March 21, 2022
Eli Cole, a native of West Portsmouth, Ohio, is currently serving as one of two Student Trustees on Shawnee State University’s Board of Trustees. Majoring in Healthcare Administration and Business Management and graduating this spring, Cole’s term on the Board of Trustees will soon come to a close.
“It has been an honor to represent my fellow students at Shawnee State University on the Board of Trustees,” he said. “My goal when I began this position was to make a difference for future students at SSU. I believe the decisions that the board collectively made over these past two years will positively impact current and future Shawnee State Bears.”
SSU Student Trustees serve as the voice and representative for the student population on the university’s Board of Trustees. Student Trustees regularly attend board meetings and committee meetings to voice the concerns of the student population on a wide variety of issues. During the meetings Cole attended, he experienced pride in knowing his degree helped give him a foundation of understanding strategic plans.
“My favorite memory from the Board of Trustees has to be when we adopted the new Strategic Plan for the university,” said Cole. “In many of my health care administration courses, we have discussed what a strategic plan is and how it is the guideline for the direction of your organization over a set amount of time. So, when we reviewed and approved the strategic plan at a recent meeting, it filled me with a sense of pride in the growth that our university plans to take over the next five years.”
Cole is active in many ways on campus, outside of his role on the Board of Trustees. He is a student employee in the Office of Alumni & Community Events and Development, has been an Orientation Assistant and Student Representative for the Office of Admissions, is part of the I Am First Gen mentorship program, serves as a Student Alumni Ambassador, and is the current President and Chair of Special Events for the Student Programming Board.
As a Student Trustee, Cole has been able to learn about the integral parts of higher education including institutional budgeting, marketing strategies, policy implementation, and more. For Cole, he learned a lot from being on the Finance & Administration Committee on the Board.
“It was interesting to see how our institutional budget changed through COVID-19 and how the COVID relief aid was distributed to the student population,” he said. “I learned a great deal with my committee assignment.”
For students considering applying to become a Student Trustee, Cole offers friendly advice and encouragement.
“Don’t be afraid to take a chance and try something out of your comfort zone,” he said. “You never know who you will meet or what you’ll be able to accomplish if you never take a chance. If you would have asked me five years ago where I saw myself in the year 2022, it would not have been where I am today.”
Cole personally thanks President Jeff Bauer of SSU and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine for allowing him the chance to serve on the Board of Trustees at the university. He has enjoyed his time on the board and was grateful for his fellow Board members and SSU staff who supported him during his term.
Learn more about Shawnee State University’s Student Trustee positions.