Young Trustee Screening Process and Application
Thank you for your interest in the position of graduate and professional student Young Trustee to the Duke University Board of Trustees. This position illustrates Duke's commitment to seeking and understanding graduate and professional student perspectives on administrative decisions. The Young Trustee will serve for two years, one as an observer in which he or she will not be allowed to vote, and the second as a full voting member of the Board. The position of Young Trustee is both a privilege and an honor, not only for the student elected to the position, but for the entire graduate and professional student body.
All current graduate and professional students are eligible to run for the position of Young Trustee. However, we strongly encourage those students in the final year of their program to apply, as they have the most familiarity with the administration of the university and the concerns faced by the graduate and professional student body, and they will have the added perspective of a recent graduate. The individual selected is not allowed to be the GPSC president or to be an employee of the university during their term as Young Trustee.
Listed below are the Young Trustee job description, application timeline and instructions for the initial application for the 2007-2008 academic year, and contact information for the 2007-2008 Young Trustee Screening Committee members. Applicants must be available on the dates listed in the timeline. The Young Trustee Screening Committee looks forward to reading your application and working to nominate the best-suited candidates for this year's Young Trustee. If you have any questions, please email the chair of the Young Trustee Screening Committee, Gautham Pandiyan at gp14@duke.edu.
Young Trustee Job Description
Each spring, GPSC selects one graduate or professional student to serve a two year term as a Young Trustee to the Duke University Board of Trustees. During the first year of his or her term, the Young Trustee is an observer. After this year of observation, the Young Trustee serves in the same capacity as regular members of the board, with full voting privileges.
During his or her term, the Young Trustee attends four Board meetings each year. Prior to the first of these meetings, the Young Trustee will attend a one-day orientation session. In contrast to the graduate and professional representatives elected to individual Board of Trustees Standing Committees, the Young Trustee attends not only these committee meetings, but also plenary sessions, breakfasts with the President, and any other smaller sessions that may convene.
Board meeting dates for 2008-2009 are Friday, October 3 - Saturday, October 4; Friday, December 5 - Saturday, December 6; Friday, February 27 - Saturday, February 28; and Friday, May 8 - Saturday, May 9. Meetings are held all day on Friday, and half the day on Saturday. It is recommended that Young Trustees arrive for Board meetings on Thursday.
For more information about the Young Trustee experience, you can download an interview with former Young Trustee Rob Saunders.
Application Process and Timeline
- Application process and timeline available – November 1st, 2007
- Initial Application (1 paragraph executive summary + Resume/CV) due – December 1st, 2007
- Final Applications sent to semi-finalists – December 5th, 2007
- Final Applications Due – January 9th, 2008
- Candidates invited to interview – January 14th, 2008
- Interviews to select finalists – January 26th, 2008 (alternate date: January 27th, 2008)
- Young Trustee Election – February 26th, 2008
The initial application is a one paragraph executive summary that details why the candidate is interested in this position, and relevant qualifications, and a resume/CV. The Young Trustee Screening Committee will read and review all submissions, and invite semi-finalists to continue with the final application. The final applications will then be reviewed to invite no more than ten candidates for interviews.
From the pool of interviewees, the Young Trustee Screening Committee will select three finalists. The Young Trustee will be elected from those three finalists at the February 26th meeting of the Graduate and Professional Student Council. The finalists must attend the February 26th meeting in order to speak before the council prior to the vote.
Please submit all materials to Gautham Pandiyan, Chair of the Young Trustee Screening Committee, at gp14ster@gmail.com, with the subject line reading “Young Trustee Application.”
Young Trustee Screening Committee Members
Gautham Pandiyan , Chair