we thanked them for their exemplary service and look forward to their continued contributions to our faculty and alumni body.
Committee Reports. We also heard reports from standing committees of the board, including Audit, Academic and Student Affairs, Development and Alumni Relations, Finance and Facilities, and Trusteeship.
Elections. Incoming Vice President for Enrollment Matthew Boyce was elected as a non-trustee officer, and President Crawford shared with trustees his gratitude to Interim Vice President for Enrollment Shannon Carr for her exemplary leadership and dedicated service over the past year. The Board additionally elected trustee and non-trustee officers for the upcoming year.
We also recognized and thanked departing trustees for their service, and elected incoming trustees who will assume their roles on July 1.
Re-elected to the Class of 2023:
- William M. Canfield ’76, P’08 (third term)
- Frederick W. Grimm ’78 (third term)
- Laura C. Inveen ’76 (third term)
- Erin E. Shagren ’88 (third term)
- Kenneth W. Willman ’82, P’15, P’18 (second term)
Newly elected to the Class of 2023:
- Trustee Emerita Mitzi W. Carletti ’78
- Justin T. Graham ’90
- Scott H. Higashi ’91
- Sarah L. (Watson) Lee ’94
Finally, we recognized with citations the following board members who were elected trustees emeriti in recognition of their leadership, mentorship, wisdom and generosity over many years of service to Puget Sound:
- Bruce W. Hart P’09
- Lyle Quasim ’70, H’05
We look forward to returning to campus for our next meeting in October, and will continue our work to support the university between now and then. It was good to have so many people in virtual attendance at our business meeting, and we invite anyone who is interested to learn more about the work of the board at pugetsound.edu/trustees.
Sincerely,
Robert C. Pohlad P’07
Chair, Puget Sound Board of Trustees