Thomas VanKirk, a local lawyer, has been appointed to the Pitt Board of… Thomas VanKirk, a local lawyer, has been appointed to the Pitt Board of Trustees.

Keith McCall, the speaker of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives, appointed VanKirk to the position, the Pitt Board of Trustees Chairman Stephen Tritch announced at the board’s winter meeting last month.

The board of trustees has 36 voting members, 12 of whom are appointed by the governor and by members of the state Senate and House of Representatives. The rest of the board members are elected by the board, some with recommendations from the Pitt Alumni Association.

VanKirk is currently chair and previously was CEO of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, a Pittsburgh-based law firm. VanKirk is a practicing litigator who focuses on corporate takeovers and antitrust counseling and litigation.

As a new board member, VanKirk said he is concerned with the fiscal policies and academic reputation of the school.

“I am very interested in the audit function, to make sure that the university stays on what I believe is currently a very sound fiscal track,” he said. “And I am also interested in the academic side, in seeing that the university grows and is recognized as a leading academic institution.”

He has several civic and charitable leadership positions, according to his page on his law firm’s website. He is on committees or boards for several organizations, including United Way of Allegheny County and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, as well as the council of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute.

The University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees is ultimately responsible for all University affairs, according to the Pitt Staff Handbook.

The board delegates most authority to the chancellor, but it is directly responsible for selection of the chancellor, approval of major University policies and definition of University’s mission and goals.

The board meets three or more times each year and carries out its work in committees, many of which include non-voting staff and student members.