Posted May 18, 4:10 p.m.
Northwestern will honor its two outgoing leaders, President Henry Bienen and Board of Trustees Chairman Patrick Ryan, in a joint tribute June 4 at Deering Meadow.
The event will start at 4 p.m., and include remarks from members of the NU community and the Board of Trustees, in addition to music and refreshments.
William Osborn, chair-elect for the Board of Trustees, will speak, said Al Cubbage, vice president for university relations. The faculty and student speakers were still being determined as of last week, he said.
Bienen became president in 1995, the start of a 14-year term that is the third-longest in NU’s history.
Ryan graduated from NU in 1959, joined the Board of Trustees in 1978 and became chairman in 1996. He is the founding chairman of Aon Corporation and chairman and chief executive of Chicago’s committee to host the 2016 Olympics.
A private tribute for Bienen and his wife, Leigh Bienen, was held earlier in the year for members of the Board of Trustees and invited guests, and a similar event is planned for Ryan in June, Cubbage said.
The June 4 tribute is the only chance for students to attend, he said.
“It’s an opportunity for students, faculty and staff, everyone who has worked with President Bienen and Mr. Ryan over the last 14 years, to really thank them for their good service,” Cubbage said.
