News-Letter

The Young Trustees Board has selected senior Sarah David as this year's Young Trustee. Members of the committee reached their decision on March 5 and will make the announcement on Friday.

Every year, one Young Trustee position opens up and the Board of Trustees elects one graduating senior from the Homewood campus to serve a four-year term as a Young Trustee. The board's membership always includes four Young Trustees.

"I applied to be a young Trustee because I have gained so much from Johns Hopkins as an institution and hope to bring my experiences to the board to repay them for what they have given me," said David, who is studying political science and ancient law.

Most trustees also serve on at least one board committee, of which there are 12, including committees for academic affairs, finance and the investments.

The selection committee reviews the applications submitted by candidates, including their essays and letters of recommendation, validates candidates' petitions of endorsement by 5 percent of the junior and senior classes and academic standing, interviews all candidates and selects five finalists.

This year's final candidates for the position were seniors Sarah David, Kevin Clark, Claire James, Natasha Kulkarni and Brooke Nevils.

The five finalists were extensively interviewed by the Board of Trustees' Trusteeship, Nominations and By-Laws Committee, which then recommends one of the five to the Board for election.

The Young Trustee Selection Committee includes Paula P. Burger, Dean of Undergraduate Education; John B. Bader, Associate Dean of Academic Programs; Susan K. Boswell, Dean of Student Life; William T. Conley, Dean of Enrollment; and Jerome D. Schnydman, Secretary of the Board of Trustees.

The Young Trustee position came into being in 1971 when former Hopkins president Milton S. Eisenhower returned as the University's interim president. Among the new administrative rules that Eisenhower put into place at the time was that the Board of Trustees elect recent Hopkins graduates to the board.

The Young Trustee is a full voting member of the board of Trustees and serves on a committee that has yet to be determined.

"I was able to participate in CTY growing up, which opened my eyes to a world of students who genuinely liked learning," said David.

"I got to take pre-college classes when I was older and learn what it was like to take a real college course, and now I have spent four years as an undergraduate here where my experiences have taken me to Israel, Cairo, London and Morocco through undergraduate research grants, fellowships and awards."

The other Young Trustees are Elizabeth Owens, WenShi, Christopher Watson and Christopher Kovalchick, in order of graduation from Hopkins, from the earliest to most recent.

The first Board of Trustees, composed of 12 "leading citizens," was established as the University's chief governing body in 1867, when the University was founded. The Board is a self-perpetuating body that must choose its own members, as well as the President.

"I owe this institution so much and am thrilled to be selected to an organization devoted to making these experiences and more available to others," said David. "I am also hoping [the position] entails better seats at lacrosse games because I want to be front and center for the next four winning seasons."

Article Tools