The Bush School Of Students University In USA Info

In increasingly complicated economic and political environments, nonprofit organizations can use all the help they can get. One valuable source of help in Bryan-College Station is the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, where volunteers from the School’s Public Service Organization (PSO) sign up annually to serve as “shadow” board members on various nonprofit boards of directors.

President George H.W. Bush, the School’s namesake, devoted his life to public service and called for Americans to “get off the bench and get into the game” by getting involved in their government and communities. Rather than sitting on the proverbial sidelines, Bush School students actively participate in a variety of service projects. The PSO shadow board program is one way they are giving back and starting their lifetime of public service.

This year, seven second-year master’s students from the Bush School are serving on four nonprofit boards: the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Keep Brazos Beautiful, and the Brazos Valley United Way. Although they do not vote, these students are considered full members; attend all meetings; and are given full access to board minutes, financials, and other relevant documents.

“Understanding how a board of directors operates can equip me to be a more effective employee and, ultimately, a more faithful public servant,” PSO president and second-year student, Grace Norman, said. Norman currently serves as a shadow board member on the BCS Chamber of Commerce board. “I feel it’s imperative to understand the governing body of a nonprofit and how it sets the tone and culture of the organization.”

The program is mutually beneficial; students supplement coursework with hands-on experience in a working nonprofit, while the organizations benefit from the students’ different perspectives and classroom knowledge. The Bush School’s Master of Public Service and Administration (MPSA) program offers relevant courses in fundraising, management, and leadership, which prepare students to participate as shadow board members.

“The shadow board program has given me the opportunity to see what I’ve learned in class actually being utilized in a nonprofit,” second-year student Reid Squires said. Squires’ studies focus on nonprofit management, and he currently serves as a shadow board member for the Convention and Visitors Bureau. He was interested in serving on the Bureau’s board because he was initially unfamiliar with the type of work they do.  “Though my experience as a shadow board member has just started, I hope to be able to contribute to the organization based on what I have learned from the Bush School,” Squires said.

Students not enrolled in the nonprofit degree program also participate as shadow board members. This year, second-year Master’s Program in International Affairs student Bain Craddock signed up for the program.  “As international affairs students, we tend to focus on public service in the form of national defense; but it’s also interesting to see domestic problems being solved,” says Craddock.  He currently serves on the Brazos Valley United Way Board of Directors. “I want to know what the United Way does daily, how they do it, and what the level of effectiveness is.”

Although students from the Bush School also work with local nonprofits as interns, volunteers, and advisors, the PSO shadow board program is unique in that the students get an inside look at the nonprofits and become fully engaged in the organizations’ strategic planning; current events; and, most importantly, mission.

This program prepares students for a life in public service by giving them the tools and experience needed to serve as a volunteer or board member after graduation. Even if they choose a career path outside the nonprofit sector, the shadow board experience encourages them to remain active and involved in their communities.

“What students get out of this experience is a peak behind the curtain and a sense of who these nonprofits are,” PSO adviser and Brazos Valley United Way board president, Dr. William Brown, said. “Students get to learn about what is useful, how decisions are made, and what works and doesn’t work in nonprofits from a variety of perspectives.”