Yale trustees convene on campus for in-person meetings as presidential search continues
Before their third meeting of the year and five months since the University announced its ongoing presidential search, Yale Corporation members made their way to New Haven.
Ellie Park, Photography Editor
Members of the Yale Corporation — the University’s highest governing body, which is also known as the Board of Trustees — arrived on campus Thursday, in advance of the Corporation’s upcoming formal meeting scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 17.
Eight of the 16 total trustees are part of the committee spearheading the ongoing search for Yale’s next president, which publicly commenced five months ago when University President Peter Salovey announced that he plans to step down from the role this summer.
The Corporation held virtual meetings earlier this week and likely held meetings on Thursday as well. Chaired by the president of the University and composed of 16 alumni, the Corporation convenes on campus at least five times a year, most recently on Dec. 2.
In an interview in September, Salovey told the News that Corporation meetings generally occur over a three-day period. He added that Corporation members often also attend meetings for Yale’s standing committees or arrive on campus earlier for “informal meetings.”
Salovey, his fellow trustees and the University’s vice presidents are hosting a lunch with over 20 “student leaders” on Friday, Feb. 16 — one day before the Corporation meets.
As snowflakes dusted Yale’s campus on Thursday night, Woodbridge Hall, Betts House, the President’s House and Sheffield-Sterling-Strathcona Hall — where administrative offices currently reside — stood quiet and largely empty. If the Corporation — or even just members of the Search Committee — did host a meeting Thursday evening, the News was unable to confirm its location.
Although the Search Committee sent several emails to the Yale community throughout the opening weeks of the search, more than three months passed between the Corporation’s two most recent updates. The latest announcement came on Jan. 29, which summarized the committee’s outreach efforts and discussed the feedback it had received from students.
The Board of Trustees has two other meetings planned for this academic year, on April 20 and June 8.
The minutes for all meetings remain sealed from the public for 50 years.