of the communication had to go through members of the university administration to get the work done.” Nick recalled his surprise at learning that “trustees can’t discuss business with each other outside of meetings. So I had to get used to that, since that is what I had done previously with student government.” Samantha reported, “I had to learn about state regulations, open government laws, open door meetings, and I even had to read our state’s regulation manual.” Beth pointed out, “I had to learn about the appropriate spaces and ways that I could communicate in the role of student trustee.” Molly explained: You can’t have trustees talking outside, but I talked to this person in the administration and he tells the other trustee and that is allowed. So just learning some of the ways that they [the board] operate was very interesting. The Governor The participants also highlighted the impact the governor had on time on the board. Molly shared that the governor “really wanted block tuition, and even though all of the research indicated it did not improve graduation rates or retention, he still pushed really hard for it.” During Jon’s term as student trustee, the governor of his state made it very well known that he did not want student fees raised, yet we desperately needed a new student union. That was hard because all of the trustees were appointed by the governor, so the new student union became a non-starter. The governor of Nick’s state, similarly, “did not want student fees to go up, but this was a challenge because we were going to have to find the money somewhere.” Alexis also highlighted the relationship between the trustees and the governor: Being on the board is a political position first and foremost. You are like appointed by the governor, so you have to be like super buddy-buddy and from the same party as the governor at the time.
For some participants, future political aspirations linger when they think about their future. “I still think one day I might want to be a politician, maybe even the first Latino President of the United States,” Will said. Nick stated, “I want to be involved with the political process; I just don’t know how quite yet.” Jon shared, “I just got done interning at the White House and I don’t think my time in Washington is done.” Molly explained, “I have political aspirations on a local level, maybe school board level or local government level, maybe. It is important for me to be involved civically in my community.” David also did not rule out public office: “There are a lot of things I want to do and holding a public office to represent my constituents is still definitely an option for me in the future.” Expedited Development During what some described as the life-changing experience of a student trustee, the majority of the participants had an overwhelming sense that their development was expedited. A majority of participants noted that this could be due in part to the short, single term they served (with the exception of Beth). These one-year terms were packed with opportunities, challenges, and growth. The participants also noted a sense of being polished at the end of their term as a student trustee. Nick noted that the student trustee role “really helped me polish my skills.” Beth explained, “Serving as a student trustee greatly enhanced my maturity, essentially becoming more polished as a result of time on the board.” Jon stated, “I felt like a big change in myself and the respect I had from other people after my time on the board.” Samantha confirmed, “I think it made me grow up a little.”
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APPENDIX B Interview Guide Leadership Experiences and Perceptions Looking back at your formative years in high school, did you find yourself in leadership roles? If so, please tell me a little about those experiences. Describe any other college leadership experiences you had in addition to the role of student trustee. Tell me your path to the role of a student trustee. What or who motivated you to pursue this position? What were you hoping to get out of the experience? Leadership Development Describe the preparation you received, if any, to serve on the board. Did you receive any ongoing training serving as a trustee? If so, please describe it. Did your experience as a student trustee enhance your leadership skills? If so, how? What specific skills were influenced or developed by this experience? Identity and Leadership Roles How do you describe yourself as a leader? What do you believe your role was as a student trustee? Describe your responsibilities as a student trustee. How did your student trustee experience shape your sense of self?
APPENDIX D FINAL CODING GUIDE APPENDIX D Final Coding Guide Main Themes Sub-Theme Outlier Leadership is in their DNA High school leadership roles athletic teams community service groups student governance organizations College leadership prior to trustee engaged early in freshman year student government/governance allocating student fee roles fraternity roles sorority roles cultural student organizations community service increasing leadership roles Desire to Give Back Motivations for student trustee role pay it forward serve the institution awesome opportunity I love my school humbled give back to institution serve on the board again alumni association Do your homework big board packets lots of hours of preparation researching issues Legacy work on initiatives I won’t see finished