Philip N. Eskew Jr. received a B.A. degree from DePauw University and his M.D. degree from the IU School of Medicine.
After 20 years of private practice in obstetrics and gynecology, he became the OB/GYN medical and residency director of women and children services at St. Vincent hospital in ?Indianapolis.
During his opening statement June 5 at the Board of Trustees candidate forum, Eskew, a retired physician, said how fortunate he felt to have learned from IU and wants to give back.
Eskew served 12 years on the Carmel, Indiana school board, has been a rotarian for 34 years and is completing his third term as the current chair of the Facilities and Auxiliaries Committee of the IU Board of Trustees.
“I have been privileged to receive the votes of fellow alumni and to serve as an elected trustee of Indiana University,” Eskew said. “I worked hard to be a voice for alumni, serving as chair of the facilities committee, vice chair of University and Student Relations, trustee liaison to the Varsity Club and as a member of the Advisory Boards on four regional campuses.”
Eskew’s goals are to continue to improve the educational experience for all students, retain and reward outstanding faculty, implement a plan to bolster the quality of the facilities on all of IU’s campuses and ensure an affordable educational opportunity for students and their families.
Eskew said in his profile on the IU Board of Trustees election website how experienced input and active participation are required to overcome challenges. The four regional campuses Eskew often visits are IU-Purdue University Indianapolis, IU-South Bend, IU-Northwest Gary and IU-East Richmond. He said he does this to show support to all IU campuses.
His commitment to IU has given Eskew a quality amount of experience, and he said he hopes to continue his commitment with the Board of Trustees, spending an average of 10-15 hours a week devoted to trustee-related activities.
Some landmark achievements Eskew contributed to include the creation of five new schools: Fairbanks School of Public Health and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at IUPUI and the School of Public Health, the Media School and the School of Global and International Studies at IU-Bloomington. He also recently announced the development of a Department of Engineering within the School of Informatics and Computing in Bloomington.
Eskew also addresses the Student Welfare Initiative implemented to promote policies on personal safety, sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse education.
When asked about recent threats to campus security, Eskew reminded students of these program initiatives.
“We have already put in place an educational program regarding sexual abuse and alcohol abuse,” Eskew said in an email. “The key point of all of this is to watch out for your ‘buddy’ in all campus activities. Never walk alone and be able to say ‘no’ when indicated. This is true for both men and women”.
While Eskew said online challenges remain, he said he wants to work with the trustees to control the cost yet maintain the quality of education that gives alumni pride in IU diplomas.
Eskew and his wife, Ann, also understand the importance of financial support from alumni and are life members of the IU Alumni Association.
The two are also proud members of the President’s Circle and the Hoosier Hundred.
