EDITOR'S NOTE: The full Board of Trustees approved a revised version of the screening matrix at its meeting on Nov. 8.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Board of Trustees nominating subcommittee today (Oct. 23) advanced a proposed screening matrix that will be used to evaluate candidates for seats on the board.
The proposed screening matrix will assess materials submitted by the candidate; the candidate’s skills; their past professional and personal experience, including board service; their past service and depth of engagement with Penn State; and a background check.
Designed to provide a fair, consistent and transparent method to determine trustee candidates’ eligibility, the document will be considered by the board’s Governance Committee on Nov. 7. If it receives final approval, the screening matrix will be used to assess trustee candidates with fairness and uniformity, including alumni, at-large, and business and industry candidates for election and appointment to the board.
The Governance Committee’s nominating subcommittee – which includes representatives from across the board, including alumni -- leads Governance’s responsibility for the trustee nomination, election and appointment processes in an effort to standardize expectations for prospective trustees and allows the board to seek individuals who bring a balanced set of skills and experiences that are aligned with Penn State’s strategic needs.
The nominating subcommittee was created as part of a broader update of the Board of Trustees’ bylaws and committee structures enacted on July 30, and was tasked with determining a candidate’s eligibility to be listed on the ballot, in accordance with a screening matrix that was to be developed by the subcommittee.
A governance working group – comprised of trustees from a broad representation of the board – developed recommendations and related governance revisions for the updated bylaws over the course of a year. The group also engaged an external governance expert to ensure best practices were incorporated into the bylaws revisions.
At the same July 30 meeting, the board updated the required materials and processes for all candidates (except gubernatorial appointees) for the board, and approved lowering the minimum nominations required for alumni trustees from 250 to 50 to encourage more alumni to seek election to the group and foster a greater variety of candidates.
If the screening matrix is advanced to and approved by the Governance Committee, the proposal will be considered by the full board at its next meeting on Nov. 8.