By serving on the Board of Trustees, volunteers actively engage with the Association’s strategies, finances, and governance to lead the future of ACUI. Student members have the opportunity for professional development through leadership, strategic planning, networking with mentors, and learning about trends and issues facing the profession.  

Reporting to the president and serving a one-year term, student members are responsible for:

  • Advancing the principles articulated in the Association’s vision and core values.
  • Performing various ceremonial duties such as attending regional conferences, speaking at various functions, writing articles for The Bulletin or other ACUI publications at the delegation of the president.
  • Maintaining an active presence in the undergraduate/graduate student experiences as part of the Annual Conference.
  • Serving as a liaison to the regional student involvement coordinators.
  • 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 working on various projects related to those committees on a schedule determined by the president.
  • Participating in all scheduled meetings of the Board of Trustees.
  • Attending required on-site meetings of the Board of Trustees (either virtual or 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.

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.

ACUI is not currently accepting
applications for this role.

ACUI is not currently accepting applications for this role.

The following materials are needed for the application:

  • Complete written application form
  • Letter of support from a faculty or staff member
  • Personal photo for publication
  • Upload a sign Institutional Support Form, showing that a supervisor is knowledgeable of the position description and its commitments.

To discuss volunteering with your institution to ensure that they are supportive of your involvement, download these About Volunteer with ACUI talking points [pdf] to share additional information about what it means to be a volunteer.

A screening committee made up of the staff liaison and related volunteers will review applications, interview qualified candidates, and make a selection recommendation.

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.

Volunteers involved in this opportunity will enhance their skill sets in the areas below. Learn more about the ACUI core competencies for the profession.

Fiscal Management

  • Budget Oversight
  • Budget Management

Organizational Leadership

  • Administrative Acumen
  • Collaboration and Partnerships

Planning

  • Goal Setting
  • Strategic Planning
  • Establishing Priorities

Social Justice

  • Advocacy
  • Understanding of Self

At the time of application, individuals must be: a degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate student who is not a full-time employee at the institution; involved in a college union/student activities department; not set to graduate the upcoming May or August; and committed 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.