The Board of Regents is the governing body of Stephen F. Austin State University as authorized by the Texas Legislature according to Chapter 101 of the Texas Education Code. A few of the responsibilities for this board includes; enhancing the public image of each institution under its governance; interpreting the community to the campus and the campus to the comm…………..nf,sa…dfnakl….
Oh sorry! Fell asleep typing; felt as if I were in a History class, no? Just me? Oh…
Positions such as the Board of Regents and their responsibilities and duties toward the school may, let’s face it, bore students. Many students aren’t aware of the Board of Regents on campus, and if so, they don’t know exactly what their role consists of. Becoming aware of this problem, Governor Rick Perry created the student appointed position seven years ago to get a student’s perspective on the decisions made. I’ve had the pleasure of sitting down with SFA’s First African American Student Regent, Jourdan Dukes, this past week to get a more in-depth explanation about her position.
Jourdan Dukes is a senior from Dallas, Texas pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with an impressive track of leadership experience. Dukes served as historian for the academic honorary society Phi Eta Sigma, member of the Honor Student Association, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and academic affairs chair of the Student Government Association, ODK, and the current student director of the Big Event. (Did you get all that, cause we certainly did!?)
It’s very evident that Jourdan loves to stay active and be aware of the happenings on campus, and the student regent position will let her do just that. The student regent has the same powers and duties as the members of the Board of Regents, including the right to attend and participate in meetings of the Board of Regents, except that the student regent may not vote on any matter before the board or make or second any motion before the board.
Obtaining this position was a very long, well thought out, process. After students apply for this position through the Student Government, the top five candidates are then evaluated by the school’s president, Dr. Baker Pattillo, who then selects two final candidates from the five to be sent to Governor Rick Perry to decide on the final candidate. Jourdan’s main goal under this position is to make sure every student knows about the board of regents, and understands that the decisions made on this board affects students directly.
In her free time, yes free time, Jourdan dedicates all her time to sleeping and studying for the LSAT test. She did hint to us that you’ll occasionally find her cheering on our Lumberjacks at the football stadium.
Jourdan can be reached through email; jourdandukes@yahoo.com or in her office located near the dean of student affairs – theater office. Jourdan encourages students to come talk with her about any ideas or concerns they may have, and expressed the importance of using your professors for advice, reference, or encouragement. “We have a talented staff here at Stephen F. Austin, who are absolutely amazing and have accomplished so much. You will benefit greatly by simply talking to them,” expressed by Jourdan.
The Boards of Regents’ meetings are open to the public, and Jourdan strongly encourages students to drop in and become aware of the major decisions happening on campus. We’ll keep you posted on the next meeting, in the meantime, stay with us as we continue to inform you of the “campus celebrities” around SFA!