04/04/12 ema

HAYS, Kan. -- Tyler Thompson, president of the Fort Hays State University Student Government Association, has been selected to serve on the executive committee for the National Campus Leadership Council (NCLC).

Thompson is a senior from Derby majoring in information networking. He will serve as the chair of the students' advisory committee for NCLC.

"I applied to be a part of the executive committee because I wanted the opportunity to lead an organization which has the potential to significantly impact the lives of college students around the country," said Thompson.

"College students have never been very organized to impact discussions at the federal level because most of the higher education issues were handled at the state level," he said. "In the current fiscal climate at the federal level, it is essential for student leaders to beat the table to ensure students around the country continue to have access to a higher education and have their voices heard when tough decisions are made."

"My role on the executive committee is to help guide the organization's strategic vision, participate in frequent conference calls with staff and the White House, and manage the collaboration with about 15 colleges in the Midwest including the University of Texas, Texas Tech University, the University of Iowa, Oklahoma State University and the University of Oklahoma among others," said Thompson.

Thompson said it was a great experience meeting the executive staff and executive committee members because they all come from very diverse backgrounds.

"We are united in the vision of helping college students, which made for a very energetic meeting," said Thompson.

NCLC empowers student leaders to engage in a national dialogue by facilitating communication among students and helping them develop connections with policymakers. It is a network of hundreds of student body presidents at colleges and universities around the country, serving as a sounding board for federal policy and a spring board for national student initiatives.