Trustees set fall stage

In the first meeting of the new academic school year, the IU Board of Trustees laid the foundation for the upcoming year.\nThe Aug. 15 meeting was highlighted by electing current trustees to new positions: Frederick Eichhorn as president and Stephen Ferguson as vice president.\nEichhorn filled the vacancy created when former president James Morris left the board last spring to head the World Food Program. Eichhorn was elected unanimously.\n"I want to thank you all for the honor you've bestowed upon me," Eichhorn said.\nFerguson won a contested election for vice president, defeating trustee Cora Breckenridge 6-2. Ferguson is expected to help lead the board the next two years.\n"This is a job we all have to join together and do," Ferguson said. "We've got a long way to go."\nThe board also added youthfulness as 24-year-old Jamie Belanger took his seat with the board as the youngest trustee. Belanger won the June trustee election between alumni, beating his closest competitor, John Nash, by more than 3,000 votes.\n"He resoundingly overwhelmed seven other candidates and we're delighted he is with us," Eichhorn said. "He has a great love for the University."\nBelanger, who resides in Dayton, Ohio, will be the first trustee to serve his three-year term outside of the state of Indiana. Belanger is excited about the challenge.\n"I'm anxious to actually get to the point where I can contribute a little more," he said. "It'll take awhile before I'm up to speed on everything. It's such a steep learning curve."\nBelanger works as a profit forecaster for the Iams Company and plans to commute from Dayton to the board meetings.\n"The biggest goal I have going in is just to remain open to the alumni," Belanger said. "Obviously, [they're] the reason why I'm sitting here."\nAs the board prepared to look toward the upcoming academic year, IU President Myles Brand called the ongoing struggle with state funding a challenge.\n"We're going to have to be strong, aggressive and very focused," Brand said.\nEichhorn said he hopes for another strong year for the board as well. He and trustee Patrick Shoulders were reappointed to the board by Gov. Frank O'Bannon to serve three-year terms.\nEichhorn said the trustees have work to do.\n"You don't have to be sick to get better," Eichhorn said. "We're not sick, but we can get better"