Students within the College of Science and Engineering now have the opportunity to make a lasting impact on college initiatives, improvements and student experiences thanks to the creation of the Dean’s Student Advisory Council.
Founded by Jamarion Willie-Hughes, a junior electrical and electronics engineering major from Huntsville, Ala., the Dean’s Student Advisory Council is designed to serve as a direct connection between students and college leadership. The council will allow students to share their perspectives, provide feedback, identify areas for improvement and help shape initiatives that enhance the overall student experience within the College of Science and Engineering (CSE).
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“Council members will work with our Dean, Dr. Govind Menon, and college leadership to bring forward ideas and concerns from students, provide input on college initiatives and improvements and help develop opportunities that strengthen engagement among Science and Engineering students,” he said. “We also hope for the Council to create opportunities for students to connect with faculty, alumni, industry professionals and one another through events, professional development and other college initiatives.”
The council is in the beginning phases of accepting applications. Students of all majors across the College of Science and Engineering are encouraged to apply. Because this will be the first cohort, students who are selected to the council will have the unique opportunity to help shape it.
“We are looking for students who are engaged, dependable, willing to share their perspectives and interested in making a positive impact,” Willie said. “Students do not have to already hold leadership positions or be heavily involved on campus. We want the council to represent different majors, classifications, backgrounds, experiences and perspectives from across the CSE.”
The idea for a student council came about after Willie realized other colleges on the Troy Campus had similar organizations and wanted to give CSE students the same chance to have their voices heard.
“We have so many different majors and students within the College of Science and Engineering, but we didn’t really have something specifically for students to come together and give feedback directly to the Dean,” he said. “I don’t want this to be another organization where we just meet every month and that’s it. I want us to actually do things and make changes that students can see. It could be something as simple as events, networking opportunities, things within our building or resources that students feel like we’re missing.
“At the end of the day, I want students to be able to look at something within the College of Science & Engineering and say, ‘We had a part in making that happen.’”
The council has already garnered support from the Dean’s Office and faculty and staff within the CSE.
“The Dean’s Student Advisory Council provides an important opportunity for us to hear directly from the students we serve,” Menon said. “Our students bring valuable perspectives to the College of Science and Engineering, and we want to create meaningful opportunities for them to share those perspectives and help shape the future of the College. I look forward to working with the council and seeing the ideas and initiatives our students bring forward.”
As the Student Government Association’s vice president of campus affairs, Willie said support from campus leadership is crucial to the council’s success.
“Everybody has been really supportive of the idea so far. The Dean’s Office has been open to hearing what students have to say and helping us get this started, and the SGA is all about representing students, so I feel like this goes right along with what we already do,” he said. “We’ve also had support from faculty and staff because at the end of the day, we can’t make everything happen by ourselves. We need that relationship between the students, faculty and the Dean’s Office for this to actually work.”
Joining Willie as founding members are Diana Lopez, Grayson Bogue, William Morgan, Seth Walker and Jordan Moon.
Applications are open here until October 16.
