Richard B. DeWolfe, chairman of the Boston University Board of Trustees, will step down in Jan. 2003, university spokesman Kevin Carleton confirmed this morning.
DeWolfe announced his plans in a letter to the board dated Nov. 14, writing that he intends to pursue a new business venture, according to Carleton. The letter presumably reached most trustees early this week, he said. The trustees will most likely decide on new leadership at a meeting scheduled for Jan. 9, 2003.
DeWolfe said in June that he was currently planning on chairing the Search Committee, which would investigate recommendations for the new university president. DeWolfe originally said he hoped to have the committee created by October 2002. Carleton said former Trustees chairman Earle Cooley, who DeWolfe replaced as head of the board in 2001, is currently the search committee’s chairman.
Carleton said he “can’t imagine” how DeWolfe’s resignation would affect the search for a new president.
DeWolfe’s resignation comes on the heels of Jon Westling’s mid-summer departure from the university. University officials originally said Westling resigned for personal reasons and a desire to return to the classroom. But in a mid-summer interview with The Boston Globe, DeWolfe revealed he had discussed the resignation with Westling and pushed him toward the door.
Westling had no comment Thursday morning.
DeWolfe, a 1971 Boston University graduate, has also served as vice-chairman of the Board of Trustees and the co-chairman of the Committee on Development during his eight-year tenure on the Board of Trustees. This September, the real estate entrepreneur sold his company, DeWolfe Companies, Inc., to NRT Inc. for approximately $149 million in cash.
“The key point to look at here is that he recently sold his business,” Carleton said. “That will give a person a different perspective on life.”
Two possible replacements for DeWolfe, who also holds various leadership positions in Boston, are David D’Alessandro, the chief executive of John Hancock Financial Services, and Christopher A. Barreca, a lawyer and a vice-chairman of the board, according to the Globe.
Staff writer Joshua Karlin-Resnick contributed to this report.
