Applications are open for those who wish to serve as the Student Board Member for the Utah Board of Higher Education, the governing body for the Utah System of Higher Education. The Utah Legislature grants the Board power to control, manage, and supervise USHE. The student member will contribute to the Board’s major responsibilities, which 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.
The Utah Board of Higher Education is comprised of 10 Utah citizens, all appointed by the Governor, including one student member. The Student Board Member serves for a one-year term from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
Deadline to apply for the Student Board Member position is Sunday, March 3, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. Mountain Time
Eligibility:
- Applicants must be enrolled at a Utah public research university, regional university, community college, or technical college.
- Applicants must be Utah residents domiciled in Utah (see application for domicile definition from Board Policy)
- Degree-granting student body presidents serving during the 2024-25 academic year are not eligible for this position.
- Degree-granting students must remain enrolled through spring 2025.
- Technical College students must be enrolled at the time of their appointment by the Governor.
Responsibilities:
| TOTAL TIME COMMITMENT OVER 12-MONTH TERM: Up to Approximately 80 Hours | |||
| Responsibility | When | Where | Time commitment |
| Participate in Board meetings | Quarterly (typically spanning a Thursday evening and all day Friday), but additional Board meetings may occur outside of the regular schedule. A current meeting schedule is found on the Board Meetings and Events page. | Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education (downtown Salt Lake City) | Each quarterly meeting of the Board is approximately 2 hours on Thursday evening and 6-8 hours on Friday. 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 36-48 hours total during term of service |
| Lead listening sessions with students from USHE institutions | Periodic throughout the term | Virtual or on various college campuses | Approximately 1 hour to facilitate each meeting and 1-2 hours to prepare for each meeting Approximately 4-16 hours total during term of service |
| Engage in high school and college visits | Periodic throughout the year | Various campuses across Utah | Approximately 5-6 hours total during term of service |
| Travel to engagements listed above | Periodic throughout the year | Various campuses across Utah | Approximately 2-10 hours total during term of service |
| TOTAL TIME COMMITMENT: 47-80 hours over the term of service | |||
Compensation:
The Student Board Member receives a scholarship for the academic year in which they serve, a stipend for each meeting they attend, and reimbursement for board-related travel.
Application process:
Applicants are required to submit a:
- Resume
- Statement of interest either typed (300 words or less) or recorded (audio file or video 2 minutes in length or less) addressing the following questions: Why do you want to serve as the student member on the Utah Board of Higher Education, and what skills and experiences make you uniquely capable of succeeding in this role?
- Letter of recommendation from a current staff or faculty member at the student’s current college or university
Deadline to apply for the Student Board Member position is Sunday, March 3, 2024, at 11:59 pm Mountain Time
APPLY HERE
Interview, Finalist Selection, and Notification
Interviews
- Applicants attending degree-granting institutions: The Utah Student Association (USA) will review and score application materials and choose which candidates will advance to the interview round. The USA and a member of the Commissioner’s Executive Leadership Team will conduct interviews on April 12, 2024, via Zoom.
- Applicants attending technical colleges: Contingent upon application pool size, a review committee consisting of either members of the Commissioner’s Executive Leadership Team or members of the Commissioner’s Executive Leadership Team and technical college students will score application materials and extend invitations to interview select candidates. Interviews will be conducted via Zoom in spring (date not yet determined).
Forwarding to Governor for Consideration
- Each respective review committee will score each candidate’s interview response using a rubric provided by the Office of the Commissioner.
- The two technical college candidates and two degree-seeking candidates with the highest average score from the respective review committees will be forwarded as finalists to the Governor by May 1, 2024. The Office of the Commissioner will provide the governor with each of the four finalists’ original application materials and recorded interviews for consideration. The Governor will appoint a student whose term will start on July 1, 2024. The Governor’s Office will notify the appointed candidate, and the Office of the Commissioner will inform the candidates who were not chosen.
If you have questions, please contact Katie Mazzie in the Commissioner’s office (katie.mazzie@ushe.edu)
