Just 10 graduate and professional students have applied for the Young Trustee position that will become vacant at the end of the year, avoiding the need for an initial screening session. GPSC expects to narrow the field to three finalists and select the new trustee by late January.
Young Trustee Screening Committee Chair David Ferguson declined to reveal the applicants' names but said they draw largely from professional schools, with five law students, two medical students and three graduate students--from the departments of public policy, sociology and biology.
Earlier this year, three members of GPSC's executive committee--which normally comprises the screening committee--declined that position as they considered applying for Young Trustee. Those students are Will Tyson, a graduate student in sociology, Carol Chancey, a graduate student in biomedical engineering and Jack McNulty, a graduate student in genetics.
Ferguson and GPSC President Elayne Heisler, a third-year graduate student in sociology, said they were pleased so many professional students applied, since most are not active in GPSC. Heisler said she recognized most of the applicants' names and said she considered them all serious and involved.
"It's a pretty prestigious position and people applying would already be involved," said Ferguson, a second-year Divinity student. "That would narrow the field down automatically."
Three years ago, the last time the position was in contention, only six people applied. Ferguson said he was pleased by this year's increase.
There are eight men and two women, as well as five students who also earned their undergraduate degrees from Duke. Ferguson said he had expected undergraduate alumni to apply because their ties to the University are strong.
Heisler said she worried that students who had only attended Duke might not bring as much to the position.
"One of the unique things about the position is that [graduate or professional students] bring a different perspective than the undergraduate Young Trustees because they have a different undergraduate experience and can see things differently [having been at another institution]," Heisler said.
"I think that is a challenge the double-Dukies will face and I plan to ask them about that in their interviews," she said.
Screening committee members are reviewing the applications and will interview all 10 candidates, then narrow the pool to three finalists Jan. 12. All GPSC representatives will have two weeks to review the finalists' biographies before interviewing them and selecting the new Young Trustee Jan. 28.
Although former president Terry Sanford added the position of Young Trustee to the Board of Trustees in 1977, GPSC did not get a representative until 1987, said Allison Haltom, vice president and University secretary.
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