In an effort to facilitate interaction among members of the University of Alabama’s academic colleges, the Student Government Association is working to establish an organization called Capstone Collegiate Council.
The Council is set to hold its inaugural convention in April.
David Wilson, SGA vice president for Student Affairs, who is spearheading the group’s creation, said the Council will serve as an all-inclusive forum incorporating representatives from every college.
“The Capstone Collegiate Council will be comprised of the leaders of the various colleges’ executive councils from each college across campus, the SGA Vice President for Academic Affairs and the SGA Vice President for Student Affairs,” he said in an emailed statement.
Wilson also said Mark Nelson, vice provost and vice president for Student Affairs, will serve as the assembly’s faculty advisor.
Some colleges have not yet formed the executive assemblies from which the Council will compile its membership, but Wilson is confident that each division will be prepared for complete representation by April.
“We are in the process of establishing or strengthening a collegiate council in every college, [in which] all of the leaders are students,” he said. “The colleges all determine how they elect their leaders.”
Wilson said once each college has chosen its delegates to the campus-wide assembly, the Council will nominate their officers as well as share their goals for their individual colleges in the coming year.
Michelle McClinton, president of the College of Communication and Information Sciences’ Student Executive Council, will serve as her college’s representative in April. She thinks the Council will prove an instrumental tool in tightening the links among the University’s academic divisions.
“I believe the Capstone Collegiate Council will enhance communication throughout the University and serve as a powerful collaboration tool for years to come,” she said in an SGA press release. “I believe that, at times, we can become too involved internally within our own colleges, and I am looking forward to learning what other colleges throughout the University are doing.”
Wilson, in concurrence with McClinton’s assertion, is certain the Council will have a direct, enriching influence on University pupils’ educational experiences.
“This Council will strengthen and enhance student life in every college across campus and give more students more opportunities to make an impact on our University,” he said.
Wilson and McClinton are not alone in their affirmations. Nelson also predicts significant campus benefits from the Council’s creation.
“The Capstone Collegiate Councils in each college will be empowered to work closely with college administrators, faculty and staff to provide valuable insight into a wide range of issues,” he said in the press release. “I applaud the SGA for creating another avenue for student involvement in the life of the University.”
