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10 Questions With Outgoing Student Trustee Kevin Schuyler

Penn State’s Board of Trustees is one of the country’s largest higher education governing bodies. It’s comprised of Penn State alumni, representatives from business, agriculture, and even the governor of Pennsylvania. And there’s always one Penn Stater who fills the role of student trustee.

From 2023 to 2025, that role was filled by Kevin Schuyler, who’s set to end his term in just a few months.

We chatted with Schuyler to find out more about his role as a student trustee and what his successor can expect.

Onward State: For the folks who don’t know you, who are you and what do you do?

Kevin Schuyler: My name is Kevin Schuyler, and I currently serve on the Penn State Board of Trustees as the student trustee. I graduated from the Eberly College of Science with a degree in general science in May 2024 and am now enrolled in Smeal’s one-year master’s in business analytics program. I’m originally from Hatfield, Pennsylvania, and love trying new restaurants, watching Penn State and Eagles football, and traveling with friends and family!

OS: What does Penn State’s student representative on the board do? What is the commitment level?

KS: The student trustee can be expected to voice an opinion on student-facing issues and colorize for the 37 other trustees what today’s Penn State students are thinking, experiencing, and wanting to change. As a trustee, the chief responsibility, however, is prioritizing the long-term, holistic success of the university. There are no set hours per week. Rather, there are five full board meetings per year — each with about 20 hours of meetings, campus engagements, and social events. In between those five full board meetings each year, you will be expected to prep for and participate in virtual committee meetings, a summer retreat, and meetings with student leaders and student affairs leadership. The role does demand significant time and attention throughout the year, but it’s an incredibly rewarding experience if you are passionate about Penn State!

OS: What is the process for becoming the student trustee?

KS: Applications for the student trustee position will close on Friday, February 21, and include several short answer questions, an optional letter of recommendation, and basic biological information. The Student Trustee Selection Committee (STSC) will then review applications and interview preferred candidates. After two rounds of interviews, a finalist will be named and presented to the Board of Trustees’ Nominating Committee and will be confirmed at the May Board of Trustees meeting. In addition to the student trustee role, we are looking to fill six at-large seats on the STSC, and those applications will close on Friday, February 7. More details and applications for both positions can be found here.

OS: What’s the importance of your role to the Penn State community?

KS: Penn State is a behemoth of an organization – we own 24 campuses, an airport, a health system, and more. With an annual budget just shy of $10 billion, Penn State would fall well within the Fortune 500 if it were an eligible company. Since there are so many moving parts to Penn State, it’s incredibly important to have students’ interests represented at the university’s highest level of decision-making. From my time on the board, students have been the north star of every big decision. In some cases, the student focus may not be easily understood upon first glance, so it’s also my job to communicate back to my peers why certain decisions were made and how they’ll ultimately have a positive impact on students.

OS: What have you learned while acting as the student trustee?

KS: One of my biggest takeaways is that we have so many incredible people working at Penn State. There are a variety of other industries that pay higher salaries or are located in potentially more desirable metropolitan areas — the administrators, faculty, and staff are here because they want to have a positive impact on students. It’s been incredible to work with such talented, passionate individuals.

OS: What do you feel you’ve accomplished in your role?

KS: A main focus of my term as student trustee has been to increase student engagement with the Board and broaden students’ understanding of the Board and what it does. Last year, I organized an open Q&A for trustees to ask a panel of 16 students from different colleges, campuses, and backgrounds anything they want to know about the current Penn State student experience. Additionally, for every university function trustees are invited to, I have brought a different student as my guest to maximize the amount of my peers engaging with trustees. Most recently, as I am looking for my successor, I have led meeting pop-ins with several organizations on campus and always ensure I fully elaborate on what the Board of Trustees is and does.

OS: With a few months before you graduate, what’s left for you at Penn State, both as a student and trustee?

KS: With this being my last semester on-campus at Penn State, I am looking forward to dancing in THON 2025, as well as enjoying my last Blue-White Game and Movin’ On. I’m also excited to celebrate and honor the Penn State women’s volleyball and football teams on their incredible seasons during my second-to-last board meeting in February. I also look forward to speaking at and participating in the Eberly College of Science spring 2025 commencement ceremony as a trustee – the college from which I earned my undergraduate degree last year!

OS: What’s next for you after graduation?

KS: After graduation in August 2025, I’ll be moving to New York City to work as a supply chain consultant at Deloitte. Prior to that, I booked a one-way ticket to Portugal for this summer and plan to bounce around Europe for a few weeks while finishing my degree through two asynchronous virtual classes.

OS: What’s your advice to the next student who will take your role?

KS: My advice is to simply be a sponge. The student trustee role is an incredibly unique opportunity to learn so much about Penn State, higher education, board dynamics, shared governance, etc. You also can learn so much from your fellow trustees, administrators, and other student leaders. Having a mindset of wanting to learn as much as possible will allow you form stronger relationships and maximize your impact both on the Board and within the student body.

OS: Per Onward State tradition, if you could be any dinosaur, which would it be and why?

KS: I would be a velociraptor. Perhaps this choice moreso stems from my love for “Jurassic Park,” but I’m also intrigued by their speed, agility, and intelligence.


Schuyler is set to lead an info session about the student trustee and student trustee selection committee roles at 6 p.m. on Monday, February 3, in HUB 134 and via Zoom. Folks can find more details here.

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About the Author

Joe Lister

Joe is a senior journalism major at Penn State and Onward State's managing editor. He writes about everything Penn State and is single-handedly responsible for the 2017 Rose Bowl. If you see him at Cafe 210, please buy him a Miami pitcher. For dumb stuff, follow him on Twitter (iamjoelister). For serious stuff, email him (joe@onwardstate.com). To tell him your deepest secrets, find him on Signal (iamjoelister.93).

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