The board elected Robert Harrison ’76, CEO of the Clinton Global Initiative, to be its next chair on Friday morning. Harrison will follow Peter Meinig ’61, whose second term as chair concludes at the end of the year.

To the Editor:

Re: “Univ: The Sun’s reporting, editorial unfair,” Opinion, Feb. 18

The Sun is to be congratulated on a thoughtful article and editorial on the issue of unconventional gas drilling. Also, President Skorton has provided outstanding leadership by instituting a moratorium on leasing Cornell lands and forming an ad hoc committee to address this issue.

Over the past few months, the term “hydrofracking” has appeared all over the Ithaca landscape. Short for hydraulic fracturing, a process that harvests natural gas, the term has been a subject of controversy since it was introduced.

Peter Meinig, chairman of the Cornell University Board of Trustees and former associate of a large natural gas company, is at the center of many competing interests, and should not participate in any decisions the University makes regarding leasing land for natural gas drilling. For the moment, the University has placed a moratorium on all decisions related to drilling for natural gas, or “hydrofracking.” But those decisions will inevitably be made, and to ensure an ethical process that leads to a resolution made solely in the best interest of the University, Meinig must not play any role in the affair.