In 2005, the Texas Legislature created the position of student regent—a non-voting participant on the board of regents for each public university system and independent public university. Under Section 51.355 of the Texas Education Code, the Governor appoints student regents annually for a one-year term beginning June 1 and ending May 31 of the following year.
To aid the Governor’s selection, the Chancellor of each university system recommends students based on applications submitted by each campus president on behalf of the institution’s student government organization. The TSUS student regent has the same rights as other board members, except the right to vote or be counted toward a quorum. The position is unpaid, but expenses incurred while conducting official Board business are reimbursed.
The student regent is expected to fulfill the following commitments:
To qualify, an individual must be enrolled and in good standing as an undergraduate or graduate student at one of the institutions within the Texas State University System. The individual must remain enrolled at the institution throughout the person's term as student regent.
The student regent application packet consists of two separate documents:
Both documents must be completed and submitted for consideration.
By November 1
No later than November 1 of each year, student government bodies at TSUS institutions solicit applicants for the student regent position. From among the applications received, the student government shall recommend up to five applicants for the position of student regent and submit all official documents (including an official transcript) to the president’s office on each campus.
Note: At this stage, each applicant will have his/her academic, financial, and disciplinary standing verified by the registrar and appropriate student services administrator as well as a criminal records check completed through the University Police.
By January 12
The President of each campus will forward their recommendations to the Chancellor's Office. The official applications will be filed in the president's office and a copy of the complete file will be forwarded to the Texas State University System.
By January 26
From the materials received, the chancellor will select two or more applicants (unranked) as the university system’s recommendations for the position of student regent and shall send the applications of those applicants to the governor. The governor may request to review all applications for the position of student regent received by the student governments and may request an applicant to submit additional information to the governor.
On June 1
The governor appoints a student regent for a one-year term expiring the following May 31.
The 80th Texas Legislature authorized the Governor to appoint a non-voting student representative to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). The representative serves a one-year term, June 1–May 31.
As with student regents, the Chancellor of each system recommends candidates based on applications forwarded by campus presidents. The THECB student representative has the same rights as other board members, except the right to vote or count toward a quorum. The position is unpaid but reimbursable for official business expenses.
TSUS does not solicit applications for non-voting student representatives on THECB advisory committees. Presidents may solicit applications independently. Additional information is available on the THECB website.
To qualify, an individual must be enrolled and in good standing as an undergraduate or graduate student in one of the institutions in The Texas State University System. The individual must remain enrolled at the institution throughout the person's term as student regent.
The THECB student representative application packet consists of four documents:
All documents must be submitted for the application to be considered complete.