Virginia Tech Board of Visitors names 2004-05 graduate student representative
The Board of Visitors named Marcus C. Ly of Waltham, Mass., as its graduate student representative for the 2004-2005 academic year. Ly will serve as a liaison between Virginia Tech's graduate student population and the Board of Visitors.
The two student representatives to the Board, Ly and an undergraduate representative, are appointed to one-year terms. They each sit on a committee on 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 administrators, including the President's Office and the Provost, as well as Tech students.
Ly will articulate graduate student issues and perspectives to the Board of Visitors, report back to graduate students, and serve on task forces and search committees.
"I was very pleased to be chosen," Ly said. "It is a wonderful opportunity to serve and work to improve our university· I will relate topics of concern to the Board of Visitors as students share them with me. I am honored to be able to serve the students and the community in this way."
One of the most important issues Ly believes needs to be addressed for the graduate students is funding for graduate programs. "Funding levels affect how competitive departments are with those at other universities." Ly said. "Better programs attract higher quality students."
Ly also wants to address the general quality of life for graduate students. "The needs of graduate students are quite different from those of undergraduates. Issues such as having affordable health care and accessible day care need to be addressed.
Ly, a master's student in Industrial and Systems Engineering specializing in Human Factors in the College of Engineering, received his bachelor's degree in psychology from Carleton College.
Ly traveled extensively during his undergraduate years, studying at universities in France, England, and Guatemala. In 1998, Ly was the recipient of the Freeman Fellowship, a competitive $5,000 grant that allowed him to conduct an independent project in Singapore.
