News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – JUNE 23, 2011
NOTE: HEADSHOT JPG FILE ATTACHED
MEDIA CONTACTS: Kelly Layman, Executive Director of Communications, Board of Governors, State University System of Florida, (850) 245-0466, Kelly.Layman@flbog.edu
Lynn Riechmann, Office of Public Affairs, New College of Florida, 941-487-4155, sriechmann@ncf.edu
Florida Board of Governors welcomes New College of Florida student Michael Long to higher education leadership panel
New College of Florida student is youngest to serve on Florida Board of Governors and youngest elected chair of Florida Student Association
TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida Board of Governors today welcomed New College of Florida student Michael Long at his first meeting – and as the youngest student representative ever to serve on the governing body for the State University System of Florida.
A native of Sarasota, the 19-year-old Long also is the youngest student elected as chairman of the Florida Student Association (FSA), which is one of the three positions on the Board of Governors assigned by certain roles amid the 17-member Board. He will be a fully voting Board member. His term is through May 2012.
“On behalf of my fellow Board members, we are delighted to have Michael Long join the Florida Board of Governors to represent the perspective of more than 320,000 students enrolled in our 11 public universities, and to represent what is in the best interests for the future of the State University System,” said Chair Ava L. Parker, a Jacksonville attorney.
Long is studying environmental policy at New College of Florida. This past fall, as a freshman, Long was elected as New College Student Alliance co-president, the youngest student to do so since New College’s founding in 1960. He also captains New College’s sailing team and has led numerous team trips to the Florida Keys and Bahamas with his peers.
As FSA chairman, Long said he wants “to focus on encouraging more students across the state to participate in the legislative process and speak out on issues that would impact the students within State University System.”
Long, a first-generation college student from his family, said he bears full financial responsibility for his education, having balanced two jobs with his rigorous studies at New College.
Long regularly volunteers with Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and AMI Kids, a program dedicated to helping troubled youth develop into responsible and productive citizens. As someone who was once in his own share of trouble, Long said he is committed to sharing his success story if it can help turn a life around.
The State University System is comprised of 11 institutions with a total enrollment of more than 320,000 students, making it the fourth-largest public university system in the nation in terms of student enrollment (some states have more than one public university system). The Board of Governors' obligations and responsibilities include defining the distinctive mission of each institution as well as ensuring the well-planned coordination and operation of the System. The Board is comprised of 17 appointed members - 14 are appointed by the Governor while three are members by virtue of their designations (a faculty member, a Florida Student Association student representative, and the Florida Commissioner of Education). The Board of Governors appoints a Chancellor, currently Frank T. Brogan, who serves as the chief executive and administrative officer of the State University System.
New College of Florida is a national leader in the arts and sciences and is the State of Florida's designated honors college for the liberal arts. Consistently ranked among the top public liberal arts colleges in America by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes and The Princeton Review, New College attracts highly motivated, academically talented students from 40 states and 25 foreign countries. A higher proportion of New College students receive Fulbright Scholar awards than graduates from virtually all other colleges and universities.
The Florida Student Association (FSA) is comprised of the student body presidents of member institutions in the State University System of Florida. The FSA coordinates the collective efforts of each of the member student governments with a goal of providing unified student representation before the Florida government. The chairman of the Florida Student Association serves as the student representative on the Florida Board of Governors.
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