The University's Board of Trustees has taken another small step toward diversity.
Of the eight new appointees to the 36-member board, there are three white females, one black male, one black female and three white males. This brings the breakdown of the board to eight women, three blacks and 27 white men. President Nan Keohane, an ex officio member of the board, is not included in that total.
John Koskinen, chair of the board, said he was pleased with the new appointees and the diversity that they will bring to the board.
"We're delighted that all of them have agreed to serve because they bring a wide diversity of backgrounds and experiences, which I think will serve the University well during the years of their service," Koskinen said. "We have been anxious and focused for some time on ensuring that the board represents all backgrounds and constituencies of the University community, within the context of always trying to find the strongest candidates possible."
Keohane also emphasized her support for diversifying the board.
"It's certainly the case that the board has taken it seriously as a goal, and we always feel very fortunate, as with this year, we are able to persuade very talented people with a variety of backgrounds to come on the board.... When they are enthusiastic about joining Duke's board and making a commitment to the University, and will bring a variety of skills and strengths, that's good news for all of us."
Koskinen stressed that he does not equate an emphasis on diversity with racial quotas. "Our goal has been to continually reach out and find qualified people from all backgrounds," he said. "Those who happen to be women and minorities are really outstanding."
Two of the new trustees have extremely close ties to the University and North Carolina. Rep. Dan Blue, D-Wake, is a former speaker of the N.C. House of Representatives and the first black speaker since Reconstruction. Blue, who graduated from Duke law school, will complete the term of retiring trustee Dr. Daniel Tosteson and will serve through 1999, when he will become eligible for re-election to the board.
Paul Hardin, who graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University and first in his class at the law school, stepped down June 30 after eight years as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He will serve a six-year term, succeeding trustee Norb Schaefer, Jr.
Hardin, who will remain on the faculty at UNC, said he looked forward to being part of the University again. "It feels very good to reestablish a close tie with Duke," he said. "I see this as an opportunity to promote cooperation between the two schools."
When asked how far that cooperation would go and for whom he would cheer when the Blue Devils play the Tar Heels, Hardin replied, "That's going to be classified," but added that he would not pull for other teams when they played Duke.
Also elected to six-year terms were Dr. Rebecca Trent Kirkland, medical director of ambulatory services at Texas Children's Hospital and a professor and administrator at Baylor College of Medicine; and Rex Adams, vice president for administration at Mobil Corp.
Kirkland, a Durham native, earned her B.A. and M.D. degrees at the University. She will succeed trustee Dr. Thaddeus Wester. Adams, a Rhodes scholar who graduated from the University in 1962, also serves on the Board of Visitors at the Fuqua School of Business. He will succeed Lloyd Caudle.
Like Blue, two other new trustees will fill terms set to expire in 1999. Sally Robinson, a 1955 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University, chairs the board of directors for the Museum of the South. She will replace retiring trustee Dorothy Simpson.
Karl von der Heyden, a 1962 Duke graduate, recently retired as co-chair and chief executive officer of RJR Nabisco. He will replace retiring trustee Benjamin Holloway.
Young trustee Sarah Dodds, Trinity '95, will serve as an observer to the board for one year and then will serve through 1998.
Ross Harris, president of the Duke Alumni Association, will also observe for one year and serve as a voting member for one year.
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