The Board of Trustees steers Northwestern’s governance and long-term direction as the University navigates a turbulent higher education landscape.
The core responsibilities of the Board include establishing policies for governance, overseeing University management, approving major financial decisions and appointing the University president and other senior officers.
The Board’s 12 to 36 charter trustees are voting members with final decision-making authority. The Board also includes national, life and ex officio Trustees.
The Daily examined the 62 trustees, excluding life trustees, who are no longer actively governing, and interim President Henry Bienen, who is an ex officio trustee.
NU named 49 new trustees in the past 10 years, a process which involves nomination by the Committee on Governance and Nominations and then a majority vote by the Board.
Of the 62 trustees, 52 earned at least one degree at NU. 20 trustees graduated with a Masters of Business Administration or equivalent from the Kellogg School of Management.
Thirty-nine trustees graduated with an undergraduate degree from NU, more than 60%. Almost half graduated from the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, reflecting the school’s status as the University’s largest undergraduate body. The McCormick School of Engineering follows closely, with 14 trustees holding undergraduate degrees.
Most trustees who earned an undergraduate degree from NU graduated between 1980 and 1994. The earliest undergraduate degree was earned in 1974 and the latest in 1998.
The trustees come from a background of professional leadership and influence, and while many come from corporate experience, they draw from a diverse array of industries.
For example, some trustees in other areas include visual artist Tara Peters (Communications ’93), U.S. Rep. April McClain-Delaney (D-Md.) (Communications ’86) and Princeton University’s Dean of the Graduate School Rodney Priestley (McCormick M.S. ’04, Doctorate ’08).
However, nearly half of the trustees have a background in finance and investment, when categorized by their most influential experience and longest-held positions.
Appointed charter trustees serve staggered four-year terms, with about one quarter of seats expiring each year.
According to the bylaws, the Board’s leadership is comprised of a chair, no more than four vice chairs, a secretary and two treasurers. NU’s Board of Trustees chair is currently Peter Barris (McCormick ’74).
The Board holds annual meetings in May or June. Additionally, special meetings can be called by the chair or by any five trustees. Trustees work across 10 standing committees across student affairs, research, investment and University.
The Executive Committee consists of 13 or more trustees, including the Board’s chair and vice chairs, as well as the chair of each standing committee. It can act on behalf of the Board between meetings regarding “ordinary business transactions.”
Many trustees also provide funding to launch new initiatives. Trustee Patrick Ryan Jr. (Kellogg ’97, Pritzker ’97) is leading the design and development of the new Ryan Field. Alongside his parents, Life Trustee and former Board Chair Patrick Ryan (Kellogg ’59) and Shirley Ryan (Weinberg ’61), the Ryan family is the majority backer of the $850 million endeavor. The Ryan family is NU’s largest donor, also supporting research and new facilities.
Trustee Kimberly Querrey and her late husband, former NU Trustee Louis Simpson (Weinberg ’58), collectively donated more than $390 million to NU, supporting a wide range of projects. Her gifts include a total of more than $213 million focused toward biomedical discovery and the Querrey Simpson Institute for Regenerative Engineering.
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
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