Young Trustee

Young Trustee Screening Process and Application

Thank you for your interest in the position of graduate and professional student Young Trustee to the Duke University Board of Trustees. This position illustrates Duke's commitment to seeking and understanding graduate and professional student perspectives on administrative decisions. The Young Trustee will serve for two years, one as an observer in which he or she will not be allowed to vote, and the second as a full voting member of the Board. The position of Young Trustee is both a privilege and an honor, not only for the student elected to the position, but for the entire graduate and professional student body.

All current graduate and professional students (as well as those who have graduated in the spring or summer terms of 2009) are eligible to run for the position of Young Trustee.  We strongly encourage those students in the final year of their program to apply, as they have the most familiarity with the administration of the university and the concerns faced by the graduate and professional student body, and they will have the added perspective of a recent graduate. The individual selected is not allowed to be the GPSC president or to be an employee of the university during their term as Young Trustee.

Listed below are the instructions for applying, the timeline and the initial application for the 2008-2009 academic year. Applicants must be available on the dates listed in the timeline.   If you have any questions, please email the chair of the Young Trustee Screening Committee at jesse.yang@duke.edu

2009-2010 Application Process and Timeline

Applicants must be available on the dates listed in the timeline.

Initial Application (1 paragraph cover letter + Resume/CV) due – November 30, 2009

Final Applications sent to semi-finalists – December 11, 2009

Final Applications Due – January 8, 2010

Candidates invited to interview – January 15, 2010

Interviews to select finalists – January 30 and January 31, 2010

Young Trustee Election – February 9, 2010

The initial application is a one paragraph cover letter and a resume/CV.  The cover letter should address the applicant's relevant qualifications, with specific emphasis on leadership experience, as well as why the applicant is interested in serving as the Young Trustee.  The screening committee will carefully review all submissions, and invite semi-finalists to continue with the final application.  These applications will then be reviewed and not more than ten candidates will be invited for interviews.

From this pool of interviewees, the screening committee will select three finalists to present to the General Assembly meeting on February 9, where the Young Trustee will be elected.  Finalists must attend the February meeting in order to speak before the council prior to the vote.

The Young Trustee Screening Committee looks forward to receiving your application and working to nominate the best-suited candidates for this year's Young Trustee. To apply, please submit the relevant materials to the Chair of the Young Trustee Screening Committee at jesse.yang@duke.edu, with the subject line reading “Young Trustee Application”.

2009 - 2010 Young Trustee Screening Committee Members:
Ellise Van Buskirk, Andrew Fontanella, Tricia Inamine, Laura Johnson, Ryan Quinn, Caleb Varner, Yang Yang