Board members announce resignation

by Chris White, Staff Writer

Photo by Chris White
The Rev. Charels Ranges, retiring trustee of 2007.

President Marc vanderHeyden has announced his retirement effective at the end of this school year. Along with this change in administration, five members of the board of trustees have also declared resignation. Ann Glover, Robert Hoehl, Rev. Michael Jacques, Rev. Paul McQuillen, and Rev. Charles Ranges have all resigned either by choice or because their terms have ended.

A member of the board can only serve three consecutive three-year terms before he or she is required to step down for at least a year before being considered again, said Marilyn Cormier, director of government and community relations to the president.

“Because of these guidelines, it is pretty normal to see this many trustees step down at once,” she said.

Edmundite priests Jacques and McQuillen resigned because they have been working with victims of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and time does not permit them to continue to serve on the board, President vanderHeyden said.

Bob Hoehl, the retired Vice Chairman of the Board of IDX Systems Corporation in South Burlington, Vt., is no longer able to serve on the board because his travel schedule makes it difficult for him. He recently completed a three-year term after coming back from serving the maximum nine years before that, Cormier said.

Cormier also said Ann Glover, group senior vice president of The Hartford in Hartford, Conn., and Ranges, pastor of Holy Family/St. Lawrence Church in Essex Junction, have stepped down because they both completed the maximum nine years on the board.

“Term limits are good because you want fresh blood on the board,” Glover said.

Glover said in order to search for new members, St. Michael’s relies on a trusteeship committee. The committee is responsible for finding new members who can satisfy the needs of the board of trustees.

If there are budget issues that need to be dealt with, the committee will select members with strong financial backgrounds, Glover said.

The board meets in September, January, April, and June in the Hoehl Welcome Center, Ranges said. During the meetings, they discuss the activities of the college, listen to a report from the president and vote on issues pertaining to the college.

“We are the government body of the institution,” Ranges said, “so we are responsible for the institution.”

In addition to the 30 members on the board, the president of the college, the superior general of the Edmundite society and alumni representatives are present at meetings, vanderHeyden said.

The Student Association has meetings with the board of trustees, said Arly Scully, S.A. president. At these meetings, students give input on the issues at hand. Students have more power than they know, Scully said.

“The board of trustees makes tough decisions, but they are open to suggestions,” she said. “The students are the reason why the college is here, after all.”

During the past six months, the board has been occupied with finding a new president, vanderHeyden said. John Neuhauser has been selected to replace vanderHeyden, and vanderHeyden thinks Neuhauser will do a good job.

“I’m very happy he will be president,” vanderHeyden said. “He knows the college, he loves the college, and he has good experience from Boston College. He’ll make a fine president.”