Three new trustees joining board

By Bobby Philbrook

A former newspaper executive, a Silicon Valley pioneer and a 24-year-old medical student were approved as the newest members of the Board of Trustees.

Tony Ridder, William Carter and Tasce Simon were elected to the unpaid position by the forty-person governing body at a January meeting.

Carter and Simon will serve as trustees for the first time, while this will be Ridder's second stint.

The board meets as a group three times a year to approve the annual operating budget and major changes in university policy.

"Fr. Locatelli leans heavily on the board for advice, planning and recommendations," said Jim Briggs, executive assistant to the President. "We're happy to add them to an already impressive group."

Ridder, best known as the CEO of the defunct Knight-Ridder News group, joined the San Jose Mercury News in 1964 and spent most of his life in newspaper management.

As the CEO and chairman of Knight-Ridder, he eliminated newsroom positions and other jobs and reduced the operating budget for Knight-Ridder papers, in response to shareholder and industry pressures, before the company was bought out by the McClatchy Company for $6.5 billion in 2006.

Ridder's contributions to Santa Clara were especially appreciated by one department.

"He was very instrumental in helping us get significant corporate support a few years ago for an endowed professorship in communication," said Vice President for University Relations Jim Purcell.

Beyond financial contributions, Ridder also has a connection to the university through his wife, Constance, who graduated from the Santa Clara School of Law in 1985.

Past practices are "part of the discussion of the nominating committee," said Briggs, but he emphasized the diversity of the group. Not every trustee comes from a business background or have even completed their education.

Tasce Simon graduated from Santa Clara summa cum laude ("highest praise") with a degree in accounting in 2004 and is now in her second year of medical school at the University of California, San Francisco.

At 24, she is the youngest person on the board and will serve on the Student Life Committee.

At least one trustee must have graduated within the last five years from Santa Clara, according to board rules.

Briggs said Simon's character and academic achievements qualified her for the position.

"She gave a very impressive speech at a gathering of alumni and donors a few years ago," said Briggs.

"Plus, her academic success and commitment to faith and justice make her exactly the kind of student Santa Clara wants to produce."

William Carter graduated from Santa Clara in 1971 with a B.S. in electrical engineering and went on to a 30-year career in the semi-conductor industry.

He helped found Xilinx, a manufacturer of "programmable gate arrays," electronic components used to build digital circuits, worth over a billion dollars.

He has given much of his personal fortune back to the university, including $1 million for the new library.

"Bill Carter and his wife Susan have generously supported the Bronco Bench, the School of Engineering, and Golden Circle," said Purcell, who works closely with the boards of Regents and Fellows, two groups more concerned with marketing and fundraising than the trustees.

Besides the three new members, the Board of Trustees consists of a minimum of ten Jesuits, at least 25 percent alumni, presidents of other universities, and Terry Lanni, a casino tycoon who was inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame in 2000.

There are five other vacancies on the board that the trustees are looking to fill. Any trustee may suggest names, but the Nominating Committee conducts the actual deliberations before putting to vote before the entire board.

"If you look at the board, it's very impressive in terms of experiences and accomplishments," said Briggs.

"They all have an interest in serving Santa Clara."

Contact Bobby Philbrook at (408) 554-4546 or rphilbrook@scu.edu.