Chancellor of U. System of Georgia Quit BP's Board Just Before Spill

[n2doc]

Erroll B. Davis Jr. recently left the board of directors of BP, whose London headquarters are shown here. His involvement with the now-disparaged oil company is an example of how such corporate service can end up consuming university leaders' time and attention.


Erroll B. Davis Jr. served on BP's board of directors for 12 years, retiring just five days before the company's Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded. The chancellor of the University System of Georgia, who was also a member of the board's safety committee, is thereby linked to one of the nation's worst environmental disasters, and a share of the resulting litigation and negative publicity.

The four-member safety committee has received extra attention in class-action lawsuits,


link
http://chronicle.com/article/Chancellor-of-U-System-of/66012/

Unfortunately, the rest of the article is behind a firewall. But Davis has been a disaster for the Georgia University system.

[LiberalFighter]

1. How many university chancellors/presidents serve on corporate boards?

And therefore don't provide full attention to the needs of their university?

[Gman]

2. To a point, I don't understand the "so-and-so did this at BP" just before the blowout

No one in any way could have foreseen what was to happen to this well with any certainty. Especially someone at the executive level far removed from what was actually going on in the Gulf. If they left because they didn't like what BP was doing in general, that's one thing. But no one left BP because they knew this well was going to blow out.

Just sayin'... I have been getting some inferences but not direct that maybe someone did have foreknowledge. And not that this article does. But it does seem like Davis, as a member of the safety committee may have had a bad feeling about it and said something like, "This is ridiculous. I'm outa here."

[n2doc]

3. Actually, even if he did leave because he didn't like BP

He is still legally liable.

The other point, which is in the rest of the article, is that these board duties take away from the time/attention they are supposed to be spending on their real jobs. So they either stiff their real jobs or provide no oversight to their board companies. Or both.

[Angry Dragon]

4. It is my understanding that there were

documented problems with this well. How much information got up the chain to the top is anyone's guess.
As the article states he was on the safety committee. He was well aware of bp's lack of concern on safety throughout the corporation.
One can only be reckless so long before a disaster strikes. Perhaps just timing on his part.

Bp has a history of non-existence of safety, this man should also be investigated.

[NC_Nurse]

5. Why does this not surprise me? When I first moved to GA 2 years ago, I had NO

idea how much worse the politicial clusterfuck would be than in NC. I am no longer shocked by any of it.

I have to say, GA makes NC look very progressive. And I live in ATL, just think what the rest of this state must be like! :scared: