It’s time to nominate new faces in the race for Loyola’s Board of Trustees. Nominations are made annually for candidates to be elected by the Board and inducted in May.

Candidates to be elected will serve a three-year term. The Board has 35 members and 9 honorary members. There is a pool of potential nominees already approved to be elected, said the Rev. Kevin Wildes, S.J., university president.

Wildes emphasized the importance of continuously building the pool to ensure solid nominations. The Board looks for people to bring variety to the pool to make it more diverse. A desirable composition includes a mix of gender, race, geographical locations and professions ranging from business to education, Wildes said.

Desired qualifications include the ability to make gifts and help obtain gifts that will inspire others to follow in the financial support of Loyola, commitment to the values and goals of Loyola and a personal value system which is compatible with Loyola’s values and a strong belief that the Jesuit education system is an important force in society.

It is also ideal if trustees come from localities that represent important markets for students, services and financial support, according to the Board of Trustees Web page.

The key to selecting a nominee is finding someone who can dedicate a sufficient amount of time needed to serve on the Board, Wildes said. There are four meetings a year, held on Loyola’s Broadway Campus, that are compulsory for all members. Members on the Board reside in different cities across the country, and each is expected to travel to the meetings. After a trustee has completed a term, they have the opportunity to be reelected for one more term. “Three years is a good window of time to evaluate the time commitment they can make and whether they should be re-elected based on their involvement,” Wildes said.

The officers and members of the Board of Trustees primarily work through committees. The different committees are Building and Grounds, Endowment, Advancement, Trusteeship, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Legal Affairs, Finance, and Mission and Identity. Each committee has a chairman and vice chairman. The committees decide on recommendations of new policies to be implemented to their respective areas. The recommendations are then presented to the officers of the Board, which has the final word on adopting policies.

The Executive Committee is an entirely separate entity of the Board of Trustees that brings business items to the Board’s attention and determines a financial agenda for the year. The Executive Committee is comprised of the chairmen of the Board and of each committee.

At each of the four meetings of the year, each committee meets separately during the day and then every member comes together for one large meeting on a particular topic of discussion. The next meeting of the Board of Trustees will be in December, and Wildes said that enrollment would probably be a priority issue of discussion.

In the spring, the board will most likely focus on campus planning, he said.

The deadline for the nomination of new Trustees is Dec. 31.

Sally Tunmer can be reached at [email protected].