Former Tempe Undergraduate Student Government President Mark Naufel was chosen Monday by the Arizona Board of Regents and Gov. Jan Brewer as the state's next student regent.
The student regents represent the three public universities in Arizona and brings student issues to the board. They voice their concerns to help solve any issues they may have.
"There are two student regents, and it is a two-year term, with the first year being a non-voting year where you just learn and observe and you are a voice on the board and the second year you are a voting member," Naufel said. "The role is essentially me being a voice for the students through the board and making sure their best interests are being heard."
Naufel graduated in Decemeber and is in the process of enrolling in a graduate program at ASU. He will start his term as student regent July 1.
The long process of choosing a new student regent began with Naufel being vetted through ABOR and the governor's office.
"I think I was chosen because of my student leadership positions I held during my time at ASU," he said. "When I was a sophomore, I was the director of outreach for the student government, and in that role, I met with all of the presidents of pretty much every organization on campus, and I would set those meetings up to see what the students were concerned about, and I would then take those concerns to the USG president."
As Tempe USG president, Naufel began working with the administration and the regents more closely, and he said he thinks that experience will help him in his new role.
Naufel said he is looking forward to his term as student regent and wants the students' voice to be heard.
"I think my term will be an accomplishment as long as I am pursuing things the students want me to pursue and I think the position is really being that voice for the students," he said. "As long as the students at all of the universities feel like I did a good job of reaching out to them and listening to their concerns and bringing them to the board, then I'll feel like I did a good job."
Tempe USG President Jordan Davis agrees with the governor's decision in choosing Naufel for the position.
"Mark is a great friend of mine, and I think the governor made an excellent decision choosing him as the next student regent," Davis said. "He knows a whole lot about the issues facing higher education in Arizona across all three universities, and he is very passionate about higher education."
ABOR President Eileen Klein praised Naufel's past work history and leadership positions as the reason for his appointment.
"Mark has a distinguished résumé as a student leader, and we look forward to working with him pending confirmation by the state Senate," she said in a statement.
Reach the reporter at jshanco2@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @joey_hancock
