New student regent gets the hang of things

After going through a long process of applying -- and lots of waiting -- newly appointed Southeast Missouri State University student regent Austin Cordell is just happy to be there.

The 20-year-old junior applied for the position in November, but wasn't notified he'd landed it until mid-September. He was chosen out of 11 candidates to replace former student regent Kevin Magnan.

"I was ecstatic," Cordell said. "It took such a long time. The whole process has been very enduring. It was kind of stressful, too, as far as not knowing. ..."

Cordell had been in student government since his freshman year at Southeast. The student regent of the board of regents would give updates on what the board was up to at Student Government meetings.

"I took an interest in it back then and kind of looked into it a bit more. I talked to Kevin Magnan, who was the outgoing student rep, and ... learned a bit more about it and thought it would be a great place for me to use [the] skills I've gathered so far in college."

Primary interviews were conducted last fall with Magnan, Student Government president Benny Dorris and Michele Irby, director of Campus Life and Event Services, who is the Student Government adviser. A news release from Gov. Jay Nixon's office noted Cordell's selection.

"Austin is an outstanding choice," Irby said in an email. "He is a very involved student leader who cares a great deal about Southeast Missouri State University. I have no doubt he will provide valuable insight and contributions to the Board of Regents."

Before attending his first regents meeting, Cordell psyched himself up. He was thinking about how the bar was set high and Magnan had done a "great job" as student regent, but meeting his fellow board members calmed him down.

"It was very comforting getting to meet all the regents personally and seeing that they're just people, too. ... Kendra Neely-Martin [board vice president], when I met her she was like, 'Oh, come give me a hug.' It was very welcoming and warm and it was pretty impressive how fluid the meeting runs, very professional. There's so much research and things that go into the stuff the board talks about," Cordell said.

He said it's clear everyone has reviewed the materials so everyone's is knowledgeable about what's being discussed.

All that information was a little overwhelming at first, but he said he feels it wasn't too hard to get the hang of.

"A lot of the things the board deals with is money because it's very important to any organization's foundation and well being, but also I'm studying accounting and criminal justice, so as far as the money goes, it helped a little bit to to have a background in that," he said.

During his tenure on the board, Cordell hopes to keep up with student issues. He would like to visit the satellite campuses and speak to students there to see what's going on.

"I think it's important to keep their interests in mind, too, as well as just making it a point to go talk to different organizations on campus, maybe hold forums so I can gather as much information as I can because the board looks to me to represent the entire student body," Cordell said.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

388-3639

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