Former undergraduate trustee Haley Dees came to Kent State as an aerospace and aeronautics engineering major before completing a two-year term with the Board of Trustees this month.
The Board of Trustees is the governing body of the university, composed of 14 trustees. Two trustees represent the students: the graduate student trustee and undergraduate student trustee.
“When the board is voting on things and when the board is approving things, we’re there to ensure that there are students represented in the room,” Dees said.
Dees was appointed as undergraduate trustee for Kent State by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on June 17, 2022, and her term expired on May 16, 2024.
According to the Constitution of Kent State University, student trustees serve two-year terms on the board as non-voting members. However, they can be named as members of standing and special committees.
Originally from Columbiana County, Dees came to Kent State in 2021 because of her father David Dees, who teaches at the Kent State main campus as an associate professor of cultural foundations.
It was during her first year of college that she found out about the undergraduate student trustee position.
“My freshman year of college I was super involved on campus,” she said. “I was working part-time and I saw the application come up and I read a little bit about it, and I thought it sounded interesting.”
After some thought, Dees decided not to apply until one of her mentors sent her the application again and recommended Dees reach out to then undergraduate trustee Dylan Mace, who served on the board from 2020 to 2022.
“I reached out to Dylan and Dylan was super helpful, you know, gave me some information. And honestly, just our conversation, it was just over email, but it really convinced me to apply,” Dees said.
Dees was selected as the next undergraduate student trustee, serving four different committees during her time with the board.
Dees said her favorite part about being a trustee was meeting other trustees, many of which she said are decades into successful careers.
“A lot of them are either Kent State [alumni] or have ties back to the campus,” she said. “It’s just really great to have them as mentors and have them to support you and cheer you on.”
Dees said her favorite memory from her role as undergraduate trustee was the naming of the Susan J. Stocker Hall at Kent State Ashtabula as part of the External Relations and Philanthropy Committee in Sept. 2023.
“Sue Stocker is just one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met,” she said. “She is so kind, so supportive and so committed to Kent State, always has been and always will be.”
Susan J. Stocker is one of Kent State’s longest tenured leaders, serving as dean of Kent State Ashtabula for 21 years before announcing her retirement in June 2022.
“Two weeks later, I get a card from her in the mail, and it was a list of everything she’s learned in her time in Higher Ed Leadership and all of the takeaways that she thinks I could benefit from,” she said. “It was just so kind and so thoughtful of her to send that.”
Dees majors in aerospace and aeronautics engineering, citing a lifelong interest in all-things related to space travel.
“Growing up, I always was really interested in NASA,” she said. “I would always want to go to Kennedy Space Center and watch the launches and read all of the things, the studies and everything that NASA is doing.”
Dees was the commencement speaker for the May 11 graduation. She is set to graduate in May 2025.
“I truly believe that Kent State is very invested in student success,” she said. “I myself have experienced this, I’ve watched friends experience this. There’s nowhere that has as many opportunities for growth, networking and for development as Kent State.”
Michael Neenan is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
