Advice From Student
Trustees to Student Trustees
Your job as a student trustee is challenging, and you usually have just
one year to be successful. Student trustees who attended the 1998 Student
Trustee Workshop identified major areas of concern and then generated a long
list of idea and advice on how to give you a head start on success.
FIRST AND FOREMOST
 Be professional in manner and dress.
Develop positive relationships with other board
members, the CEO, administrators, staff, and (very important) the secretaries.
Talk to other board members one-on-one to share
backgrounds, goals, concerns, etc. Meet with them to discuss their goals for the
institution.
Seek a mentor on the board.
Spend time with the other student trustees at
social occasions and conferences.
Smile. State your ideas and positions in a
positive manner.
Always thank those who helped you, even if they
just listened to you.
HOW TO GET THE BOARD TO RESPECT STUDENT TRUSTEES
 Make constructive comments and include
proposed solutions to alternatives in your reports. Don’t critically attack
without any suggested solutions.
Work to see the big picture and communicate that
to the board.
Educate yourself on the issues, read the agenda,
come prepared.
State your position clearly and professionally.
Present your goals in writing and discuss them
with the board.
Choose your battles carefully. Don’t be too
opinionated on every issue.
Be a scholar of trusteeship and board governance
– seek to learn more and become a better trustee.
Work closely with the board president. Earn his
or her respect and the board will respect you in turn.
Help insure that students who attend board
meetings and /or present are well informed.
Listen to and respect board members even when
you don’t agree with them.
React analytically, not emotionally.
Learn to play the game. Look like and act like
the board (at least outwardly.)
Be a strong , well-informed presence.
Respect comes from working together in a
professional way. There’s no other way around it.
HOW TO INFLUENCE THE BOARD
 Speak from your heart as a student. Be
yourself.
Respect the other board members when you state
your position.
Have a goal in mind and communicate it clearly.
Emphasize that your objective in improving
student learning.
Do your research and provide current relevant
facts that pertain to your position.
Outline and present well thought out questions
and positions in writing.
Be friendly and use flattery appropriately.
Appeal to the interests of the board and use
those interests to promote your cause.
Support the CEO in bringing together all
opinions.
Work cooperatively with student groups.
Remember you can compromise without compromising
your beliefs.
HOW TO BE CONSIDERED A MEMBER OF THE BOARD/CEO TEAM
 Attend board meetings and other official
functions. Be visible.
Support the institution and its mission.
Participate in discussion and make positive
contributions.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and be open to
learning.
Use proper procedures and lines of communication.
Exhibit trust for others and be willing to work
with them, not against them.
Open yourself to other perspectives.
Separate yourself form the A.S, while not
separating yourself from the students you represent. If you aren’t viewed as a
member of the “A.S. team,” you may be viewed as more of a member of the
“Board of Trustees team.”
HOW TO REPRESENT A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE
 Communicate with and listen to both the
students and the board.
Honor and respect the role of the A.S. in shared
governance.
Get to know your student population. Observe A.S.
Meetings, executive and senate meetings, organizations and special interest
groups.
Be visible on campus. Let students know where
they can voice their concerns.
Contribute the perspective of, “How does this
decision help educate students?”
Explore how students will be affected by each
proposed solution.
Offer the board visual proof of the impact of
the issue at hand on students.
Emphasize student interest and concern in the
issues.
Facilitate communication between other trustees
and students.
Advocate student success.
Define yourself as a “consumer”
representative.
Don’t be an “agent” – be a
“trustee.” Weigh alternative and make decisions on what is best for all.
HOW TO GET AND USE AN ADVISORY VOTE
 Be a great student trustee. The board will
support your efforts for an advisory vote.
Do your homework on the issues prior to board
meetings. It will lend more credibility to your advisory vote.
Once you have the vote, be prepared to use it on
any agenda item, not just on “student” related items.
Recommend that the advisory vote be included in
the board minutes.
Request to have your advisory vote be first in a
roll call vote.
AND FINALLY
 Keep a detailed record of your term as student
trustee, including what you did, key contacts, and what to avoid. Leave positive
suggestions and/or words of advice to your successor.
Comments
& Suggestions
| 
