Sophomore McKenzie Hart began her two-year term on the board of trustees on March 1. She is the board’s first undergraduate member in four years.
Originally from Arlington, Va., Hart is majoring in political science with a minor in sociology. She applied for the position in hopes of gaining more experience in government and administration while giving back to the UVM community, she said.
“It’s a really unique opportunity for a student to be involved in University governance and to bring student voices to the table,” Hart said.
The UVM board of trustees has full legal responsibility and authority over the University, overseeing the University’s property, budgets and policies regarding finances and new leadership, according to the board’s webpage.
Since 1978, two of the 25 seats on UVM’s board of trustees have been reserved for students, which includes undergraduate, graduate or medical students, stated Corinne Thompson, trustee coordinator at UVM, in a Feb. 25 email to the Cynic.
“Student trustees’ involvement is the same regardless if they are an undergraduate, graduate or medical student,” Thompson stated. “They serve as full voting members and have the same role and responsibilities as all trustees.”
Each student trustee serves a two-year term, and one is appointed each year, Hart said.
Each fall, a selection committee of undergraduate, graduate and medical students is responsible for the appointment of the next student trustee. This committee, known as the Associate Directors for the Appointment of Student Trustees, is led by the SGA president, Corinne Thompson stated in a Feb. 12 email to the Cynic.
There are several requirements to be a student trustee. One must be a full-time undergraduate, graduate or medical student at least 18 years of age by the beginning of their term, according to the email from Thompson.
Additionally, candidates must have two years left at the University by the time of being chosen and cannot be a current employee of the institution, Thompson stated.
In her new role, Hart hopes to ensure that the student voices are heard in the board’s discussions while promoting the University’s goals, she said.
“This University […] is based on undergraduate students and our education,” Hart said. “I think that’s something important, that whatever discussions are going on, I’ll be able to bring everybody back to that goal, to support students and provide them the best education that we possibly can while achieving our mission.”
The board’s past four student appointments have been medical students, Thompson said.
“It does make you feel like you have something to prove,” Hart said.
Meeting with current trustees and hearing their excitement to have an undergraduate member on the board eased this initial trepidation, she said.
“They were excited to have an undergrad,” she said. “Being on campus and living here and being in these buildings every day is a really important perspective.”
Hart believes that her prior experience in organization and business as an administrator at her hometown dance studio helped her stand out in the application process, even though she had never previously served in a governmental role.
“With the fiduciary responsibility of the board, it almost acts like a business,” Hart said. “You’re representing an institution. You’re representing a brand, and business is something that I have experience with.”
One of the most complex components of the position is balancing her role as a student with her responsibility to the University as a trustee, she said.
“My constituency, or who I am representing, is the University,” Hart said.
Unlike student government members, who serve as representatives of the student body’s interests and views, Hart says her ultimate responsibility is to the University as an institution.
“When we’re having discussions, when we’re voting, I bring the student perspective to the table,” Hart said. “But ultimately, the final decision is about the University and what’s best for the University.”
Using her perspective to serve the UVM community and the University as a whole is a role that closely aligns with Hart’s career goals.
“I am definitely interested in some sort of public service career,” she said. “Healthcare and education policy are two areas that I’m really interested in.”
In her time at UVM, Hart has been involved in numerous extracurriculars, including the Political Science Club, Women in Law and Planned Parenthood Generation Action as well as club soccer and volleyball, she said.
Hart reflected on the numerous benefits of the role.
“I get to serve and give back, but I also get to learn and grow as a person and as an academic,” she said.
