Board broadens expertise

Elijah Dove, staff writer

Three new board members have been added to the Board of Trustees since its installation in June 2009 to incorporate broader and more diverse experiences in the running of the university.

Although the Board was comprised of many professional individuals, including Assemblies of God Superintendent George O. Wood, it had the minimum number of members needed to constitute a board. While the overall effectiveness of the board was not diminished, it did lead to the combining of the Academic and Student Life committees. This meant that there was a possibility that not all issues would receive equal attention.

The expansion of the Board was to also ensure there was the breadth of expertise needed to provide oversight for an organization as complex as a university, President Carol Taylor said.

The first member to be added was Tom Prince, just under two months after the Board was installed. A member of both the Audit and Finance committees, Prince brings to the table 40 years of financial services experience.

Evelyn Robertson, installed at the beginning of December, is on the Advancement Committee. An organization change consultant with experience in the design and implementation of strategic change, Robertson has consulted with numerous organizations, including Xerox and Compaq.

Delbert Tarr, Jr., installed at the same time as Robertson and seated on the Student Life Committee, feels a great deal of optimism about the new Board.

“The synergy of this group will blow you away,” Tarr said.

The Board has been working well together, so much so that the President and Executive Director of WASC, Ralph Wolff, was encouraged at what the university is willing to do to correct the past. Expanding the Board is one step toward that advancement.

Tarr has more than 50 years of experience in 70 countries and believes cultural variety is essential for a healthy university.

“There’s diversity [at Vanguard], but we need more,” Tarr said. 

 The addition of three new board members to the 16 initial members allowed for the separation of the Academic and Student Life committees, thus enabling them to focus on the issues especially concerning them.

“Adding three more members allowed us to strengthen the financial expertise on the board, expertise in organizational management, and academics,” Taylor said.

There was also discussion at the last meeting of adding another member, but this should not be taken as a sign that the Board will continue to expand until it reaches its maximum capacity of 29 members; it will be intentionally kept smaller to aid smoother operating.