LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. — The Board of Trustees will vote to grant emeritus status to two former members of the board at their public meeting today, but some current members aren’t happy about it.
The two former trustees eligible for emeritus status are Ann Riley and David Jones. Both left the board last year.
During the Committee on Governance and Long-Range planning meeting, trustee Anthony Lubrano and newly-elected trustee Barbara Doran said the board should hold off on honoring anyone who sat on the board in November 2011 until they decide how and when to honor former football coach Joe Paterno. They believe it would incite many people in the alumni base.
Doran says she wants to wait at least a year, maybe two, before voting on granting emeritus status to Jones and Riley.
Other committee members who served alongside Jones and Riley came to their defense.
“I think it would be unfair to hold these two people hostage to a very serious issue in our alumni community,” says Trustee Maryanne Alexander. “Frankly, I think we need their help out there … to be ambassadors for the board.”
Alexander, like other members of the committee, believes granting trustees emeritus status and deciding how and when to honor Paterno are two separate issues, “apples and oranges.”
Lubrano says the alumni wouldn’t take granting former trustees emeritus status “very well” because Jones and Riley were on the board when Paterno was fired.
“So was I,” Masser says. “And I’m going to run for re-election next year.”
Trustee James Broadhurst and Keith Eckel, committee chairman, defended Riley, saying she deserves to be on the board because of the tough decisions she had to made and her commitment to the university.
Committee members ultimately voted to bring the vote before the entire board at the meeting today.
