Principal appointed to Carnegie Board

The Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, Professor Louise Richardson, has been elected to serve on the Carnegie Corporation of New York Board of Trustees.

Professor Richardson, Georgetown University President, John J. DeGioia, and former President of Portugal, Jorge Sampaio, were confirmed today (January 7^th 2013) as new Trustees of the Carnegie Corporation.

The appointments were announced by Board Chair Janet Robinson, Former President and Chief Executive Officer, The New York Times Company, and Vartan Gregorian, President of Carnegie Corporation.

“We are honoured to welcome Dr DeGioia, Professor Richardson, and President Sampaio to the Carnegie Corporation Board,” said Ms Robinson.

“Each shares an essential attribute for a Carnegie Corporation Trustee: a tremendous passion and commitment for supporting our mission of promoting the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.

“As one of America’s most respected university leaders and the first layperson to lead Georgetown University, Dr DeGioia is one of academia’s most ardent supporters of the free exchange of ideas, and human rights. Under his leadership, the university completed a one billion dollar capital campaign; launched the largest expansion of campus facilities in the institution’s history; significantly increased student financial aid; and strengthened endowments for faculty research; all further contributing to Georgetown’s exemplary scholarship and teaching excellence.

“Professor Richardson, who earned her master’s and doctorate degrees in the U.S., served for seven-and-a-half years as Executive Dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and was instrumental in the transformation of Radcliffe, once a women’s college, into an interdisciplinary centre promoting scholarship across a wide range of academic fields and the creative arts.

“In 2009, when she was installed as Principal and Vice-Chancellor at St Andrews, Professor Richardson became the first woman to preside over the third oldest university in the English-speaking world. She is a renowned scholar whose work focuses on international terrorist movements, and who will bring an international perspective to our work.”

Ms Robinson continued: “President Sampaio is one of Europe’s true statesmen. As a two-term president and as High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations—a United Nations initiative aimed at bridging cultural and religious divides between communities—President Sampaio has dedicated himself to resolving global conflicts and addressing some of mankind’s most pressing global challenges including interfaith strife, migration, media freedom, and human security.”

In commenting on the talent and insight that the Corporation’s new trustees will bring to the foundation’s work, Mr Gregorian said:

“Dr DeGioia and Professor Richardson, whose dedication to advancing education and the world of ideas has helped to define and strengthen their respective universities, will provide invaluable assistance in guiding the Corporation’s efforts to reinvigorate and enrich education at all levels.

“We will prevail upon them as we consider how best to ensure that universities continue to serve as our nation’s engines of intellectual, cultural, and scientific innovation and growth.

“President Sampaio’s election to the Board brings an additional international viewpoint and global vision to a remarkable group of Trustees whose deep commitment to the progress of society, both in the United States and around the world, is without parallel.

“We look forward to working with our new Trustees as the Board and staff strive to incubate innovative ideas, catalyze research, and support transformative scholarship to solve contemporary problems.”

Carnegie Corporation of New York was created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding. In keeping with this mandate, the Corporation’s work focuses on the issues that Andrew Carnegie considered of paramount importance: international peace, the advancement of education and knowledge, and the strength of democracy.

For further information:

Niall Scott, Director of Communications,
University of St Andrews, [email protected], tel 01334 462530

George Soule, Manager, Strategic Communications
Carnegie Corporation of New York, www.carnegie.org
1. 212.207.6344,  [email protected]