Board of Visitors names 2010-11 student representatives

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors named undergraduate and graduate student representatives for the 2010-11 academic year.

Each student will serve as a liaison between Virginia Tech’s student population and the board.

Two student representatives are appointed to one-year terms. Each sit on a committee of 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 faculty and administrators, including the President’s Office and the Provost, as well as Virginia Tech students.

Undergraduate Student Representative

Shane McCarty of Arlington, Va., is a junior majoring in marketing in the Pamplin College of Business will serve as the undergraduate student representative.

In this role, McCarty will articulate undergraduate student issues and perspectives to the board of visitors, report back to undergraduate students, and serve on task forces and search committees.

As an undergraduate, McCarty is extensively involved in leadership and volunteer activities at Virginia Tech. He serves as the vice president of the Student Government Association (SGA), where he oversees 45 members of the executive board. While a member of SGA, McCarty lead the Dining Incentive Plan Program and Silverware Sorting Campaign. He also serves as the student representative to the University Curriculum Committee for Liberal Education, where he surveys the undergraduate student body on the university curriculum.

In addition to serving in these roles, McCarty also volunteers his time as a research assistant with the Center for Applied Behavior Systems. As a research assistant, McCarty is involved in research planning and data collection for center projects. Through his work with the center, McCarty has developed an Actively Caring for Elementary Schools Bullying Prevention Program to help foster a greater sense of compassion and belonging among fourth and fifth graders.

“Shane is one of the more experienced students in conducting research within his marketing major that also juxtaposes many fundamentals of psychology. He appreciates the rich opportunity that research projects give undergrads in complementing more traditional undergraduate instruction,” says Thomas C. Tillar, vice president for alumni relations.

McCarty’s honors and awards include the Virginia Tech of the Month Award for Community Service, the Wachovia Leadership Scholarship, and the Ryan C. Clark Award.

Graduate Student Representative

Deepu George of Kerala, India, a Ph.D. student in marriage and family therapy in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences will serve as graduate student representative.

George 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.

George earned his master’s degree in counseling psychology from Montfort College in Bangalore, India, and his bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai, India.

As a graduate student, George has excelled academically while participating in a variety of extracurricular activities. As director of “Connections: a Community Arts Project,” an interactive and collaborative art display, he oversees five teams that work to facilitate partnerships between the community and the university.

George is also one of six scholars representing Virginia Tech in the Global Dialogue for Response-Ability. These scholars work with global leaders on issue of community change, ethics of leadership, sustainability, and the role of systems in change mechanism.

In addition to his leadership experience, George volunteers his time at WUVT 90.7 FM as a radio show host. His show, “Indian Connections,” works to promote diversity of Indian culture and music, using air time to interview guests about different community experiences.

“Ever since my first contact with Deepu, it has been obvious that he is an exceptionally bright, talented young man committed to the betterment of communities and institutions,” says Scott Johnson, associate professor and director of the marriage and family therapy Ph.D. program.