BT0004 – Process for Appointment of the Student Member of the Board of Trustees

PURPOSE

Pursuant to the provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated § 49-9-202, a student at a University of Tennessee institution shall be selected and appointed to serve as a member of the Board of Trustees (the “Student Trustee”) in a manner as determined by the Board. The Student Trustee position shall rotate annually among the campuses according to the following sequence: University of Tennessee Health Science Center; University of Tennessee, Knoxville; University of Tennessee at Martin; University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; and University of Tennessee Southern. The student member shall be selected no later than May 31 of each year.

In accordance with the requirements of the statute, the Board of Trustees hereby establishes the following process for selection and appointment of the Student Trustee.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Student Trustee serves as a non-voting member of the Board. In addition, the Student Trustee serves as a voting member of the Education, Research, and Service Committee. The Student Trustee shall serve for a term of one (1) year, beginning July 1 of the year of appointment and ending the following June 30.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Student nominees must satisfy the following eligibility requirements:

1. Have been enrolled as a full-time student for at least one year at the campus from which the appointment will be made;
2. Remain enrolled as a full-time student at the campus from which the appointment will be made; provided, that a student member (i) shall not be required to be enrolled during any summer semester; and (ii) who graduates during the spring semester of the student member’s term may continue to serve through June 30 of that year;
3. Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0; and
4. Be in good academic and disciplinary standing with the University, with no pending disciplinary matters or sanctions and no prior disciplinary history.

NOMINATION PROCESS AND TIMELINE

1. By February 1: The Chief Academic Officer for the campus from which the appointment is to be made will ask the deans and/or chairs of the colleges and schools, as may be applicable, to nominate one student from their college or school.
2. By March 1: The deans and/or chairs will submit their nominees to the Chief Academic Officer with the following supporting materials:
   1. Letter of recommendation from the dean or chair for the nominee.
   2. Completed Student Trustee Application form;
   3. Letter of interest from the nominee: (1) describing the nominee’s work, service, and leadership experiences relevant to his or her candidacy; (2) expressing the reasons for the nominee’s interest in serving as the Student Trustee member of the Board of Trustees; (3) confirming the nominee’s intention to remain enrolled as a full-time student at the campus from which the appointment is to be made and commitment to fulfilling the term of appointment (July 1 through June 30);
   4. Nominee’s resume; and
3. By April 1: The Chancellor, in consultation with the Chief Academic Officer, will recommend a nominee to the Chair of the Board of Trustees. The recommendation shall include a certification that the Chancellor has verified that the nominee meets all eligibility requirements for the appointment.

INTERVIEW AND APPOINTMENT

In his or her discretion, the Chair of the Board may interview the nominee recommended by the Chancellor before deciding whether to recommend the nominee for appointment to the Board.

If the Board of Trustees is not scheduled to meet before the May 31 statutory deadline for making the appointment, the Chair may present his or her recommendation at a previously scheduled or called meeting of the Executive Committee scheduled to be held before May 31.

History:

Adopted	03/01/2019
Revised	05/06/2022