After Decades of Service, Members of the Board of Trustees Retire
Published: April 13, 2021
We have not seen their faces in classrooms, their names on office doors, or walked past them on campus, but four dedicated, long-time members of the Greenville College community have just retired. Robert Stroud, Jim Claussen, Margie Smith, and Barry Swanson provided a remarkable 127 years of combined service as members of GC's Board of Trustees.
Board of Trustees Chair Rebecca Smith lauds the passion her retiring colleagues share for Christian higher education and the devotion they have demonstrated to Greenville College's distinctive, Christ-centered community. "When we bring someone onto the board, we try to look at competencies that will help us run the institution," she said. "These members each have different strengths, yet they all share an obvious, deep love for the College." Smith is quick to recall how these particular board members contributed time and talent far beyond boardroom business.
Robert Stroud's 44 years of tenure is perhaps the longest service by a trustee in Greenville College's history. Throughout this time he has shown a passion for admissions and bringing new students into GC's fold. A sales professional, Stroud's heart for GC's business program and adding more business majors to its numbers never wavered.
For 36 years, Jim Claussen (students may know him by the plaza on campus that bears his name) demonstrated his dedication to Greenville College not only through financial support and exercising his gifts for strengthening alumni and donor relations, but also by his exemplary attendance at board meetings. No colleague can recall Jim missing even one board meeting in his three decades as a trustee.
During her 33-year tenure as a board member, Margie Smith has filled leadership positions and served on every committee the board has to offer. Perhaps most memorably though, Margie repeatedly and graciously opened the doors of her St. Louis home to dozens of alumni for joyous Christmas celebrations.
With 14 years of service, Barry Swanson lent his professional expertise as an attorney to the board and served faithfully for many years on its Integrated Curriculum Committee. He retired after 11 years as a trustee, but returned to add several more years of service.
The Board of Trustees acts as the final authority on all policy and operational decisions and partners with the president to make sure the College accomplishes its work. Greenville College has not only benefited from 127 years of capable leadership in the persons of Stroud, Claussen, Smith, and Swanson, but it has also been blessed with their uncommon loyalty and willingness to serve so well for so long.
