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Student Affairs Committee

The Student Affairs Committee (Committee) is established in the Bylaws as a standing committee of the Board of Trustees. The Committee is responsible for overseeing policies and issues related to student affairs and campus life.

Committee Members, 2023-2025

  • Pamela M. Deese, Chair
  • Mehdi Heravi, Vice Chair
  • Gaurdie Banister
  • Stephanie Bennett-Smith
  • Jack C. Cassell
  • LaTrelle Easterling
  • Hani M. S. Farsi
  • Roland Fernandes
  • Amy V. Kothari
  • Gerald Bruce Lee
  • Fernando Lewis Navarro
  • Angela Chen, Student Trustee

Resource Persons

Cabinet Members:
Vice President of Student Affairs
èßäÉçÇøapp Representatives:
Alumni Association
Faculty Senate
Graduate Leadership Council
Residence Hall Association
Staff Council
Student Bar Association
Student Government

CHARTER

Purpose

The Student Affairs Committee (Committee) is established in the Bylaws as a standing committee of the Board of Trustees. The Committee is responsible for overseeing policies and issues related to student affairs and campus life.

Organization

  1. Membership/Structure. Pursuant to the Bylaws (Article VII, Other Standing Committees) and the Board Policies (Article IX, Election of Committee Officers and Members), the èßäÉçÇøapp Life Committee shall consist of four or more trustees appointed by the Trusteeship Committee and approved by the Board of Trustees. The Chair and Vice Chair(s) of the Committee shall be appointed by the Trusteeship Committee and approved by the Board of Trustees.
  2. Staff Designee. The Vice President of Student Affairs shall be responsible for staffing the Committee.
  3. Meetings. Meetings shall be held in conjunction with regularly scheduled meetings of the Board, or as deemed advisable by the Chair of the Committee.
  4. Agenda, Minutes and Reports. The Chair of the Committee, in collaboration with the Staff Designee, shall be responsible for establishing the agendas for meetings of the Committee. An agenda, together with relevant materials, shall be sent to the Committee members in advance of each meeting. Minutes for all meetings shall be prepared in draft form by the Staff Designee and reviewed by the Chair and shall be approved by the Committee members at the following meeting. The general session minutes shall be available for review by any member of the Board of Trustees. The closed executive session minutes shall be available for review by any voting member of the Board of Trustees. The Committee shall make regular reports to the Board of Trustees.
  5. Review of Charter. The Committee shall conduct a self-assessment and review its charter on a periodic basis, or as required by Board policy.

Roles and Responsibilities

Guided by the University's mission and its strategic plan, along with the mission of the Office of Student Affairs, the Student Affairs Committee is charged with supporting and monitoring the University’s key strategic efforts related to advancing the priorities of the University through active involvement with university policies and programs affecting students and the environment for student learning and thriving. The Committee leads the Board’s engagement on emerging issues, sets priorities, provides guidance, and makes recommendations to the Board of Trustees on ensuring a safe, healthy, and vibrant campus environment that promotes students’ thriving, retention, and academic success.

To fulfill its purpose, the Committee will:

  • Regularly evaluate and communicate to the Board timely information about complex and diverse students’ changing needs and the learning environment, including issues related to the quality of student lived experiences on and off campus.
  • Stay abreast of the complex and changing regulatory environment and its impact on the student experience and university compliance obligations.  
  • Review metrics related to the university’s performance in advancing student retention, thriving and completion.
  • Communicate and balance the interests of students in policy decisions made by the Board and ensure that policies advanced by the board have appropriately accounted for diverse and inclusive student voices.
  • Promote policies, programs and services that advance positive campus climate, culture, and community.
  • Ensure that student services and programs have adequate financial resources and appropriate facilities to support a high-quality campus life for students given how integral it is to the academic enterprise.
  • Ensure that there is a regular review the University’s goals relating to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion as they pertain to the areas for which the Committee has oversight responsibilities, the progress that the University is making in achieving those goals, and actions the Committee and Board of Trustees should consider taking to support the University’s efforts.

Updated July 2024