As word of the impending January 2003 resignation of Boston University Board of Trustees Chairman Richard B. DeWolfe spread across campus yesterday, trustees said they felt the resignation could negatively impact the search for a new university president.
In a recent letter to the Board of Trustees, DeWolfe, a 1971 BU alumnus, said he planned to resign as chairman of the Board of Trustees to pursue other options, according to Dr. Esther A. H. Hopkins, a trustee who said she regularly attends Executive Committee meetings. The resignation will occur in January 2003, giving the board time to search for a replacement.
In spite of his resignation, Hopkins described DeWolfe as a ‘fascinating person’ and an ‘energetic leader of the board.’ However, she said it would be discouraging to possible candidates if the university was missing both its president and chairman of the board.
‘At this point, we don’t have a chair for the Board of Trustees,’ Hopkins said. ‘Obviously, there is going to be a question of why.’
Hopkins said she did not believe it would be possible for presidential candidates to ignore outright the resignations that have recently occurred at the university.
‘It would obviously have to have an effect on what was going on,’ Hopkins said.
Another trustee, speaking on terms of anonymity, said the resignation could affect the university but hoped the ‘turmoil’ would not have a major effect on the presidential search.
‘I think it’s bad that things like this take place. The school doesn’t need this kind of press,’ the trustee said. ‘I feel bad that this turmoil exists where there are so many important things [going on].’
The resignation was announced in a letter to the Board of Trustees, where DeWolfe wrote that he would remain the chairman until next January. Hopkins said DeWolfe was ‘sort of a lame duck at this point,’ and she added that it would greatly affect the way the trustees conducted business until the eventual resignation.
‘Anything he might plan or want to do is something that the board would not be required to pay attention to,’ Hopkins said.
Hopkins said she had not expected the resignation.
‘I was surprised,’ she said. ‘I had not realized that he had planned to do that.’
However, the trustee who wished to remain nameless said the resignation did not come as a surprise at all.
‘I wasn’t sure it was going to happen as quickly as it did, but I think it was something that was going to happen,’ the trustee said.
Many trustees either did not return calls last night or had no comment. Several other administrators, such as former President Jon Westling, College of Communication Dean Brent Baker, Dean of Students W. Norman Johnson and Provost Dennis Berkey, all had no comment on the resignation.
‘I’m not going to touch that with a 10-foot pole,’ Baker said, refusing to comment on the resignation. ‘That’s above my pay grade.’
DeWolfe attained his position on the board in April 2001, when he replaced Earle C. Cooley. DeWolfe has also served as the vice-chairman of the Board of Trustees and the co-chairman of the Committee on Development during his eight-year tenure as a trustee. DeWolfe formerly owned New England real estate company DeWolfe Companies, Inc. but sold it to NRT Inc. for approximately $149 million this summer.
Two possible replacements for DeWolfe, who also holds other various leadership positions in Boston, are David D’Alessandro, the chief executive officer of John Hancock Financial Services, and Christopher A. Barreca, a lawyer and a vice-chairman of the board, according to The Boston Globe.
Staff writers Dan Atkinson, Allison Brown, Patrick Gillooly and Joshua Karlin-Resnick contributed to this report.
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