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Volume 71, Issue 94,
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
News New student regent appointed Johnson vows to set high bar, 'bring the voice of the students' by JEB SCHNEIDER
Gov. Rick Perry recently appointed a round of students to Texas university boards of regents in an effort to insure student representation in policy making. Second-year law student at the UH Law Center, Robert Johnson was appointed to fill the position. Dean of the Law Center, Nancy Rapaport, nominated Johnson and his appointment became official Feb. 3.
Student regent Robert Johnson is the first to be appointed by Gov. Perry to serve on the UH Board of Regents. The appointment is a result of a 2005 act requiring each university to include a student on its board. Photo Courtesy of UH External Communication As the first student regent appointed to the University's board by the governor, Johnson said he sees his role not only as a student advocate, but as a trailblazer who wants "to set the bar as high as possible for those that will follow." "To be the first is cool on so many levels, but I am aware of the responsibilities it entails," Johnson said. "As a regent, I will have the same role as any other regent with the exception of voting and quorum powers." Johnson believes his first job is to tour the various University colleges and gather input from as many organizations as possible. "Obviously with a one-year term this is a daunting task, but I want to see as much of the campus as possible," Johnson said. "I have already visited with (Moores) School of Music and plan to complete my tour throughout the semester. My goal is to get as many perspectives on student life as one person possibly can," he said. Johnson was born and lived for six years in Hawaii where his dad was a civilian doctor for the military in Honolulu and his mom was a nurse. Attending most of his formal schooling in California and then San Antonio, Johnson began to consider himself a naturalized Texan while attending the University of Texas in Austin. Johnson is also a lifetime Phi Beta Kappa member and a contributing editor of the Journal of Texas Consumer Law. Johnson worked as a research assistant for Richard Alderman and participated in a Public Broadcasting Service education special for victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Johnson said he hopes his experiences in living in different locations and attending different universities will allow him to understand an institution and student body as diverse as the UH system. "Everybody wants this to be a premier institution and my role is to bring the voice of the students to the regents so that we all get a better education," Johnson said. Send comments to dcnews@mail.uh.edu |
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