Dartmouth News - Dartmouth board elects Rodgers as alumni trustee (original) (raw)

Dartmouth College Office of Public Affairs • Press Release Posted 05/12/04 • Contact Roland Adams (603) 646-3661

T.J. Rodgers '70

The Dartmouth College Board of Trustees has elected T.J. Rodgers, chief executive officer of Cypress Semiconductor in San Jose, Cal., as an alumni trustee, following a vote by Dartmouth's alumni nominating him from a list of four candidates.

Board of Trustees Chair Susan Dentzer expressed enthusiasm about Rodgers's election and warmly welcomed him to the board. "Dartmouth's alumni nominated T.J. Rodgers from a very strong list of candidates," she noted. "We value the full range of perspectives and experiences that all of our trustees bring to the board and that inform their deliberations. T.J.'s background as a successful businessman and entrepreneur will benefit our discussions considerably. He is a dedicated alumnus of the College, and we're delighted that he'll now be working as a trustee to preserve Dartmouth's preeminence in higher education and to strengthen it even further."

Dartmouth President James Wright said he is "very impressed with the qualities that Mr. Rodgers brings to the board's work - his experiences and accomplishments in an important and competitive industry - and his desire to help strengthen Dartmouth even more. I look forward to working with him."

Other candidates for the alumni trustee position were N. Bruce Duthu '80, vice dean for academic affairs and professor at Vermont Law School; Daniel S. Papp '69, senior vice chancellor for academics and fiscal affairs of the University System of Georgia; and Laura Stein '83, MA (liberal studies) '94, senior vice president and general counsel of H.J. Heinz.

President Wright said, "I am personally grateful to all four of these distinguished candidates for their willingness to serve our college. We face many challenges as we seek to enhance Dartmouth's ability to offer the nation's leading undergraduate learning experience, and alumni engagement is critical to our work. I look forward to working with my fellow trustees-and all of our graduates - in meeting those challenges."

Rodgers said, "I am an expert on management process development and a tireless champion of the Bill of Rights. I hope to contribute to the school I love."

Rodgers founded Cypress Semiconductor in 1982. Since then, Cypress has become a billion-dollar company with 4100 employees, and has been recognized as one of the nation's leading entrepreneurial firms. Rodgers was honored two years ago by Chief Executive magazine as one of its "Top 100 Chief Executives."

After graduating from Dartmouth in 1970 as salutatorian with majors in chemistry and physics, Rodgers earned MS and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University in 1973 and 1975 respectively. He serves on the board of directors of the Semiconductor Industry Association and on the boards of seven Silicon Valley companies specializing in technologies ranging from magnetic memories to fuel cells. He has testified before Congress five times on business-related topics.

His civic interests include the Santa Clara County Second Harvest Food Bank and the Healing Institute's Carver Scholars Program, and he has established computer facilities for economically disadvantaged Northern California student and church groups.

Rodgers will join the board in June along with two 1970 Dartmouth classmates recently elected to be charter trustees. Charles E. Haldeman Jr., president and CEO of Putnam Investments, and Albert G. Mulley Jr., chief of the General Medicine Division of Massachusetts General Hospital, were elected to their seats in March.

Rodgers will occupy a seat vacated by Peter M. Fahey, retired limited partner with Goldman Sachs & Co., who steps down in June after 10 years of service.

The election of three new trustees sets the size of the board at 17. The trustees adopted a plan last fall to expand the size of the group from 16 to 22 over the next several years, and to shift the term length from five years to four; the charter trustees and the alumni trustee chosen this year have been elected to four-year terms. One charter seat has been added during the 2003-04 process, and the first new alumni trustee position will be added next year.