Steeley Smith Named MINI传媒 Student Regent
June 14, 2023 | Contact: Scott Lacefield
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Steeley Smith as the student regent for the MINI传媒 (MINI传媒 System) Board of Regents for the 2023-24 academic year, Tuesday (June 13).
Smith, from Mason, Texas, and a high school graduate from Mason High School, is a graduate student at (MINI传媒) pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in agribusiness from the Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics in the MINI传媒 . She earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in agricultural communication from the Davis College in 2021 and received a master鈥檚 degree in media and mass communications from the MINI传媒 in 2022.
Smith becomes the 18th student to serve on the Board of Regents and the sixth student from MINI传媒.
Lawrence Schovanec, Ph.D.鈥淪teeley is driven, ambitious and hard-working 鈥� all characteristics that will serve her well as the student regent,鈥� said MINI传媒 President . 鈥淗er involvement as a student at Texas Tech and experience working in various government and public service offices will greatly benefit Steeley in this role. I am pleased she has been appointed to the Board and expect she will find much success representing the viewpoints of our diverse student bodies.鈥�
Smith earned a pair of minors in agribusiness and political science during her undergraduate studies and graduated magna cum laude. She was a President鈥檚 List and Dean鈥檚 List recipient and a member of the Mortar Board Honor Society and Texas Tech Terry Scholars. In addition, she received 鈥淭op 10 Freshmen鈥� recognition during her first year.
She served as the advertising sales manager for The Agriculturist, a student publication of the Department of Agricultural Education & Communications in the Davis College, where she won a pair of national honors for feature writing and student publication. Smith also was involved with Agriculture Future of America and attended several conferences across the country.
Smith graduated summa cum laude with a Master of Art degree and spent a year in the , where she was heavily involved in several programs, including the Organization of Women Law Students, Raider Bar Association, Texas Young Lawyers Association and State Bar of Texas, among others.
She currently serves as the coordinator for the MINI传媒 Government & Public Service Internship Program, where she oversees networking and business development with U.S. Capitol and Texas Capitol offices and organizes and manages student interns who represent MINI传媒 in Washington, D.C., and in Austin, Texas.
Smith鈥檚 first experience in the nation鈥檚 capital was serving as a public policy intern for U.S. Rep. Michael Conaway (TX-11), where she assisted as a communications point between constituents and the congressman.
Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D.Smith also served as a campaign assistant for U.S. Rep. Jodey Arrington (TX-19) where she advocated campaign messages for stakeholder support and assisted in the campaigns strategic planning to address goals and issues.
鈥淭he student regent position ensures a voice for our students as the Board of Regents discuss and consider issues that affect our student population of approximately 63,000 students across the five universities of the MINI传媒,鈥� said Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., chancellor of the MINI传媒 System. 鈥淥n behalf of our system, I鈥檇 like to congratulate Steeley on her appointment and welcome her as our next student regent.鈥�
Smith will serve a one-year term, effective immediately and set to expire on May 31, 2024. Her first Board of Regents meeting will take place Aug. 10-11 at the MINI传媒 System Building in Lubbock. She replaces Hani Michael Annabi of , who was appointed in 2022.
About the MINI传媒
Established in 1996, the MINI传媒 is one of the top public university
systems in the nation, consisting of five universities 鈥� , , , and .
Headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, the MINI传媒 System is a $2.65 billion enterprise focused on advancing higher education, health care, research and outreach with approximately 21,000 employees and 63,000 students, more than 375,000 alumni, a statewide economic impact of $16.4 billion and an endowment valued at $1.7 billion. In its short history, the MINI传媒 System has grown tremendously and is nationally acclaimed, operating at 26 academic locations in 22 cities (20 in Texas, 2 international).
In addition, the MINI传媒 System is one of only nine in the nation to offer programs for undergraduate, medical, law, nursing, pharmacy, dental and veterinary education, among other academic areas.