At a meeting on Monday night, nine members of the executive committee of the faculty council drafted a statement that read, "For the second time in 18 months we find ourselves embarrassed by the action of the board of trustees concerning the presidency of the university.
In a statement, Steve Dale, a U.S. Bancorp spokesman, said: "Our role in this case is solely as trustee concerning a mortgage owned by a securitization trust.
One indication of the trustees' concern comes from its decision to hire the outside consultants, the Hunter Group, known for coming in "when a management is in trouble with the board and the board is looking around for help," according to Gary I. Filerman, a professor of health care management at Georgetown University.
Ronald Lauder, the museum's chairman, reinforced this idea, saying that, as far as the trustees were concerned, the architecture should be "as exciting as possible".
"As far as the Samis trustees were concerned, if we could find a use for it and get some rent off it, that was a bonus".
As far as the British Museum's trustees are concerned, he said firmly: "In London they're an integral part of the story of world cultures".
For this and many other, more daringly contemporary, exhibits, Austin seemed to live a charmed life as far as his straitlaced trustees were concerned.
Nevertheless, the board's subsequent vote for Mr. Volpe -- who took office in 1990 -- was not unanimous; some trustees were concerned that he was not refined enough for the job.
Some of the trustees seemed concerned that none of their peers were going this way, but Mr. Emkin told them that company pension funds had been moving away from stocks for years.
An analysis of the risks involved ahead of the deal by lawyers Olswang, which advised Chappell's consortium, said the pension trustees were concerned and were seeking to involve the pensions regulator.
