University of Houston Clear Lake legal studies undergraduate Derek Delgado was appointed as UH System student regent on June 1 by Gov. Greg Abbott. | Courtesy of Derek Delgado
Gov. Greg Abbott appointed 10 student regents to their respective university systems on June 1, with their terms expiring May 31, 2022.
UH-Clear Lake law studies student Derek Delgado was appointed as a non-voting member of the UH System Board of Regents.
Delgado follows the previous student regent, UH-Victoria graduate, Alvaro De la Cruz Jr. as the first UHCL student regent for the UH System.
The new student regent will serve alongside nine voting members of the board, and will be representing over 74,000 students.
Delgado served as an SGA vice president, orientation leader, College of Science and Engineering senator and academic honesty panel member.
“I was inspired to apply for the student regent position back in 2018 when I first joined SGA during my freshman year of college,” Delgado said. “I was very interested in the role that the student regent had played in the operations of the system as a whole and how they had a voice in these system wide decisions.”
Within the 8 month long application and approval process, Delgado said that his new SGA vice president position helped him gain a stronger passion for student advocacy in higher education and better understanding of administration processes.
Delgado said that a common trend he noticed was a lack of transparent communication between University administration and students.
“I think with this upcoming semester being the first semester that we see a large amount of classes returning to face-to-face, I want to ensure that the administration of each university is communicating effectively to its students,” Delgado said.
Another goal Delgado mentioned is him working closely with all SGA bodies in the UH System to solve issues on their respective campuses, and if necessary, system wide.
“Derek Delgado is an exemplary student with a passion for the legal system and a commitment to service, which makes him an ideal student regent,” said UH System Chancellor Renu Khator in a news release. “His energy and ideas will be welcomed additions to the Board.”
Delgado stressed that although he is a UHCL student, students from all campuses under the UH System are welcome to his help.
“I know that I’m home to UHCL, but at the end of the day I represent all of the UH System student body,” Delgado said.
