Last week, 34-year-old alumnus Ben Tracy was selected as the newest member of the Marquette board of trustees, making him the youngest member of the university’s impressive, major decision making group.
Tracy graduated from the College of Communication in 1998 and the Marquette Graduate School in 2004. From 2001-’04, he served as the university’s director of communications.
He currently resides in California and works as a national correspondent for “CBS Evening News with Katie Couric,” “The Early Show,” and “CBS Sunday Morning.”
“It really is an honor to be asked to do this,” Tracy said in an interview. “I am grateful to be able to serve with the members of the board in making Marquette an even stronger institution.”
Tracy said he wants to offer a different perspective to the board as both a younger voice and one from a different part of the country.
“I give Fr. Wild and the other trustees a lot of credit for looking to add diversity of age to the board … and I hope my input will be helpful,” he said.
Tracy said he will continue to live in Los Angeles and will fly out to Milwaukee for the four meetings per year he is expected to attend. Tracy said he loves Milwaukee and Wisconsin, and is happy to have the chance to be back during the year.
“I credit my Marquette experience with where I am at today,” the five-time Emmy winner said. “It is wonderful (to be chosen for the board of trustees) — I never expected to be able to give back like this.”
Board chair Darren Jackson, a 1986 graduate from the College of Business Administration and the former chief financial officer of Best Buy, said of Tracy: “Ben represents a generation of our young alumni whose voices are important to the future direction of the university.”
Also on the board are current University President the Rev. Robert A. Wild, as well as future president Rev. Scott R. Pilarz. Another younger member of the board of trustees is the Rev. James P. McDermott, who graduated from the College of Arts & Sciences in 1991 and is currently a screenwriting student at U.C.L.A.
Former Marquette basketball star and current coach of the Boston Celtics Glenn “Doc” Rivers, a 1985 graduate of the College of Arts & Sciences, also serves on the board.
