Board of Trustees Honored for Exemplary Leadership

April 16, 2019

At the National Conference on Trusteeship held in Orlando, FL, on April 14–16—an event sponsored by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB)—the St. John’s University Board of Trustees was presented with the AGB John W. Nason Award for Board Leadership.

AGB is the premier organization focused on governance in higher education. The John W. Nason Award is a unique distinction and provides AGB with the opportunity to recognize boards that have addressed Board of Trustees Honored for Exemplary Leadership institutional challenges. The award is named for higher education leader John W. Nason, who, while president of Swarthmore College during World War II, helped get more than 4,000 American students of Japanese descent out of detention camps and into institutions of higher learning.

Dr. Gempesaw was joined by then Board Chair William L. Collins ’76C, ’12HON, Chief Executive Officer, Brencourt Capital Management, as well as Peter P. D’Angelo ’78MBA, ’06HON, President, Caxton Alternative Management, LP, and Chair Emeritus, to accept the award from the AGB.

“Having good trustee leadership is critically important to an institution of higher education,” stated Dr. Gempesaw. “St. John’s University has a solid foundation in place because of the fi rm commitment of our talented and dedicated Board of Trustees.”

Later in the spring, at a reception following the May Board of Trustees meeting, the entire St. John’s Board was lauded by Merrill P. Schwartz, Ph.D., Senior Vice President for AGB, who praised the Board and offered congratulatory remarks.

“This award recognizes St. John’s University and its Board of Trustees for remarkable accomplishments in the decade following the 2008 global financial crisis that transformed the institution into a vibrant, tech-savvy, international presence, while remaining true to its mission.”

The St. John’s Board of Trustees was selected to receive the Nason Award from some 35 nominations from both public and private institutions, statewide systems, and institutionally related foundations.

Mr. Collins remarked, “The St. John’s Board of Trustees takes its commitment to good governance and effective volunteer leadership very seriously. As trustees, we are wholly committed to the Catholic and Vincentian mission of St. John’s—and to the success of our students and faculty.”

In the commendation praising St. John’s University, the Board was recognized for effectively demonstrating innovation and collaborative leadership during a period of change. In 2014, the St. John’s Board faced new institutional and organizational challenges at the now 149-year-old institution, including a presidential transition, fallout from the global financial crisis, and several years of enrollment declines.

Since then—and with the support of a dynamic and engaged Board of Trustees—St. John’s University has implemented four University-wide Strategic Priorities that have resulted in steady and sustained increases in student enrollment, fundraising, and debt reduction. The University reallocated resources to support an enhanced teaching and learning environment, increased institutional student aid, and is currently implementing a campus-wide digital transformation to improve learning outcomes tied to ensuring student success.

Mr. D’Angelo, who led the Board during the global financial crisis and its first presidential transition in 24 years, observed, “When we contemplate the challenges we overcame at St. John’s, it is a testimony to the resolve demonstrated by our trustees who are wholly committed to the University. That same resolve is evident in generations of students who have attended, and will attend, St. John’s.”