Board Vice Chair David G. Turner presents Trustee Emeritus Resolution to Dr. A. Richard Barros

Then-Gov. Pierre duPont took him at his word, and appointed him to be on the DSC board.

Dr. Barros recently ended his 3½-decade tenure on the DSU Board of Trustees, which has honored him by unanimously approving a resolution that elects him as trustee emeritus.

The honor was bestowed on Dr. Barros during the board’s regular meeting on Sept. 13, two weeks after he stepped down from his 35 years of service as a trustee as a result of term limits that were established this year by the board.

Dr. Claiborne D. Smith, board chair, praised Dr. Barros for his outstanding service and noted that the trustee emeritus was particularly helpful to him over the years.

“He was a personal mentor to me when I first came on the board,” Dr. Smith said. “His encouragement over the years helped keep my energy level very high in terms of work on the board.”

Dr. Barros said it has been a pleasure to work with his fellow trustees, administrators, faculty, staff and students in the positive development of the institution.

“I am so proud of where DSU is at this point,” Dr. Barros said. “We have accomplished a great deal, and I have never felt better about this University than I do now. “

After his initial 1977 appointment to the board, he was reappointed by Gov. duPont and Gov. Michael N. Castle for additional terms of office until 1994. Around that time, Dr. Barros determined that he wanted his service on the board to be free from dependence on political appointments, and he asked to be appointed by the board. He would remain a board appointment through his remaining 18 years as a trustee.

During his tenure, Dr. Barros has served as a board vice chairman, as a longtime chair of the Education Policy Committee, and as a member of the Executive, Student Affairs, and the former Trustees Faculty committees.

Among his many important contributions to the University were: his service on the Middle States Self-Study Steering Committee and assistance in the writing of the self-study that led to the reaffirmation of the institution’s accreditation in 2002;  his service as a member of three presidential search committees;  and his 18 years on the University’s federally mandated Internal Review Board, which reviewed all of the institution’s research and studies to protect the welfare and treatment of research subjects.

It was the result of Dr. Barros’ initiative that bi-annual meetings were established in the mid-2000s between the board’s Education Policy Committee and the Executive Committee of the DSU Faculty Senate.

Dr. Barros’ service to the institution even extended to the classroom where he served as an adjunct associate professor of aviation science at the University.

As DSU board member, Dr. Barros has served as a presenter at national conferences of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges covering the subjects  of  “University Security and Premise’s Liability” and “How to Avoid Litigation at a University.”

The institution recognized his many contributions to the University in 1991 by awarding him an honorary Doctor of Law. Throughout his tenure, Dr. Barros represented DSU and its board well as an active participant in community affairs and charitable causes.

Dr. Barros recently retired from a long and distinguished career as an attorney and lead partner in the law firm of Barros McNamara Malkiewicz & Taylor, P.A.; and

In addition to recognizing Dr. Barros for many of the abovementioned accomplishments and dedicated service, the resolution approved by the board on Sept. 13 also noted, “During his long service on the Board, Dr. Barros has demonstrated great dedication and collegiality and has provided highly valued counsel to the deliberations of the Board.”