In June of 2023, the Maine State Legislature enacted LD 1656, a law that created two student seats on the University of Maine System Board of Trustees (BoT) —one for an undergraduate student and one for a graduate student. The bill was introduced by Maine State Senator Mike Tipping (D-Orono), who wanted student representation at the board level and worked with student leaders in crafting the language. These two student trustee seats have full voting rights. They are equal in responsibility and status to every other trustee on the board. As with all trustees, they must be vetted and sworn-in by the Maine state legislature.
As of today, both seats are filled for the first time since the law’s enactment. The undergraduate trustee is named Will Kemler, a marine biology student from UMaine Machias. The graduate student is Riley Worth, a public policy student from University of Southern Maine.
The next full BoT meeting on March 10 on the UMaine campus will mark the first time both student seats have been filled at the same time. Not all state university boards have student trustees. These seats represent a significant development toward ensuring UMaine students have a voice at the board-level and an ability to influence the future of public higher education in the state.
The Nominating Process – Summer/Fall 2024
Following the law’s enactment in 2023, the UMaine System developed a policy broadly outlining how student trustees would be nominated. While the original state law outlines eligibility requirements (such as full-time status, US citizenship, etc.), much of the process is left to the discretion of the student governments. The procedural flexibility was by design. Both lawmakers and the BOT expressed wanting a student-led nomination process.
In the summer of 2024, I became part of the nominating process. I currently serve as UMaine’s Graduate Student Government (GSG) representative to the BoT. Based on information we’d received from the Governor’s Office, we had an incentive to submit nominations prior to Sept. 1, 2024. If the nominating committee could meet that timeline, our nominees could be sworn in during what’s called a special legislative session, which we were told could take place in the fall. There was no guarantee of the special session, but the possibility of filling the vacant seats in the fall – both seats sat vacant at the time – seemed a good enough reason to accelerate the process on a one-time basis. The nominating committee made this decision knowing that an accelerated process would limit our candidate pool, because incoming first-year students (both undergrad and graduate) would most likely not apply due to the process beginning mid-August.
The nominating committee consisted of the seven student BoT representatives (myself included) and the student body presidents from each university and graduate school. If a committee member could not work within the proposed timeline, they had the option to name a proxy to serve in their place.
That process led to the selection of two “primary” candidates, and two “alternate” candidates, in compliance with the original law. The final candidates selected by the Governor’s Office were Will Kemler (undergraduate student) and Riley Worth (graduate student). Both candidates impressed the nominating committee and demonstrated the aptitude and enthusiasm to succeed in the role. Kemler was sworn in during the fall semester, and Worth was sworn in during a February hearing, following some complications related to this novel nomination process.
It should be noted that even though Trustee Kemler and Trustee Worth are students, they are not solely student advocates. Legally, each of them are bound to act in the best interest of the UMaine System. Both Kemler and Worth have expressed willingness to work with the student bodies to ensure that they are aware of important issues.
Understanding UMaine’s Governing Body: the Board of Trustees
The University of Maine System Board of Trustees meets approximately six times each year as a full board, rotating the location of each meeting between the system’s seven campuses. The BOT is the governing body that oversees all University of Maine campuses. Each trustee brings a unique background and perspective to the board.
All members of the student body and general public are welcome to attend full board meetings either in person or by streaming the meeting on YouTube. The day, time, and location of each meeting is made public several weeks in advance and is always listed on the Board’s website. If you would like to make a comment at a BOT meeting, you have that option as well. There is a signup sheet available the morning of each meeting, and public comments are limited to a couple of minutes. Trustees do not typically respond to public comment in the moment; they only listen. However, issues of public concern are taken up during the smaller committee meetings that take place in the weeks leading up to full board meetings.
Trustees are unpaid public servants who have taken an oath to take actions that ensure a sound future for public higher education in Maine.
If you are a UMaine student, Trustee Kemler (undergraduate) and Trustee Worth (graduate) are essentially your “elected officials” on the BOT. If you’d like to become more familiar or involved with BOT issues, your campus BOT representative – as mentioned before, I am the BOT rep for the UMaine Graduate Student Government – can be a helpful resource. Each campus and/or student government has a BOT representative who attends board meetings and serves as a conduit between the students and the trustees. Student reps do not vote; they are not trustees. However, student reps have regular access to Trustee Kemler and Trustee Worth and have access to the full BOT during the bi-monthly meetings.
