Junior Jenna Richards has stepped into the role of Student Representative to the Pacific University Board of Trustees for the 2017-2018 academic year. Richards, who comes from Morgan Hill, Calif., a small town with a smaller high school, said she was attracted to the small class sizes Pacific had to offer.
“I knew I wanted to have a relationship with my professors and the faculty on campus and not just be another number in a huge campus,” Richards said.
Richards commented how faculty and staff have made her feel very important on campus. Richards has emphasized this aspect of the university to the Board. Last year’s Undergraduate Student Senate President Mallory Hiefield and Advisor Steve Klein first suggested to Richards that she apply for Student Rep. to the Board.
After learning more, she was drawn by the impact the board had on the campus community.
“I went through multiple rounds of interviews and throughout these interviews, met many important and interesting individuals and looked forward to working with them,” Richards said.
As the student representative, Richards will be in charge of giving the undergraduate student body a voice for the board of trustees. She will provide feedback on whether the undergraduates’ needs are being met.
“The Board of Trustees relies heavily on the student rep,” said Richards. “Pacific University is one few universities that actually allows students to be on the board itself.”
From the experience, Richards hopes to create professional connections and learn how to be the lone voice for a much larger body of people.
Leave a Reply