Student Trustee
The Alamo Colleges District Board of Trustees approved the addition of a student trustee on the Board. The position will allow a student to gain leadership experience and ensure that students participate in district governance. With leadership from the San Antonio College Student Government Association, a unified student council from all five of the Colleges worked on the proposal together for more than a year and a half.
The role of the student trustee is to serve as an advisor to the Board and to be a liaison between the students and Board of Trustees and Chancellor. The student trustee’s main goal is to represent student interests.
In almost every aspect, the student will be a full-fledged trustee. Two things differ: the individual will not have voting privileges and will not have access to non-public executive sessions or materials.
Eligibility Requirements
Eligible students are encouraged to apply to their “home” school. Each of the five colleges will then submit a nominee to the board of trustees.
Applicants must meet a few requirements:
- Have a minimum of 12 completed college level course hours at the Alamo Colleges District;
- Be in good academic and civic standing with the Alamo Colleges;
- Be enrolled in one of the Alamo Colleges and maintain at least six credit hours during the election period and throughout the Student Trustee's term of office (Summer enrollment is optional);
- Be enrolled at any of the Alamo Colleges colleges and able to serve a term that will begin May 1st and end on April 30th of the following year;
- Have a GPA of at least 2.5; and
- Not hold an earned post-secondary degree.
The Selection Process
The Student Government Association at SAC will review all applications from SAC students. Then, SGA officers and advisors will conduct interviews in order to identify one candidate. Faculty/staff advisors to the SGA will assist with the process to advise and make recommendations, but will not have final say on who is selected as a student trustee candidate. The SGA officers will decide the final candidate to send forward to the Board.
Each of the colleges will exercise a similar process, and will submit their final candidate to the Board by February 28th. The Board of Trustees will then select the student trustee and an alternate trustee from the five candidates submitted by the individual colleges.
The new Student Trustee will be sworn in at a regular Board meeting after the election in April (specific date TBA), and will serve until the end of April 2023.
Duties and Responsibilities
The student trustee will be required to undergo all trainings to serve on the Board. He/she will participate in board meetings, events and conferences, and will study documents presented to the Board of Trustees for board committee meetings and regular board meetings. The student trustee will propose any items to be placed on the board agenda and review the upcoming meeting agendas with the student district council. The student trustee will be responsible for communicating key information and happenings to members of the student district council, and should be prepared to seek student input on important issues.
The student trustee will be held to the same standards of performance and behavior/accountability of an elected trustee. A student may only serve one term as student trustee and can apply only at one campus.
An alternate trustee will be named at the same time, and he/she will shadow the primary student trustee at all board meetings and other appropriate events. Should the student trustee be unable to complete the term of service, the alternate trustee will replace the student trustee and a new alternate will be named. The alternate will not receive a scholarship during his/her time as the alternate.
How to Apply
Students interested in applying to be the student trustee should complete the online application which includes a brief essay addressing their interest and credentials to be the student trustee. Applicants should be able to show proof of community service hours and/or participation in a student club or organization.
If granted an interview, applicants should be ready to discuss their academic standing, community service hours, the demographic make-up of all the Alamo Colleges District, and their personal vision for the future of the Alamo Colleges District.
To learn more, or to submit an application, contact Jacob-Aidan Martinez, Director of Student Life, via email at jmartinez932@alamo.edu or call 486-1208. Applications can be turned in to the Student Life Office in the Loftin Student Center, room 151.
For more information on Student Trustee responsibilities go to these links: