4 June, 2020. The election of the Board of Governors was on the agenda of the June session of the Cantonal Parliament. Four new members were elected to the Board of Governors, and the previous ones were confirmed. For the term of office 2020 to 2024, the eleven-member Board of Governors is therefore composed as follows: The President is Stefan Kölliker, Member of the Cantonal Council, Vice-President is Thomas Scheitlin, the other members are Silvia Bietenharder-Kuenzle, Beat Eberle, Michael Götte, Kurt Hollenstein, Stefan Kuhn, Regula Mosberger, Pepe Sonderegger, Yvonne Suter and Patrick Ziltener.

The four new members

Beat Eberle (CVP) from Flums studied at the University of St.Gallen and is now an independent lawyer and consultant, primarily in the areas of commercial and criminal law. He was a diplomat and has held senior positions in the police and military, in various national and international organisations.

Michael Götte is mayor of Tübach, Head of Cantonal Politics at the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of St.Gallen-Appenzell, and Chairman of the SVP for the Canton of St.Gallen. He therefore brings many years of political experience with him, but is also fully aware of the concerns of the business community. He is actively involved in various foundations, associations and commissions.

Regula Mosberger was nominated by the SP. She comes from Buchs and studied economics and social geography. At the moment she is as an independent strategy consultant in her own company, primarily for the public sector. Up until 2015 she worked for the canton as coordinator for sustainable development.

Patrick Ziltener (Green Party) is a private lecturer in sociology. He teaches at the University of Zurich, among others. He also worked at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. As a personal assistant to Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, he participated in the negotiations on the free trade agreement with Japan.

Many thanks to those who have stepped down

Karl Güntzel was elected to the Board of Governors in 2008. He brought his extensive political experience to the Board of Governors and, as a critical voice with a wealth of life experience, made a profitable contribution to it. Particularly worthy of mention are his role as a link to politics and the region and his close ties to the region and society in general. He was a member of the Board of Governors' Appeal Committee, where he was able to make ideal use of his legal knowledge combined with his knowledge of human nature and his own life experiences.

Hildegard Fässler was a member of the Board of Governors since 2012. She made an important contribution to the Board of Governors and its Finance Committee with her extensive financial policy knowledge. Her work was characterised by her close ties to national and cantonal politics. During her time as a University Governor, she displayed passion, outstanding commitment and an enormous sense of reality for what was feasible regarding the interests of the University of St.Gallen, and also brought social and societal aspects into the discussions.

Ruth Metzler also joined the Board of Governors in 2012. She also brought her considerable financial policy experience to the Board of Governors and its Finance Committee, which she chaired. Her many years of experience and know-how from her professional activities in business and politics were extremely valuable for the University of St.Gallen, and thanks to her good network within the area of politics and business, she made some important contributions.

Patrick Stach was elected to the Board of Governors in 2014. He stood out thanks to his outstanding commitment to the Board of Governors' Appeal Committee and was also very committed in terms of ideas and time. He was prepared to take on special tasks and identified strongly with the University of St.Gallen: Commitment to the HSG was a key concern of his.