Student Government Association presidents from UA, UAB and UAH hosted the first-ever UA System Student Leaders Summit on the UA campus in November. SGA members across The University of Alabama System engaged in collaborative learning and solidified plans to carry on those efforts for years to come.
A Plan with a Purpose
Sponsored by the UA System Office of Academic and Student Affairs, the summit provided a forum for students to exchange ideas. Additionally, students shared campus perspectives and coordinated efforts to further enhance the student experience across the UA System.
This collaborative exchange allowed participants to identify strategies that could be adapted systemwide, strengthening connections among SGAs and advancing initiatives with broader impact.
“I think the creation of a summit for UA System SGA leaders is an amazing step forward for the UA System. It gives the most prominent student leaders on all our campuses the opportunity to collaborate and be a collective force for positive impact,” said Chris Pinckard, UAH SGA executive president.
Learning from Each Other
After attending The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees meeting, participants had the opportunity to learn from one another and their respective campuses.
Student leaders explored opportunities related to wellness, accessibility, academic support and civic engagement with a focus on unifying efforts across all three institutions.
“We discussed coordinating resources for the transition period to help streamline knowledge-sharing between SGA administrations on our respective campuses. We hope to make leadership transitions between term cycles smoother and more consistent by aligning our efforts and exchanging best practices,” said Lucy Bonhaus, UA SGA president.
UAB SGA President Saad Khan expressed that he enjoyed learning from UA and UAH’s SGAs, noting that UAB’s USGA took inspiration from UA’s “Legends Punch Card” initiative as well as UAH’s Charger Cuts.
Goals Going Forward
Participants explored shared opportunities for supporting one another and improving the lives of the more than 70,000 students in the UA System. They plan to put those takeaways into action.
“The two big goals that we came up with from the summit were first to be more connected. Now that we know people across all three campuses, it has become easier for us to contact each other and share ideas,” said Pinckard. “Second is to find ways all three student experiences could be improved. Topics such as diploma format, food pantry operations and UA System graduate/professional school admission are all things that each SGA is investigating, now that we have realized these are issues that affect all our students.”
Bonhaus agreed. “We are collaborating on initiatives that can positively impact our campuses. (UAB President Khan) and his team are launching a program like UA’s ‘Parking with a Purpose,’ which allows students to complete service hours to forgive one parking ticket per semester. UA SGA is also exploring several programs from UAB and UAH that address academic and financial well-being,” she said.
“We are so excited about the possibilities born out of the summit — new friendships and impactful campus partnerships,” said Bonhaus. “This past year, I have been able to get to know Saad and Chris, my counterparts from UAB and UAH. It is a great blessing for our entire team to be able to interact with their counterparts, which has never happened before.”