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Board approves naming gifts, endowments and tightens confidentiality for senior searches
Summary
Trustees accepted multiple naming gifts and endowment appointments, including the Francis Gory gift and the Shelby Biosciences Research Building, and amended board rule 302 to codify confidentiality and search‑committee best practices for senior hires.
The University of Alabama System board on June 12 approved a slate of naming resolutions, endowment appointments and a change to Board Rule 302 that codifies best practices for senior‑leadership searches.
UAB presented a transformational gift from Francis and Miller Gory to create the Francis Gory Endowed Support Fund for the Alzheimer’s Disease Center and requested renaming the center in recognition of the gift. UAB also proposed naming a new biomed research and psychology facility the Shelby Biosciences Research Building in recognition of retired U.S. Senator Richard Shelby’s efforts to secure federal funding for the project; transcript materials said Senator Shelby secured approximately $152 million in federal funds for the project.
Dr. Ray Watts presented the UAB naming resolutions, saying the facility will serve as “a hub for interdisciplinary biomed and behavioral research.” The board approved the UAB resolutions by voice vote.
The board also approved dozens of endowments, appointments to endowed chairs and gifts to support scholarships and campus programs across UA, UAB and UAH. Trustees took separate votes on UA and UAH items during committee sessions and approved the resolutions; motions were moved and seconded and approved by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
Separately, Chancellor Sid Trant presented a resolution to amend Board Rule 302 to strengthen recruitment practices for senior leadership. The amendment, which the board approved, (1) recognizes deans as senior leaders for recruitment purposes, (2) requires strict confidentiality during searches to protect candidate privacy, (3) makes search committees advisory with hiring authority retained by the hiring manager, (4) prevents direct reports from serving on search advisory committees and (5) establishes a systemwide preferred‑provider list for executive‑search firms. Trustee discussion noted prior searches for presidential hires used these practices and the amendment memorializes them.
The recorded votes on these resolutions were taken by voice and the board indicated approval; the transcript does not include roll‑call tallies for each naming or endowment item.
Next steps: institutions will implement the naming resolutions, proceed with agreed appointments and notify donors; the system will publish updated search procedures under the amended Board Rule 302.
