Student Board Member
The Utah Board of Higher Education is the governing body for the Utah System of Higher Education. The Utah Legislature grants the Board the power to control, manage, and supervise USHE. The Board’s major responsibilities include selecting and evaluating institutional presidents, setting policy, reviewing programs and degrees, approving institutional missions, and submitting a unified higher education budget request to the Governor and State Legislature.
Beginning on July 1, 2023, the Utah Board of Higher Education will be comprised of ten Utah citizens, including one student. All Board members are appointed by the Governor. Nine of the members are appointed to six-year terms, while the Student Board Member is appointed to a one-year term.
Eligibility:
- Applicants must be enrolled at a Utah public research university, regional university, community college, or technical college.
- Degree-granting student body presidents serving during the 2023-24 academic year are not eligible for this position.
- Degree-granting students must remain enrolled through the 2023-24 school year.
- Technical college students must be enrolled at the time of their appointment by the Governor.
Responsibilities:
APPROXIMATE TOTAL TIME COMMITMENT OVER 12-MONTH TERM: 130-210 hours
| Responsibility | When | Where | Time commitment |
| Participate in Board and committee meetings | Monthly (typically Fridays), but additional Board meetings may occur outside of regularly scheduled events. A current meeting schedule is found on the Board Meetings and Events page. | Various Utah college or university campuses; virtual option available | Full Board meetings are approximately 6-8 hours each and 6 hours for multiple committee meetings. Board members are expected to prepare for all Board and committee meetings by reviewing the meeting agendas, reading materials, memos, etc. (an additional 1-2 hours per meeting) Approximately 84-104 hours total per year of service. |
| Chair the USHE Campus Safety & Equity Advisory Council (CSEAC) | CSEAC meets once each month on a day and time set by the council members | Virtual | Approximately 1-2 hours per month to facilitate CSEAC meetings over seven months. Other planning and preparatory activities are required (approximately 2-3 hours per month) Approximately 21-35 hours total per year of service. |
| Lead formal listening sessions with technical college students | Periodic throughout the year | Virtual or on various technical college campuses | Approximately 1 hour to facilitate each meeting and 1-2 hours to prepare for each meeting. 2-12 hours total per year of service. |
| Engage in high school and college visits | Periodic throughout the year | Various campuses across Utah | 10-20 hours total per year of service. |
| Travel to engagements listed above | Periodic throughout the year | Various campuses across Utah | Approximately 10-40 hours per year of service. |
Compensation:
The Student Board Member will receive a scholarship for the academic year in which they serve. All Board members, including the Student Board Member, receive reimbursement for travel to and from Board meetings or other events associated with their duties, as well as a small stipend for their attendance at monthly Board meetings.
Application process:
- Applicants are required to submit a resume and list the contact information of a staff member, instructor, or faculty member at their institution that is willing to recommend the student for the Student Board Member position.
- The deadline to apply for the Student Board member position is Sunday, April 9, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time.
Interview, finalist selection, and notification
- Interviews
- Applicants attending degree-granting institutions: Each applicant from a degree-granting institution will be asked to participate in a 10-minute virtual interview with the Utah Student Association (which consists of incoming and outgoing Student Body Presidents from USHE’s degree-granting institutions). Interviews will take place on April 14, 2023, via Zoom. Applicants will be asked to select their available times on their initial application.
- Applicants attending technical colleges: Each applicant from technical colleges will be asked to participate in a 10-minute virtual interview with eight technical college students chosen by their institutional leadership to represent each of USHE’s eight technical colleges. Commissioner’s office staff will reach out to candidates to set up interviews after the application closes on April 9, 2023
- All interviewees, regardless of institution type, will be given an opportunity to introduce themselves and will then be asked this two-part question:
- “What do you see as the main systemic barriers to college access, college completion, OR college affordability? How would you, as Student Board Member, work to mitigate these barriers, including for underrepresented and underserved students?”
- All interviews will be recorded
- Forwarding to Governor for consideration
- After the interview, members of each review committee will score each candidate’s interview response using a rubric provided by the Commissioner’s office.
- The two technical college candidates and two degree-seeking candidates with the highest average score from the review committee will be forwarded as finalists to the Governor on May 19, 2023. The Commissioner’s office will provide the Governor with each of the four finalists’ original application materials and recorded interviews for consideration. The Commissioner’s office will provide all candidates with an update on their status on May 19. The Governor will appoint a student whose term will start on July 1, 2023. The Governor’s Office will notify the appointed candidate, and the Commissioner’s office will inform the candidates who were not chosen.
If you have questions, please contact USHE’s Director of Student-Centered Initiatives, Katie Mazzie (katie.mazzie@ushe.edu).
