After a stint as Associate Students Inc. (ASI) vice president of finance at Fresno State, Russel Statham is continuing his administrative career as a student trustee of the California State University (CSU) system.
Governor Schwarzenegger officially appointed Statham, a business administrations senior, as a non-voting trustee on Nov. 14, joining one other student trustee on the 25-member board.
“The CSU board is ultimately responsible for the CSU, from curricular developments to buildings and grounds,â€Â said Statham, a Smittcamp Family Honors College student. “[My] primary role is really to be the voice of students before the board of trustees.â€Â
Although he will not be able to vote on the board until July 1, 2009, Statham is already sitting on committees dealing with education policy and financing. During his two-year term he will also visit a number of campuses to gather input from students regarding CSU issues.
He indicated that because a lot of college students don̢۪t concern themselves with the goings-on of the board, much of his role as trustee will require him to be visible to the public.
“We really want students to know we’re here if they have questions or opinions,â€Â Statham said. “It’s really my responsibility to effectively give the student opinion on a lot of matters.â€Â
For his work on the board, Statham receives a $100 stipend and reimbursement for travel expenses.
Every other month, he will attend the board of trustees̢۪ meeting in Long Beach where all official decisions are made.
Statham̢۪s first official meeting will be on Dec. 8, when the board will discuss critical issues of state funding and campus revenues. Symptoms of a world financial crisis, including university enrollment caps and the rising cost of education, will be pressing matters for them in the coming months, Statham said.
“The grim reality is if we don’t get the funding from the state, there’s very few options but to raise revenues,â€Â he said. “It’s a challenging decision and a hard discussion for them to have.â€Â
Along with matters of funding, Statham anticipated a change in service structure and MBA programs at many of the CSU̢۪s 23 campuses. These are areas he is familiar with considering his experience in ASI and plans to pursue an MBA next fall.
Besides last semester̢۪s term in ASI, Statham has also served as Fresno State̢۪s university affairs chair of the California State Student Association (CSSA). He said both gave him an understanding of student issues, which ultimately led to his recent appointment.
“It gave me a valuable perspective on how to advocate for students,â€Â he said. “I gained a really good understanding of [the board’s] function and how it really works before I started.â€Â
Statham is also gleaning wisdom from current board members, including fellow student trustee Curtis Grima of CSU Sacramento, who has sat on the board since January. He mentioned people like Grima have imparted advice on how to utilize the CSSA and ASI for feedback on university issues and also have provided Statham with valuable contacts.
“They’re looking for something very specific and you’re working with a lot of people who have been very successful in various areas of their lives,â€Â Statham said of his fellow trustees.
In addition to running his own company, BAS Technologies, Statham is seeking to obtain his bachelor̢۪s in business in the spring and hopes to earn his master̢۪s degree the following year. His term as student trustee ends in June 2011. While he has no definite plans after graduation yet, he expressed an interest in continuing his service on the board.
“It wouldn’t be for some time because the people on it have established careers,â€Â Statham said.