Students take center stage

At each quarterly Board of Governors meeting, we have a special “student spotlight” to focus on examples of how our students—working alongside talented faculty—are accomplishing remarkable things. The April meeting was no different, except that we had even more opportunities to celebrate students even beyond the student spotlight:

• the State System’s Syed R. Ali-Zaidi Award for Academic Excellence was given to Sarah Polinski of Mansfield University; 
• previous winners of the Student Business Plan Competition shared how winning helped them make their business ideas a reality while this year’s winner, Nathaniel Treichler of Bloomsburg University, was announced; and 
• art and design students from East Stroudsburg University demonstrated the capability of 3D printing and how they are putting it to good use in the community. In fact, they did a live demonstration of this technology by doing a 3D scan of my head (go ahead, insert your own jokes here.)

We are also pleased to report that three students have taken their places on the Board. A little over a week before the April meeting, the Pennsylvania Senate unanimously confirmed these student leaders who were nominated by Gov. Wolf to serve on the Board. Shaina Hilsey (CalU), Brian Swatt (IUP), and Logan Steigerwalt (Slippery Rock) are the elected heads of student government at their home universities and will serve on the Board of Governors until they graduate. The students are full, voting members of the Board of Governors and have an equal voice in helping to steer the future direction for our State System and its 14 universities. That seems fitting because everything we do—the very reason our universities exist—is for the students.

Looking at the caliber of the students we met with last week, I know the future of the State System and the Commonwealth is in very good hands.