If you’ve got at least two years remaining as a Penn State student, you could represent Penn State’s student body as part of its highest governing body, the Board of Trustees. Applications are open for Penn State’s student-selected trustee, whose term will begin in July when current trustee Mike Hoeschele leaves the post.

Applications are due by midnight Friday, February 15. They’ll then be reviewed by a committee of student government leaders and at-large student members, led by Hoeschele. The committee will recommend a candidate to the Board of Trustees, which is expected to confirm that student barring any unforeseen circumstances.

“I believe a well-rounded student that is eager to serve Penn State and is a responsible individual are the most important set of attributes you can have,” Hoeschele said.

“It is important as well that the individual understand the mission of the University and to realize that while you may have been selected through the student trustee selection process, you are a trustee with the same rights and responsibilities as every other trustee on the Board. Being willing to speak up but being thoughtful and interested in learning is crucial to succeeding in this position.”

The student-selected trustee seat was solidified in fall 2014 following controversial governance changes which allowed for a voting student trustee for the first time. Luke Metaxas served as the first student-selected student trustee, followed by Hoeschele.

The Pennsylvania governor previously had a longstanding tradition of appointing a student to a designated appointed seat, but Governor Tom Wolf has failed to continue the tradition now that the student-selected student trustee seat exists.

With Wolf’s non-student appointment, the student voting weight on the Board actually decreases, as the size of the Board as a whole has increased in the past two years as well. Students have continued to advocate for a governor-appointed student trustee.

“I have loved every bit of my time as Student Trustee,” Hoeschele said “The insights, connections, and life lessons I have gained from this experience are invaluable. Being able to serve Penn State in such a way is humbling and inspiring.”