Board of Visitors

Student Representative Responsibilities

What is the student representative's role on the Board of Visitors?

It is an honor to serve as a student representative to the BOV, which offers a unique opportunity to be at the table giving voice to the student perspective while important matters affecting students are being deliberated and decided. As non-voting representatives to the BOV, the student representatives attend all open meetings of the board and the committees of their choice. At each of the four regular board meetings, the representatives deliver a constituency report to apprise the BOV of student issues. Refer to the BOV Student Representative Handbook for a comprehensive description of responsibilities.

What types of issues does the student representative address?

The representatives act as facilitators and champions of issues faced by their constituency. Issues that cannot be solved at the SGA and GSA levels or by other commissions and issues that need official sanction from the BOV are the representatives' niche. Additionally, the representatives work with the administration, various departments, constituencies, and the community to enhance academic and student life experiences at Virginia Tech.

Where does the student representative to the Board of Visitors fit in university governance?

The student representatives are liaisons between the BOV and the undergraduate and graduate/professional student populations, respectively, at all Virginia Tech campuses. BOV student representatives also serve as members of University Council (visit https://governance.vt.edu/), the Commission on Student Affairs, and Order of the Gavel, and may be asked by the president, provost, or other university leaders to serve on special task forces or committees. The student representatives to the Board of Visitors are independent positions, but they often work closely with the university administration at all levels—particularly with the president, provost, and vice presidents for policy and governance, student affairs, and graduate education—to address student concerns.

What opportunities are afforded by the position?

The student representatives to the BOV have a unique opportunity to interact with members of the university's governing body and senior leadership and to give students a voice at the highest level of governance at Virginia Tech. These are coveted positions and are of great benefit to those students who are interested in learning more about leadership and university governance.