Board of Trustees | Photos submitted by Seth Bauguess
Wright State University’s (WSU) Board of Trustees are patiently awaiting news of their newest trustee as Gov. Mike DeWine has initiated the appointment process.
As it stands today, WSU’s Board of Trustees is composed of eight voting members, two student trustees and two national trustees.
Each year, a new trustee is appointed by the governor of Ohio to fill the spot of a retiring trustee.
Student trustees are appointed to two-year terms and act as the voice of the student body during Board of Trustees meetings.
“The process is completely controlled by the Governor’s office,” said WSU Director of Communications Seth Bauguess. “Individuals interested in serving make an application through the state of Ohio. We announced our latest Trustee in August and await news of our next professional Trustee when the Governor’s office is ready.”
While the Governor’s office is in complete control of the appointment process, a timeline of events to come is currently unforeseeable.
“Our appointment process remains ongoing at this time,” said Ohio Governor’s office Press Secretary Dan Tierney. “I do not have an estimated timeline.”
Who are the Board of Trustees
Voting Members:
- Tom Gunlock -- Chair
- Marty Grunder -- Vice Chair
- Andrew Platt -- Secretary
- Sean T. Fitzpatrick
- Michael C. Bridges
- Douglas A. Fecher
- Bruce Langos
- William W. Montgomery
Student Trustees:
- Olivia Sneary
- Dhishant Asarpota
National Trustees:
- Anuj Goyal
- Vishal Soin
Student Trustees
Student Trustee Olivia Sneary says that her love for WSU only furthered her drive to become a student trustee while attending WSU’s Boonshoft School of Medicine.
“I had been very involved in student organizations, President’s Ambassadors and as a student employee in the Office of the President,” Sneary said. “Wright State gave me a great undergraduate education, which enabled me to have the opportunity to apply and attend medical school at the Boonshoft School of Medicine. I wanted to find a way to give back to the community that opened so many doors and influenced my life in endless ways.”
Though 2020 has presented WSU with an unprecedented number of challenges, Sneary feels as though students, staff and faculty have shown a level of mental fortitude that embodies the Raider spirit through and through.
“I am optimistic that we have the resources and brain power to push through these times,” Sneary said.
“2020 has been a wild year for all universities across the nation, but I have seen how dedicated our administration, faculty, and staff have been at trying to make seamless transitions between in-person and online classes,” said Sneary. “This has been a huge learning curve for everyone involved, especially all of us as students, but student leaders and organizations have come together and used creativity and innovation to give others a great experience at WSU. This is not what any of us expected this year to look like, but our community certainly knows how to come together and support one another in times like this, and that gives me a lot of hope about the future of the Wright State Community.”
Echoing the tenacity at which the WSU community has faced the challenges brought forth by the coronavirus, the latest Trustee to be announced, Dhishant Asarpota, says that the resiliency of the WSU community is one to behold.
“I am proud of how resilient our university has been in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Asarpota said.
“From the facilities team outfitting our campus with the essential safety measures to professors adapting to online learning, our community has worked seamlessly to ensure the delivery of a high-quality education to all of our students,” said Asarpota. “Student organizations have even shifted to virtual social events in an effort to maintain camaraderie! Although COVID-19 continues to loom over us, we can rest assured that our Raider family is ready to tackle any challenges the pandemic brings our way.”
While Asarpota is only three months into his two-year term as a student Trustee, he says that he has learned a great deal about the student community, and the passion by which Raiders lead.
“I am honored to be serving the Wright State Community,” Asarpota said. “In my short time on the Board, I have learned a great deal about how our rich student community, dedicated faculty and staff, and passionate leaders find unique ways to impact our Raider community. Furthermore, I am especially proud of how zealous our students and faculty have been in using their platforms in pursuit of social justice.”
A full list of WSU’s Board of Trustees and breakdown of their individual expertise may be found here: https://www.wright.edu/board-of-trustees/members
For a full list of Board of Trustees meetings and available public sessions, visit: https://www.wright.edu/board-of-trustees/meetings
