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Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save College student governments are microcosms of government at the local, state and federal level — in both the good and the bad, says Butch Oxendine, executive director of the American Student Government Association. "It can be a good training or a bad training. They're all different.
UL is different from LSU is different from Tulane is different from UNO is different from McNeese — at a big school, like an LSU, very commonly, those people end up as education leaders," said Oxendine. "There is no rhyme or reason. Each of us has our own path.
" For this College to Career project, The Advocate's features team tracked down student government presidents of Louisiana four-year colleges from the 2004-05 school year to see what they're up to 20 years later and how their experience as campus leaders affected the trajectory of their lives. Their stories are a snapshot of where each school was in time and how student life there connected to the bigger picture then and now. College is a time of transience, and most SGA presidents only serve for a year.
Most of the former student presidents reflected on the rarity of single-handedly accomplishing big feats. Still, each president takes up the mantle of those who came before them or who set something in motion which might change the university for the generations to come. "They're very ambitions, typically.
To run for presidents at some schools, not all, it is difficult and time-consuming. They have to manage committee appointments, meetings and negotiations — a lot of what they learn leads them to do similar things in the future," said Oxendine, who has 40 years experience working with student government leaders across the country. "At LSU, you're like a mayor.
" The American Student Government Association, based in Gainesville, Florida, has been collecting data for 20 years and is starting to see evidence that many college-level student leaders become a public servants later, Oxendine said. "Everything you see at the state and national level, you see at the college and university level," Oxendine said. "Without training it can be a breeding ground for poor leaders, but it can also be a breeding ground for great leadership.
" Jackie Tisdell, who was assistant communications director for the University of Louisiana Systems for the 2004-2005 academic year, remembers that group of student leaders well. "I was always so impressed with how together they had it — such a maturity level, to sit in high-level positions, including boards and presidential searches," Tisdell said. "They were involved in what's happening in the legislature — not only to bring information to the table from a student perspective at the state capitol, but to take information back to their campuses and inform their fellow students.
They play important roles." One is a university president. One is a judge.
Two are professors. Another is a vicar in London. One is helping her young son recover from a terrifying accident.
One has a PhD from Harvard. Find all of our stories from this project here . In Louisiana, public college student government presidents sit on a variety of statewide boards.
One of them is elected by his or her peers to serve as a voting member of the Board of Regents, a state agency that coordinates all public higher education in Louisiana. There is also a student advisory council for the UL System. Each university system in Louisiana has its own advisory council.
Misti Smith Cordell, who currently sits on Louisiana's Board of Regents, says the student government leaders offer insight into the minds of college students and what they see from day to day. "They are great at being leaders and recruiting future leaders," Cordell said. "They have state and national meetings, benchmarks and goals set to help them govern.
I find them very intelligent and wise beyond their years!" The Council of Student Body Presidents is a statewide group of all the public college SGA presidents. The organization hosts meetings throughout the year at different universities around the state. Oxendine says the experience of "having a seat at the table" is almost always transformational for the elected few who serve as student government presidents.
"You can really see what you could be as a person — if you approach it right. We don't always do it well in the student government arena. If they have that training, and get the ego part right, it can be good," Oxendine said.
"They have significant budgets — at UCLA, it's $90 million, at Wisconsin Madison, $50 million. They manage 100 people. They may have political parties.
At Alabama, they have intense parties. There are pros and cons to that. They can learn all the political stuff we don't like and don't want to see.
" Student government at the college level also often has significant power, though under the auspices of university administrations. Oxendine observed that many student government presidents go on to work as elected officials, public servants or in educational leadership. He describes student government as a "mini government.
" "Some of these governments really do some great things for students. They really have a hand in governing the school," Oxendine said. "It's a really exciting opportunity and can lead to great things later.
" Over the coming month, this series will profile 17 student government presidents from the 2004-05 academic year. The young leaders' lives have taken a variety of paths, twists and turns. To read the profiles as they are released, click HERE .
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