Shepard and Smith
BLACKSBURG, Va., April 23, 2007 – The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors named Brennan Shepard as its graduate student representative and Ryan C. Smith as its undergraduate student representative for the 2007-2008 academic year.
Two student representatives are appointed to one-year terms. Each sit on a committee of the governing board and serve as ex-officio members on the Commission of Student Affairs. Student representatives are non-voting members and are required to maintain contact with university faculty and administrators, the Office of the President and the Office of the Provost, as well as Virginia Tech students.
Shepard, a native of Roanoke, Va., and Smith, a native of Farmville, Va., will communicate student issues and perspectives to the board, report to student body, and serve on task force and search committees.
Shepard is a MBA student in the Pamplin College of Business, with a concentration in organizational leadership. He also holds a graduate assistantship in the Department of Internal Audit. Shepard earned his bachelor’s degree in political science in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, and comes from a line of Hokies, including his father and two brothers. Prior to returning to Virginia Tech for graduate school, he worked in business, as well as the Virginia legislature, where he served as a legislative assistant during the 2002-03 legislative sessions.
Smith is a psychology, political science, and sociology triple major in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. He is a member of the Student Government Association and serves as co-director of constituent outreach. Smith is a University Honors student and plans to graduate in spring of 2008.
The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors is the governing body of the university. It is composed of 14 members, 13 of which are appointed by the governor and the 14th member is the president of the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services, who serves ex-officio. The term of office for each member is four years.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 225 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $496 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
Brennan Shepard
Ryan C. Smith