Student Regent Selection Process and Application

Section 51.355 of the Texas Education Code provides for the annual appointment of one student regent to a university system board of regents. This statute defines the powers and duties of a student regent, establishes the appointment and application procedure, and provides qualifications to be appointed and to remain a student regent throughout the term. In the statue, “student government” means the representative student organization directly elected by the student body of a general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit.

Powers and Duties
A student regent has the following powers and duties:

A student regent is not a member of the board of regents of the system for which the student regent is appointed. A student regent has the same powers and duties as the members of the board of regents of the system, including the right to attend and participate in meetings of the board of regents, except that the student regent:

(1) may not vote on any matter before the board or make or second any motion before the board; and

(2) is not counted in determining whether a quorum exists for a meeting of the board or in determining the outcome of any vote of the board.

Application Procedure and Deadlines
1) The A&M System Office of Academic Affairs is charged with working with each institution in the selection process. Each institution within the A&M System is required to use the applications available at the following links to solicit applicants for the position of student regent.

2) October 7, 2024, the Student Government Association of Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi “shall solicit applicants for appointment to the next regular term of the position of student regent.” This regular term will be from June 1, 2025, through May 31, 2026.

3) November 4, 2024, applications are due to the Student Government Association Advisor and should be delivered to University Center 318 by 5pm. FMI contact 825-6223 or 825-2612.

4) November 11-15, 2024, the Student Government Association of Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi will schedule interviews with all applicants and a) “select up to five applicants as the Student Government’s recommendation for the position of student regent;”

5) No later than November 25, 2024, the Student Government Association will forward the recommendations directly to the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

6) February 1 or sooner, the chancellor of the A&M System shall: a) select at least two applicants from those received from each A&M System school and send as the A&M System’s “recommendations for the position of student regent;” and b) send the applications of such applicants to the governor.

7) The governor will review the applications sent by the A&M System and may request to review all applications received. Also, the governor may request an applicant to submit additional information.

8) June 1 or “as soon after as practicable, the governor shall appoint one of the applicants to serve as student regent” for the A&M System “for a one-year term expiring on the next May 31.”

Qualifications for Appointment and During Term
To be considered eligible for appointment as student regent, a person must be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student in a general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit in the university system and be in good academic standing as determined by the institution at the time of appointment. The person must remain enrolled at the institution throughout the person's term as a student regent. For purposes of this subsection, a person is enrolled in an institution or unit for a summer term if the person was enrolled in the institution or unit for the preceding semester and:

(1) is registered or preregistered at the institution or unit for the following fall semester;

(2) if the person has not completed the person's degree program, is eligible to continue the degree program at the institution or unit in the following fall semester; or

(3) if the person completed a degree program in the preceding semester, is admitted to another degree program at the institution or unit for the following fall semester.

Also, the statute provides that: “throughout a student regent's term, the student regent must maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5 on a four-point scale.” Failure to maintain such qualifications will result in the governor declaring the position vacant and subsequently filling the position.

Reimbursement for Expenses
The statute provides that: “a student regent serves without compensation but is entitled to be reimbursed for the actual expenses incurred by the student regent in attending the meetings of the board of regents, subject to the approval of the chairman of the board of regents."

¹Tex. Educ. Code Ann. § 51.355(e) (Vernon Supp. 2007).
²Tex. Educ. Code § 51.355(c).
³Tex. Educ. Code § 51.355(b), (c).
⁴In the statute, “‘student government’ means the representative student organization directly elected by the student body of a general academic teaching institution or medical and dental unit.” Tex. Educ. Code § 51.355(a).
⁵The student government at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi at which a current student regent was enrolled at the time of the student regent’s appointment may not solicit applicants for the position of student regent for the next regular term of the position. See Tex. Educ. Code § 51.355(f).
⁶Tex. Educ. Code § 51.355(d).
⁷Tex. Educ. Code § 51.355(d-1).
⁸Tex. Educ. Code § 51.355(d-1), (h).
⁹Tex. Educ. Code § 51.355(i).

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