Lubert tapped to lead Penn State board of trustees
OK, not so much a new sheriff as a new president of
On Friday, the trustees voted unanimously in their meeting at Penn State Wilkes-Barre to hand over the reins to a new leader. That man is
The most remarkable aspect of this is less that a new person took over than it is that no one in the room had a bad thing to say.
The issue was set up to be contentious. Lubert was a member of the board before. In fact, he was a member during the legal subcommittee that negotiated settlements with claimants in the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal -- the same settlements that have the university in court with its liability insurer over the payments.
In the lead up to the vote, Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship -- a vehement grassroots group that has acted as watchdog of the board in the wake of the scandal -- issued a statement decrying Lubert as a poor choice, claiming a conflict of interest because of past associations with The Second Mile, Sandusky's charity.
However, Lubert insisted reports he served on the charity's board were incorrect, though he did admit to making donations.
PennLive reported Second Mile tax records backed up those claims.
It was not a surprise when outgoing chair
"Ira is a tireless advocate for PS students and faculty," he said when he nominated his successor.
The second came from an unexpected quarter.
And then there was alumni-elected trustee
But any real division came on the vote for vice president.
The first was gubernatorial appointee
His reason was healing a board often sharply divided between old-guard and alumni-elected.
"Ali is the best candidate to unify this board," Metaxas said, asking his fellow trustees to send a "powerful message that this board is fully committed to shared governance."
Goldstein has shown more flexibility than some of the other board members when it comes to discussing an issue important to the alumni-elected trustees. She has also been a voice for calm and reflection, proposing a board self-assessment that turned into this January's board retreat.
The vote was close. Dambly got 20 votes. Goldstein got 14, five more than the number of alumni-elected trustees, showing appeal with a center ground.
The question is now what happens next. The board meets again in September, with all new officers in place, including at-large members of the executive committee
"Only true leadership leads to real change," Lubrano said. "We look forward to your leadership."
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