Will Serve One-Year Term on Board of Regents
Neelesh Mutyala, Honors Biomedical Sciences student in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM), has been selected as student regent for the 葫芦影业 System Board of Regents. During his one-year term, he will have all of the duties and responsibilities of a board member except for voting and quorum privileges.
The Board of Regents, which is composed of nine regular members, as well as a student
regent, is the governing body for the 葫芦影业 System. Decisions made
by the Board of Regents act to establish university priorities and initiatives.
Mutyala, who is from Sugar Land, Texas, is part of UH鈥檚 accelerated 3/4 B.S./M.D. program, which guarantees acceptance to either the University of Texas鈥檚 McGovern Medical School in Houston or the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
Scheduled to enter medical school in fall 2018, Mutyala will spend his final year at UH giving back in his capacity as student regent.
鈥淭he Board of Regents makes a lot of critical decisions for the university,鈥� Mutyala said. 鈥淭he most important function of the student regent is to bring student input into these decisions.鈥�
Selection for student regent was rigorous, with each campus Student Government Association selecting five candidates. These 20 candidates were then interviewed by vice chancellors on behalf of Chancellor Renu Khator.
After this interview process, select candidates were interviewed by the Texas governor鈥檚 office, with the final appointment for student regent signed off on by Governor Greg Abbott.
鈥淎s student regent, I think it鈥檚 important to go in with an open mind,鈥� Mutyala said. 鈥淚 plan on starting my term by going around to the different campuses, meeting with students and senior staff members.鈥�
Mutyala became interested in serving as student regent as a result of his interest in higher education systems. He developed this interest while fulfilling requirements for an education minor in the teachHOUSTON program, which is a partnership between NSM and the College of Education that gives NSM majors the opportunity to graduate with a teaching certificate.
Mutyala succeeds Joshua Freed, who served as student regent during the 2016鈥�17 academic year, and will become the 12th Student Regent to serve the UHS Board. His term runs through May 31, 2018.
- Rachel Fairbank, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics