Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has selected Texas Tech University student Eli Heath to serve as the 20th student regent of the TTU System and its governing board.
According to the system, Heath is a National Merit Finalist from Flower Mound, Texas. He is an undergraduate student in the Honors College at TTU pursuing a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Edward E. Whitacre College of Engineering.
“Eli is a respected student leader and a thoughtful representative of the university,” said TTU President Lawrence Schovanec. “His involvement in student government and other campus organizations reflects a strong commitment to service and academic excellence. We’re proud of the way he represents Texas Tech and look forward to the contributions he will make to our university and the Texas Tech University System.”
During his tenure at TTU, Heath has held notable leadership positions such as a TTU Student Government Association student body senator, a member of the Student Board of Directors for the TTU System Health Policy and Public Health Think Tank at TTU Health Sciences Center, and the outreach coordinator for the Raider Medical Screening Society.
Heath is also involved in service for TTU and the Lubbock community, serving as an Honors College Ambassador, vice president of programming for the Complex Council Executive Board for University Student Housing, volunteer health unit assistant at University Medical Center and volunteer mentor with the Bayless Elementary Mentoring Program.
He has also earned numerous awards and scholarships while also gaining research experience under Sharilyn Almodovar, in the Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology at TTUHSC and serves as a project lead for research under Duke Appiah at TTU’s Department of Public Health.
“I’m excited to welcome Eli as our next student regent and look forward to the work he and the board will do together over the coming year,” said TTUS Chancellor Dr. Tedd Mitchell. “He joins the list of incredible students who have served as the voice of their peers across all five institutions of the Texas Tech University System.”
Heath’s one-year tenure will start on June 1, following the expiration of the current student regent — TTUHSC student Jad Zeitouni.
As student regent, Heath will represent and advocate for the over 60,000 students in the System at TTU, TTUHSC, TTUHSC El Paso, Angelo State and Midwestern State University to the system’s governing board — the Board of Regents.
According to the system, Heath’s first board meeting will be held Aug. 14-15 at the TTU System Building in Lubbock.
Mateo Rosiles is the Government & Public Policy reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Got a news tip for him? Email him: mrosiles@lubbockonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Gov. Abbott taps Heath to serve as 20th student regent of Texas Tech University System
Reporting by Mateo Rosiles, Lubbock Avalanche-Journal / Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
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