Board of Trustees, At-Large Member

By serving on the Board of Trustees, volunteers actively engage with the Association’s strategies, finances, and governance to further enhance the community and lead the future of ACUI and the college union field.  

This is an Association-leading volunteer position, ideal for those interested in determining and advancing strategic directions, governing over long-term goals, representing the association to other members, and setting the tone for member experiences.

2026 Election Timeline
  • October 1–6: All interested applicants must schedule a required interest meeting prior to submitting their application
  • October 8: Application packets due 
  • October 12–15: Three-day appeal period
  • October 21, Noon Eastern: Meet the President-Elect Candidates Webinar
  • October 21: Election opens, slate of candidates announced​
  • November 20: Election closes​  
  • November 30: Scheduled announcement of election results to ACUI membership

Reporting to the president and serving a two-year term, at-large members are responsible for:

  • Advancing the principles articulated in the Association’s vision and core values.
  • Performing various ceremonial duties such as attend regional conferences, speaking at various functions, writing articles for the bulletin or other ACUI publications at the delegation of the president.
  • Designing and directing the work of ad hoc and task force groups as requested by the president.
  • Serving as liaison on the Board of Trustees for any presidential special appointees as assigned by the president and assist such appointees in the preparation of annual reports.
  • Nominating qualified members that reflect the diversity of the Association for the leadership positions.
  • Serving as a voting member of the Board of Trustees.
  • Serving on all board committees, and perhaps serving as a committee chair if appointed by the president-elect.
  • Participating in all scheduled meetings of the Board of Trustees.
  • Attending required onsite meetings of the Board of Trustees (at the Annual Conference, the Leadership Team meeting in Bloomington, Indiana, and other potential additional face-to-face board meetings); the cost for attendance at these meetings is covered by the Association. 
  • Participating in the review of the Association’s budget.
  • Participating in the strategic planning of the Association.

ACUI is not currently accepting applications for this role.

Please note that the following items are all required for a complete application:

Candidates are elected by eligible voting members of ACUI, following the ACUI Election General Policies and Procedures.

The ACUI Board of Trustees believes that it is important for all prospective candidates to understand the time commitment that they are potentially making by standing for election. This is a highly rewarding volunteer experience, but it also requires a significant amount of time, energy, and effort.  Listed below are some of the minimum time-related expectations of a Board of Trustees member once elected:

  • Orientation: Participate in new board member orientation, which may be a combination of reading materials, conference calls, and dedicated orientation sessions at the annual conference site that take place several days before the conference begins.
  • Board and Standing Committee Meetings: Participate in weekly conference calls for the full board as well as committees of the board (currently the committees are Finance; Governance; Strategic; and DEI). While the time can change based on availability, these calls are currently scheduled for 60–90 minutes on Wednesdays at Noon Eastern. In addition to these meetings, the ACUI Executive Committee (president, president-elect, past president, and CEO) meets by conference call twice monthly for approximately one hour, currently scheduled based on the schedules of the Executive Committee members.
  • Committee Work Groups: Actively participate on work groups or task teams of the above-named committees. Typically, this is where the real work of the board takes place—not during the conference calls. Thus, there is a significant amount of individual work and email/phone communication that takes place outside of the regular monthly meetings.
  • Extended Annual Conference: Attend the Annual Conference, with considerable time dedicated to Board of Trustees meetings (before and during the official conference dates), social functions, and other board obligations.
  • Leadership Team Meeting: Attend and participate in the annual Leadership Team Meeting, held in-person or virtually.
  • Additional Face-to-Face Board Meeting: Depending on the year, the Board of Trustees may determine that an additional face-to-face meeting is necessary. Past additional meetings have occurred in January or February.
  • Giving to the ACUI Education and Research Fund: It is the expectation of all members of the Board of Trustees that they will give financial support to the ACUI Education and Research Fund each year.
  • Candidate Forum: Participate in the town-hall style candidate forum with all candidates for the president-election position.

At the time of application, individuals must have: full-time employment at a higher education institution; institutional membership; a signed institutional support form; and a commitment to fulfilling the duties of the position for the length of the term. Applicants must also demonstrate an understanding of ACUI’s vision, core values, and core competencies, as well as the knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of the position. 

Association-leading volunteer positions require a commitment of two or more years, except for student positions which have a one-year term. During the course of the term, volunteers should anticipate at least four hours of conference call and project work per month, in addition to attending in-person ACUI Leadership Team meetings.