COLUMN: USU administration a step above the rest
Welcome home Aggies. Logan has missed you. We are going to have a great year together. This summer I realized some great things about our institution. As part of my role, I have the opportunity to sit on the executive board of the Utah Student Association. This board is made up of the student body presidents from all the institutions of higher education across the state. As I listened to their issues, I have been grateful for the great executive team here at Utah State University, led by President Stan Albrecht. As I have represented the students on many different councils and committees, I have been amazed by their focus on student success that comes from each of our leaders. Many universities throughout the nation are putting a lot of focus on faculty research while undergraduates are stuck being taught by graduate students. However, here at USU the needs of the students drive everything that happens. Our administration really does have our best interests in mind.
With the unique opportunity of possessing a great administration, student involvement is important. We cannot pass up the opportunity to shape our college experience into something great. Each year more and more students finish college with some sort of degree placing them in an increasingly competitive job market. In 2010 there were 3.3 million degrees awarded by public and private institutions. With these kinds of numbers coming out of colleges, and the number of jobs available dropping every year, a person needs more than just a completed college degree to keep up with the competition. The difference between the person who gets the job and the person who doesn’t is now defined by how well one applicant has differentiated him or herself from the others. The time to start that differentiation is now.
Those students who stand apart from the competition are students who took the initiative to not only get through college, but to get more from college opportunities. This university has so much to offer, and many students never choose to take advantage of what’s available. Inside ASUSU there are hundreds of ways to get involved and begin to get more from college. Each officer has a council that organizes all kinds of events; each college has a senator that focuses on the organizations in that individual college; and there is also a large number of clubs and organizations. By getting involved with these organizations, students begin to slowly move their resumé from a giant pile of similar resumés, to a very small pile of resumés of students who have chosen to take initiative and get more from college.
Opportunities to get more from college continue with tapping into USU’s network of professionals, getting involved with undergraduate research, participating in campus recreation activities and so on. Even if a student does not have a leadership role, simply learning to communicate effectively with a variety of people can give an edge.
As student officers we are here to serve you by doing our best to remove barriers that would keep you from getting more out of your college experience. This year we are going to do all we can to make that happen. Please let me know if there is anything you would like to see happen or see removed. We really do want your thoughts. Thank you, and “Go Aggies.”
Erik Mikkelsen is the ASUSU student body president. The ASUSU View runs every Monday. Comments can be sent to statesmaneditor@aggiemail.usu.edu.