Today@Sam Article

Copeland Named Student Regent For TSUS

Sept. 25, 2015
SHSU Media Contact: Tammy Parrett

Spencer Copeland, who was recently appointed student regent for the Texas State University System, was chosen as chief student speaker for the Elliott T. Bowers Honor's College's annual "Lets Talk" fundraising event, where he addressed the crowd with no notes or talking points.—Photo by Brian Blalock

Spencer Copeland has always worked hard to ensure that his legacy would leave a positive impact on the current and future students at Sam Houston State University.

When he arrived at SHSU in 2012, Copeland made it his mission to be involved with many organizations on campus. Before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2015, he served as the president of the Student Government Association, an ambassador for the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College and a member of the Orange Keys.

Since returning to SHSU for a master’s degree in homeland security, the 21-year-old has also taken on another role: student regent for the Texas State University System. 

Copeland is the fourth SHSU student to hold the position since it was created in 2006.

As SGA president, Copeland had the opportunity to travel to Villanova, Pennsylvania for the 2014 FCS playoff game against Villanova. —Photo by Russell Martinez

As student regent, Copeland attends all board meetings and serves as a representative of the students from all eight schools in the university system. Since his one-year term began in June, he has already traveled to Austin, as well as Alpine, where he sat in on multiple meetings with the regents.

“While the student regent position doesn’t get to vote on issues, the board listens to what the student regent has to say and they take that into consideration when making the big decisions,” Copeland said. “It’s my job to act as a voice for the students and make sure their concerns are being considered.” 

He hopes that his experience as SGA president has prepared him for the responsibility of taking on this prestigious role.

In his position, Copeland worked with the regents, but in a much smaller capacity.

“Every quarter when the board meets, the SGA presidents and vice presidents from all of the schools in our system meet with the regents and discuss the things that are happening on our individual campuses,” said Copeland. “They also present a report about the items of interest that we have as students, whether they’re things we support, things we think need improvement or things we have concerns about.”

Having that working relationship with the board of regents, Copeland recognizes the advantage he has going into the student regent position.

“It helps to understand the realities of a university,” he said. “As a student, you don’t see what goes on behind the scenes. You don’t see where your tuition dollars are going; you just see that it costs you more than it did last year. You don’t see the different factors that make up the numbers–the growth rate, aging infrastructure, expansion of programs that need student services.

“It helps to ground you and understand why we’re here, why universities exist. Being able to see it from that perspective will give me the upper hand, because a lot of my duties as student regent involve bringing student perspectives to the board of regents.”

Despite his previous work with the board of regents as student body president, he wasn’t sure if he would apply for the student regent position until he was encouraged to do so by Gene Young, professor of English.

“Spencer is one of the finest student leaders I have known in my many years in higher education,” Young said. “Besides representing the Honor’s College with authority and knowledge, he is very comfortable talking to not only prospective students and their parents, but also visiting officials, dignitaries and donors. Because of his poise, we chose him as chief student speaker at our annual ‘Let’s Talk’ fundraiser, where he addressed a room full of important people without a single note.”

Copeland understands that balancing his graduate schoolwork and extracurricular activities, while maintaining a job and this new responsibility, will be a challenge, but he knows that it will be worth it when his tenure comes to an end on May 31, 2016.

“It’s definitely tough sometimes, but I know that I’m going to learn so much from this experience,” Copeland said. “It’s so easy as a student to complain about the small issues, so I hope that being able to see the other side of things will allow me to see the bigger picture.”

Copeland attributes a lot of his strong work ethic and determination to succeed to his parents, who have been a huge part of his support system. His mother joined the Air Force when Copeland was just 2-years-old, and the experiences that gave him have helped mold him into a great leader.

“We were always moving when I was younger, and in doing so I learned a lot about different people and different cultures,” he said. “Being immersed in so many different cultures helped me see that there is always more than one solution to a problem. Just because you wouldn’t do something one way, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong." 

Copeland hopes to make the most of his time as student regent and learn as much as he can about the politics and leadership aspects of the job so he will be able to use the skills he learns to further his own career.

After completing his master’s program, Copeland hopes to enter federal law enforcement, a challenge he knows will be very difficult to face.

“I’m still very young, and I won’t even be eligible to apply for many positions until I’m older, so that’s definitely a challenge,” he said. “It’s a very competitive market, so I need to make sure I’m using my time wisely and showing them everything I have to offer to prove that I’m a good candidate and I’ve used the opportunities I’ve had to my benefit.”

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