Five new members of the Saint Mary's Board of Trustees will join the group this year after the board members appointed them in the spring.
Student trustee Catherine Cleary, a senior, will begin her one-year term as a full voting member of the Board. Cleary said she will act as a voice for the student body.
"I serve on the Board of Trustees to articulate student issues and concerns with a clear and open mind," Cleary said.
Cleary, who is majoring in women's studies, also serves as an office assistant for the Belles Against Violence Office (BAVO) and a resident advisor. According to a press release, Cleary sits on the Student Advisory Council for the American Association of University Women and will plan the 2011 National Conference for College Women Student Leaders.
"I am looking forward to the challenges that serving on the Board this year will bring and I am honored to be working with a group of individuals who are invested in a future for Saint Mary's College," Cleary said. "I believe philosopher William James described the role of the Board of Trustees best when he said, ‘The best use of life is to invest it in something that will outlive us.'"
Cleary said as trustees, they are dedicated to addressing the issues of the six College divisions — student affairs, academic affairs, finance and administration, mission, college relations and enrollment management.
The other new members of the Board are all Saint Mary's or Notre Dame graduates. William Cushwa, Gretchen Flicker, Patricia Wiedner Purcell and David Taiclet will also join the Board this year.
Cushwa, a 1959 graduate of Notre Dame, was vice president of planning and assistant treasurer for Commercial Intertech Corporation until his retirement in 1996, the release stated. Since then, Cushwa has been involved in the South Bend community, working with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra and ND Downtown.
Flicker graduated from Saint Mary's with a degree in mathematics and business administration in 1993. Currently, she serves as vice president of Institutional Services for Dimensional Fund Advisors in Santa Monica, Calif.
Purcell, a 1969 Saint Mary's alumna, received her degree in special education. She served on the Madeleva Society Steering Committee and as a Madeleva Representative of the Reunion Gift Campaign.
Taiclet earned a bachelor's degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame in 1985. He currently serves as the president of the Gourmet Food Group of 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc.
The College also re-elected five members of the Board to three-year terms.
