The new position extends eligibility to former graduate and professional students, in addition to former undergraduates, who are within 10 years of graduation.

Effective July 1, 2023, the Vanderbilt Board of Trustees will begin the biennial appointments of a Young Alumni Director. All former undergraduate, graduate and professional students within 10 years of graduation are eligible for the two-year term. Prior to the Young Alumni Trustee, only former undergraduates were eligible to be the Young Alumni Leader.

The Board of Trustees is a decision-making body that works with the Chancellor to determine the university’s vision for the future, including reviewing its finances and investments, student and faculty composition, governance structure, and institutional strategic initiatives. As a member of the Board, the Young Alumni Trustee will have the opportunity to delegate on these issues.

“The overall vision is to create a diverse, engaged and experienced board of directors for the benefit of the entire campus community whose most important constituents are the students,” said Maribeth Geracioti, secretary of the board. , in an email to The Hustler.

On November 13, 2020, the Board approved the Young Alumni Trustee initiative, which was prepared by its Governance and Board Affairs Committee, a group responsible for reviewing Statutes code and propose changes, including membership procedures. Prior to that date, the Board made annual appointments of a Young Alumni Leader, to whom only former undergraduates were eligible. The position involved a three-year service on the Council of the alumni association—A network for alumni to familiarize themselves with postgraduate experiences — and a subsequent two-year term on the board.

Current young alumni leaders will complete their term on the alumni association board and board.

Damonta Morgan, a current leader of Young Alumni, questioned the new Young Alumni Trustee program and its potential benefits for the student body. He expressed that the Governance and Board Affairs Committee may have intended to prioritize the election of a former graduate and professional rather than a former undergraduate, as they likely had more work experience to offer to the Board.

“The experience of graduate students is significantly different from that of undergraduates at Vanderbilt,” Morgan said. “I think it was shortsighted to extend [the Young Alumni Trustee] that way because I think graduate students listen to undergraduate conversations a lot less than the other way around.

However, Geriacioti said the move was aimed at defending certain aspects of the mission statement, which advocates the collaboration of people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and points of view.

“The desire was to expand eligibility to graduate students and professionals for a more diverse mix of experiences and ages, also reflecting the One Vanderbilt mission,” said Geriacioti.

Geriacioti said the Board of Trustees did not consider extending the post of young graduate administrator to allow a former undergraduate and graduate to serve at the same time.

“The Board of Trustees reviews membership procedures on an ongoing basis, in accordance with the Constitution Code, and for the time being, moving to a Young Alumni Trustee (whether an undergraduate student, graduate or professional student) is compatible with the appointment and election of an alumni administrator, ”Geracioti mentioned.

Geracioti added that all the young leaders of the elders, Dean of Students staff and Development and relations with alumni staff have been invited to participate in the initiative.

“Vanderbilt was one of the first institutions to create a trustee designation for young alumni in 1968, and it is one of the very few peer institutions to retain the position with full voting privileges,” said said Geracioti. “As the University has changed over the past 50+ years, the Board of Trustees is adjusting accordingly, including membership procedures, to provide effective fiduciary oversight so that our students have every opportunity to excel. “