UCM junior Casey Short was recently appointed to the UCM Board of Governors as the student representative.
Missouri Gov. Michael Parson appointed two new members, Steve Abney, of Warrensburg, and Short, of Greenfield, Missouri, to the UCM Board of Governors. Parson also appointed two returning members, Gus Wetzel II and Mary Long, in July 2018. The appointees are awaiting confirmation by the Missouri Senate.
The Board of Governors is the primary decision-making body of UCM. It consists of eight members appointed by the Missouri governor. Seven members have voting privileges while the eighth, the student representative, does not.
Executive assistant to the president Monica Huffman said the student representative is appointed with the advice and consent of the senate. Short was  selected from a panel of names submitted to the governor by the Student Government Association, Huffman said.
“Casey’s enthusiasm and commitment to UCM’s students will be of great benefit to the board’s work,” Huffman said. “Although UCM’s student governor is a non-voting member, as a student herself, Casey can offer students’ perspective on those matters being considered by the board.  In her role as a student governor, Casey will serve as a member of the Student Engagement and University Advancement Committee and participate in all open meetings of the board.”
Short said the job of the student representative is to serve as a voice for the students to the board.
“I tell the board about the various things students here are talking about, or the changes they’d like to have made,” she said.
Short was a delegate at a Missouri Girls State session, which took place at UCM in the summer of 2016.
“During my week at UCM, I fell in love with the campus, and after a tour, I was convinced I wanted to continue my education here,” she said.
Short is majoring in criminal justice and minoring in forensic science.
“During my time here at UCM, I have been involved with Young Americans for Freedom as the social media chair, the Honors College and Lambda Alpha Epsilon, a criminal justice fraternity,” Short said. “During my free time this summer, I was involved as a volunteer with Austin Petersen’s U.S. Senate  campaign.”
Short replaced Matthew Martinez as the student representative. Martinez’s term expired in December 2017.
“My goal as the student representative is to interact with the students and make them feel that their voice is heard,” Short said. “I want to continue to make UCM a fun and safe learning environment for its students.”