Jennifer Snook says being a “triple Dukie” has given her a great appreciation of the University.
Snook, Trinity ’04, will graduate with degrees from the Fuqua School of Business and the Nicholas School of the Environment in 2011. In running for graduate Young Trustee, she said she wants to put her wide breadth of knowledge of the Duke experience to work as a graduate Young Trustee.
“Having spent a quarter of my life as a Duke student, I feel like I have grown immeasurably from the education and leadership opportunities I gained,” Snook said. “The graduate Young Trustee is an amazing opportunity to give back in a [meaningful] way.”
Snook, who studied economics as an undergraduate, said the two most pressing University objectives are international expansion and a movement toward interdisciplinary studies. She said working for Fuqua Dean Blair Sheppard on international expansion and her own interdisciplinary studies make her uniquely qualified for the role of graduate Young Trustee. Working with Sheppard on the planning of the Kunshan, China campus synthesized those two Duke priorities, Snook said, and helped her learn that the future of education has less to do with “siloed departments” and more with approaching global issues.
“As an undergrad, I didn’t realize how complex the University is,” Snook said. “I have now interacted with stakeholders of all different levels of the school and will understand the different pieces in play for issues that face the Board of Trustees.”
Snook also called Duke’s budgetary cuts a top concern. She noted that the Board must preserve the academic experience for students and focus on cutting operational expenses over academic department budgets.
“That’s going to be a challenge given that prospective donors have also been adversely affected by the downturn. We’ll have to continue to find cuts that don’t impact academic quality and seek out contributions from new and existing donors,” Snook said.
Dan Vermeer, executive director of the Center for Energy, Development and the Global Environment at Fuqua, said Snook’s involvement outside of the classroom has prepared her for a position on the Board of Trustees. Snook started the MEM/MBA Club and is the co-president of FuquaPride, the business school’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight alliance.
Snook’s supporters identified her as a good choice for graduate Young Trustee because of her personal qualities and experience. Stephanie Lam, a student in both Fuqua and the School of Law, said Snook’s diverse perspective makes her a strong candidate. Snook is open to hearing the ideas of the people she works with and innovative in her approach to problems, both qualities that would make her successful on the Board, Lam wrote in an e-mail Feb. 10.
“Jen by nature is extremely contemplative and a deliberative thinker,” Lam said. “Where others would be quick to act or state a position—often to their detriment—Jen takes care to consider the different positions and options meticulously before selecting the right course.”
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