Hey You- Interested in policy-making? Care about IT on your campus? Academics? Transfer? Represent MSCSA students on a system-wide committee this year!

1. What is a system-wide committee, anyway?
A system-wide committee is typically a governance committee implemented, structured, and chaired by MnSCU staff from the Office of the Chancellor.

2. What is MnSCU and the Office of the Chancellor?
MnSCU stands for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, which is the public higher education system that includes all of Minnesota's public two-year colleges and four-year universities (with the exception of the University of Minnesota). The system is managed by a central office in St. Paul, called the Office of the Chancellor. The system is governed by the Chancellor, who acts on behalf of the Board of Trustees.

3. What function do these committees serve?
Committees have a variety of focuses and purposes, but most groups identify issues and develop recommendations for policy changes. These recommendations often make it to the Board of Trustees, who approve changes. Many of these committees are directly responsible for constructing procedures that affect campuses, and obviously, students.

4. What do committees focus on?
The committees listed here focus on everything from transfer credit requirements to D2L issues, and more.

5. What kind of time commitment is involved?
The time commitment varies by committee. Some groups meets every month, and some groups meet only once a year or only if necessary.

6. I attend a school outside of the Metro area. Can I still serve?
Of course! As an MSCSA committee representative, MnSCU will reimburse you for your mileage to and from meetings. Additionally, if you have a busy schedule and wish to stay on your home campus, every college is equipped with ITV, so you can attend MnSCU committee meetings from almost anywhere!

7. How do I get appointed?
Please consider potential responsibilities before you apply to be an MSCSA committee representative. Make sure you are committed to attending meetings and reporting back to the association about the discussions of the committee. We are very fortunate that we are given so many opportunities for involvement at the system-wide level, and it is essential that MSCSA student committee members represent the association professionally. This means attending meetings, or letting the MSCSA office and the committee chair know if you can't make it or need to resign as a representative.

That being said, we encourage anyone who is interested in these committees to apply for an appointment. The process is easy- simply send a letter of intent to the MSCSA President Tyler Smith detailing your reasons for wanting to serve. All appointments will then be ratified by the Governing Council at the next monthly meeting.

If you would like any additional information, please contact Director of Public Affairs Jessica Medearis at (651) 297-5877 or by email.