Gov. Rick Perry appointed BHP junior John Davis Rutkauskas to the Board of Regents as the 2011-12 student regent on Wednesday.
Rutkauskas, a business honors, finance, French and Plan II major, will serve from June 1, 2011 to May 31, 2012.
“The student regents act as a liaison between the students and the Board of Regents,” said Lucy Nashed, spokeswoman for the governor’s office. “They attend Board of Regents meetings but don’t vote. They act as the students’ voice.”
Students from all nine UT System universities and six medical branches are eligible to apply each December for the single student spot through the school or the governor’s appointments office.
“Our board always looks forward to meeting newer members and learning to work with a new student,” said System spokesman Matt Flores.
The governor appoints the student regent and each of the nine voting regents, and the board sets policies for system institutions, Flores said.
“It’s a pivotal time in the history of the University, dealing with the aftermath of the economic recession and budget cuts,” Rutkaukas said. “The position is not about approaching the board as an activist but as an intermediary presenting the student’s opinion, rather than demanding action.”
(Article taken from The Daily Texan)