James B. Stewart '73 Elected Chair of DePauw's Board of Trustees; Outgoing Chair Judson Green '74 Reflects

April 23, 2004

April 23, 2004, Greencastle, Ind. - James B. Stewart, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author and 1973 graduate of DePauw University, was today elected chair of DePauw's Board of Trustees. Stewart succeeds Judson C. Green Jr. ‘74, whose three-year term as chair officially ends in October.

[DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "Green on Stewart" 430KB] "I think the student body and the faculty are familiar with Jim because of his periodic speaking engagements here on campus," Green noted. "He's been an enthusiastic Trustee for several years [and] has been very focused on the academic affairs committee, which he has been chairing. He's very attuned to the needs of the faculty and what we need to do to continue to excel."

Green (seen at right) said, as he ends his tenure as board chair, [DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "A Tough Task" 534KB] "I'm very proud of the whole DePauw family -- and I mean whole DePauw family, including students, alums, administration and Trustees -- for taking on the initiative of the Coalition for a Responsible Community." In March 2003, DePauw President Robert G. Bottoms began what he called "a series of conversations" with students, faculty and staff members on the issues of alcohol abuse and related at-risk behaviors at DePauw, and stated his determination to develop a long-term effort to change the ethos of the campus community. The Coalition -- comprising alumni, faculty, students and administrators -- and its three task forces are in the final stages of their work, which will be presented to the campus community soon (learn more here).

"Change is very, very difficult," Green noted. "I think we were convinced from listening to students and others that we needed to do something to improve our community and environment, and I think we're approaching it in the right way. It's not easy. There are diverse opinions, as there should be, about it. But I think it's a very important thing in the history of the University that we're tackling these issues, we're not sweeping them under the rug. And I think we're making progress."

During Judson Green's tenure, DePauw also finalized negotiations with Hanson Aggregates on a gift of land that is now known as the DePauw University Nature Park. The 481-acre property will feature a variety of trails for hiking, biking and jogging, as well as arboretums; a canoe launch; and outdoor classrooms. Potentially at a later time, amenities could be added, including a lodge for retreats and overnight guests, as well as an outdoor amphitheater (read more here). [DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "A Competitive Distinction" 391KB] "It's a long term asset to the University and I don't think any of us know what a contribution it will make to DePauw life and to the DePauw experience. I am very enthusiastic that over the next ten and twenty years, it's going to make a substantial difference for students and faculty and will be a competitive distinction for DePauw versus other liberal arts schools we compete with on a nationwide basis.

The board chair reports that DePauw continues to be an increasingly popular choice among America's brightest students, and that the University has deftly navigated through the tough financial times that affected colleges nationwide the last several years. As DePauw raises funds, [DOWNLOAD AUDIO: "A Tough Task" 283KB] "the number one thing that's in our mind is not capital [building] projects, but in fact, what can we do to improve faculty salaries, improve the funds allocated to faculty development, and how can we increase scholarships for our students? Those are the three most important things that I think we have demonstrated are our priorities. They continue to be our priorities."

Read more about new board chair James B. Stewart here, here and here.

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