While speculation of when Sean O’Keefe’s future as chancellor will be decided grows, one University donor believes the issue will be discussed at Thursday’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors.
“I have talked to a few members of the Board of Supervisors who felt given the publicity the subject [of Chancellor O’Keefe’s future at the University] has had, it would probably come up at the meeting whether it was on the agenda or not,” said Jonathan Martin, chairman of Roy O. Martin Lumber and a large donor to the University.
Martin said he could not disclose the names of the Board members to whom he spoke.
At the end of the business day Tuesday, no new items were added to the Board meeting’s agenda, said Charles Zewe, vice president for communications and external affairs.
Items could be added, however, to the agenda during the meeting on Thursday, Zewe said. He said for an item to be added during the meeting, at least one Board member must bring forth the agenda item and a two-thirds vote by the Board must approve adding the item in order for it to be discussed.
Jerry Shea, Board chairman, said he had not heard any developments about a new item being added to the meeting’s agenda.
Charles Weems, Board member, said he has not heard of a move to add an item to the agenda. He said the two-thirds vote needed to add an item to the agenda during the meeting would make it difficult for an issue about O’Keefe’s job to be added.
“I’d say it’s highly unlikely,” Weems said. “I’d just be surprised for something like that to come on the agenda at the last minute without notice to my colleagues. It’s certainly possible, but I wouldn’t say it’s likely.”
Weems said he does not favor adding an item to the agenda during the meeting. He said if an item was added by the support of other Board members he would be open to the discussion and consider the Board’s opinions.
“My normal feeling on such matters is that we need to have some notice,” Weems said. “We need to have an opportunity to see whatever the materials [surrounding new agenda items] are. If it were [added] just for discussion purposes, that would be something different.”
Martin said he believes O’Keefe’s future will be discussed at Thursday’s meeting even if some Board members are not willing to say if they would approve adding such an item to the agenda.
“I feel like it’s probably coming up,” said Martin.
—–Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected].