On March 13, Gov. Doug Ducey appointed Northern Arizona University student Lauren L’Ecuyer to the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) as the new student regent, pending approval by the Arizona State Senate.
As student regent, L’Ecuyer will aid in governing Arizona’s three public universities, attend ABOR meetings and represent perspectives of more than 180,000 Arizona university students to the board.
After spending the last four years working to advance student interests in the Associated Students of Northern Arizona University (ASNAU), including as president, she has already set goals to continue this work at a state level.
“I am looking to advance the role of student regent in any way possible,” she said. “My first item to accomplish is creating a submission tab on each student government’s website for students from all campuses to get in contact with me regarding comments, questions or concerns. Second, I will be setting up meetings with all three university student governments to understand their campus needs and ensure the student regents are meeting those.”
With family and personal ties to all three state universities, L’Ecuyer is excited for the opportunity to serve the state that she loves through a role with the power to effect positive change across all three institutions.
“Lauren has consistently demonstrated strong leadership as president of ASNAU, and I have enjoyed working with her on behalf of our students. I am confident that Lauren will represent all state university students at the highest level as a member of the Arizona Board of Regents,” President Rita Cheng said.
Once her appointment is confirmed by the Senate Education Committee, L’Ecuyer will replace Student Regent Vianney Careaga to work with current Student Regent Aundrea DeGravina.
“I am looking forward to working with the current Student Regent DeGravina, who has demonstrated her commitment to bettering higher education over this past year,” she said. “The board is comprised of many impressive Arizonans who dedicate their time and energy to creating a better public university system, and I am ecstatic to be joining the ranks to do the same.”
L’Ecuyer will serve a two-year term as student regent starting July 1, becoming a voting member of ABOR during her second year.