Student Trustee Application and Selection

2025 Undergraduate Student Trustee Application

If you are a currently enrolled undergraduate student and Ohio resident who will be attending Ohio State through at least May 2027, please consider applying to serve as the next undergraduate student representative to The Ohio State University Board of Trustees. Applications are due by 12:00 p.m. (noon) EST on Friday, February 7, 2025. Please submit your application electronically to the Board of Trustees Office (board@osu.edu). Full details are available in the application form. 

Information Sessions

Ohio State's current undergraduate student trustee, Joshua Kerner, hosted several information sessions to help applicants better understand the role and application process. Recordings of the two virtual sessions are linked below:

• Jan. 13 virtual information session recording
• Jan. 14 virtual information session recording

About the Role

The Board of Trustees is the highest level of governance at Ohio State. It serves as the chief fiduciary and strategic body of the university, and its decisions ultimately shape the future of Ohio State and directly impact students, faculty and staff. The board consists of up to 20 members: 15 voting Ohio residents, two voting student trustees (one graduate or professional student and one undergraduate) and up to three non-voting charter trustees who are non-Ohio residents. All members, except for the charter trustees, are appointed by the governor of Ohio. 

Student trustees each serve two-year terms, attend all board meetings and executive sessions, and vote at the committee and board levels. There are approximately four two-day, full board meetings annually, plus additional committee meetings and events throughout the year. As a trustee, the selected student will be expected to attend all board functions; stay up-to-date on campus, higher education and national news; and be able to balance this responsibility with other personal and academic commitments.

Eligibility Requirements

Each applicant must: 

• Be an Ohio resident (and remain an Ohio resident for at least the next two years, details below)
• Attend Ohio State until at least May 2027
• Be and remain in good academic standing (Note: Pass/Non-Pass grades due to the pandemic will not be viewed negatively during the review process)
• Not be on disciplinary probation 
• Be currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at the time of application
• If employed by the university, serve only in a student employment or work-study position

Ohio Residency Requirement

Ohio’s residency requirements for all elected and appointed officials (including Ohio State student trustees) are set forth by the Ohio Constitution, which requires that “no person shall be elected or appointed to any office in this state unless possessed of the qualifications of an elector” (Article XV, Section 4). Further, under Article V, Section 1, it states that “every citizen of the United States, of the age of 18 years, who has been a resident of the state, county, township, or ward, such time as may be provided by law, and has been registered to vote for 30 days, has the qualifications of an elector, and is entitled to vote at all elections. Any elector who fails to vote in at least one election during any period of four consecutive years shall cease to be an elector unless he again registers to vote.”

Therefore, a student must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old, a resident of the state of Ohio, and have been registered to vote in the state of Ohio for at least 30 days before they may be appointed to the trustee position. For more details on voter eligibility and residency requirements, please visit the Secretary of State website.

Disclaimer on University Employment

For those students who receive financial aid from and/or are employed by the university, please note that Ohio Revised Code Section 3335.02(C) states in part, “…no student shall be disqualified from membership on the Board of Trustees because the student received a scholarship, grant, loan, or any other financial assistance payable out of the state treasury or a university fund, or because the student is employed by the university in a position pursuant to a work-study program or other student employment, including as a graduate teaching assistant, graduate administrative assistant, or graduate research assistant, the compensation for which is payable out of the state treasury or university fund. Acceptance of such financial assistance or employment by a student trustee shall not be considered a violation or Chapter 102 section 2921.42 or 2921.43 of the Revised Code.”

However, students who are employed by the university (or medical center) in a non-student position may not by appointed to the Board of Trustees. Ohio Revised Code Section 3335.09 specifically prohibits board members from being a professor or employee of the university, except for student- employees, as permitted in Revised Code Section 3335.02 (C). A limited number of Ohio State professors and clinicians may sit on the Board of Trustees’ committees as “public members,” but they do not have the same full voting privileges as trustees and student trustees. 

Selection Process

Interested candidates must first submit a completed application. Applications are redacted and reviewed as part of a blind review process conducted by the Student Trustee Selection Committee. Appointed annually, this committee consists of the two current trustee members of the Board of Trustees; three student members from each of the major student government groups at Ohio State (USG, CGS, IPC); and at least one university staff member and one current or former faculty member. 

After reviewing all applications, the selection committee will interview a group of selected applicants and, ultimately, identify finalists to recommend to the Governor’s Office for consideration. The Governor’s Office will interview the finalists and appoint one student to serve a two-year term.