By Trent Moore
The Cullman Times
CULLMAN — A Cullman attorney has been reelected to his position as president pro tem of the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees.
Finis St. John IV of Cullman was unanimously elected to serve a second term in the position by the board on Sept. 19.
“I am appreciative of this and I’ve enjoyed doing it the last year,” he said. “We have some great trustees who work really hard. They make it an enjoyable experience.”
St. John, who was elected to represent the fourth congressional district on the UA System Board in 2002, earned the board’s highest leadership honor when he was elected to his first one-year term as pro tem in September 2008.
As the chief administrative officer of the Board of Trustees, St. John is charged with presiding at all board meetings in the absence of the governor, calling special meetings as needed and appointing committees. He also serves as spokesman for the UA System governing board, according to a press release.
“It’s something new every week,” St. John said. “There are always a lot of great things to be involved with.”
St. John said the board has done an admirable job pressing on through the current tough economic climate.
“We’ve had a very trying year from a state funding standpoint and there have been some drastic cuts,” he said. “But, all three of our universities have planned for it and endured it very well. All three have record enrollment this fall ... I think that is because our leadership has continued to do an excellent job.”
The UA System includes the campuses in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville as well as the UAB Health System. It is Alabama’s largest higher education enterprise. Total enrollment exceeds 53,300, and the system is Alabama’s largest single employer with more than 25,000 employees.
‰ Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 225.
