Board of Trustees reflects on Anthony Hubbard’s tenure

By Sophia Oppedisano Editor-in-Chief By Dylan Pichnarcik Associate Editor The Board of Trustees concluded its yearly business with a final meeting on May 6 and reflected on the tenure of Trustee Chair Anthony Hubbard, whose term expires at the end of FY2026. Trustee Claire Ramsbottom, who currently serves as Vice Chair, will take on the role next year. Hubbard, a local to Framingham, has served on the Board for two full terms, starting in 2016. He was vice chair from 2022 to 2024 and chair for the last two years. He also served on the Finance Committee throughout his time on the Board. He participated as a member of the Governance, Compliance Audit and Risk, Executive, and Presidential Review Committees over the course of his tenure. Ramsbottom said Hubbard has attended many commencement ceremonies, “countless” presidential galas, and recalled a time when she attended a Brother 2 Brother event with Hubbard and saw what it meant to him, “seeing those students and connecting [with them]. “You've been thoughtful, thorough, and you've always suggested introspection when we come to challenging points. You’ve served with distinction and are a model of what a trustee should be - and we thank you. We'll miss you, but we know that you're just a phone call away,” Ramsbottom said. Before he became a Board member, Hubbard used to “drive by the University all the time, but I had no connection to it,” he said. “I'm just really amazed at the life-changing things that go on, and everyone here makes it happen. So it's been a pleasure, and I know you're in good hands.” The Board voted on its item of new business - the annual delegation of authority to President Nancy Niemi for the summer. Hubbard clarified this resolution does not include authority to act on the FY2027 budget. The motion passed unanimously. During his report, Vice President of Finance, Technology, and Administration, Robert Totino, presented the most up-to-date version of the FY2027 budget. Totino and the Finance Committee are currently looking at a $2.6 million deficit. The budget is still subject to final approval by the Finance Committee in the coming months. Totino and Trustee Mariel Freve said they scheduled a two-hour meeting May 19 for the Board to ask questions about the budget before its final approval. The Board passed a motion to delegate the final approval to the Finance Committee after the May 19 meeting. Ramsbottom raised the issue about the Board’s bylaws limiting its authority to when classes are in session. “I think we should rethink the timing of our meetings, because I feel like the most important role we have is fiscal responsibility, and we're at our last meeting, and we're nowhere near ready for the final budget,” she said. The Trustees agreed future conversations should be had about what the bylaws dictate regarding the timing of the final meeting. During his final report as Student Trustee, Luke Yubeta, a graduating senior, announced to the Board the next leaders of Student Government, including junior Jamie Kuenzel, who will serve as Student Trustee next year. Kuenzel is a rising senior pursuing a double major in Spanish and Political Science. “I'm super excited to work with everyone on the board and to learn more about the process and make change,” Kuenzel said. As is tradition at the Trustee’s meetings, during Niemi’s report, she recognized a Student-in -the-spotlight. The final student in the spotlight for the year was graduating senior Bianca Furtado. Furtado was introduced by Psychology Professor Jen Lin, who said Furtado has served as President of the Psychology Club, an officer of Psi Chi, the national honor society for psychology majors, a research assistant for Michael Greenstein, professor of psychology, and an intern with Call2Talk, a local mental health support organization. Furtado said she encourages everyone to “Say yes. Take that chance. You might be a bit scared - fear is good. It means you're pushing yourself to be better. Another thing: push the people around you to say yes, too. Sometimes, just a little bit of confidence from someone can be enough to make them take that chance. Be the person who helps your peers grow alongside you. The more we succeed as a community, the better we become as people.”