Students United

Students United, formerly called the Minnesota State University Student Association or MSUSA, is a non-profit organization funded and operated by students. The Association serves nearly 65,000 students attending Minnesota's seven state universities: Bemidji State University, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Metropolitan State University, Minnesota State University Moorhead, St. Cloud State University, Southwest Minnesota State University and Winona State University.

The association is recognized by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees and the Minnesota State Legislature as the respective representative of state university students in Minnesota, and works on a variety of issues at the different levels of government.

Structure

501(c)(3)

Students Untied is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit orgnanization, which means it is exempt from federal income tax. Additionally, this means that Students United is prohibited from supporting political candidates, making it a nonpartisan organization.

Board of Directors

The organization is governed by a board of directors composed of the democratically elected student body presidents at each of the seven state universities and three non-voting statewide officers; a State Chair, Vice Chair, and Treasurer. These board members govern and set the vision for the organization.

Officers

The State Chair is elected by the Board of Directors each spring. The State Chair is the spokesperson for the organization. They are responsible for representing the Board of Directors and chairs all of their meetings as a non-voting member. Additionally, the State Chair or their designee represents the organization at the Student Advisory Council (SAC) of the Office of Higher Education (OHE) and is responsible for testifying to the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (Minn State) Board of Trustees meetings at their monthly meetings, which they may also delegate to another student. The State Chair also appoints state university students to Minnesota State system-level committees and task forces.

The Vice Chair performs the duties of the State Chair in their absence or at the State Chair's request. The Vice Chair serves as the chair of the Delegate Assembly Committee and is the co-chair of the Scholarship and Alumni Board.

The Treasurer oversees the financial updates of the organization and works with the staff and the organization accountant to produce monthly statements and an annual audit.

The Vice Chair and Treasurer are elected by a committee appointed by the Board of Directors. Officers' terms are for one year, beginning July 1 and ending June 30.

Staff

Students United has a team of full-time staff members who work out of the St. Paul, Minnesota office. They execute the vision set by the board. The Executive Director supervises and manages the staff and acts as the liaison between the staff and the Board of Directors. The Executive Director is hired and supervised by the Board of Directors.

Other staff positions include:

• Director of Development
• Director of Equity and Inclusion
• Director of Government Relations
• Director of Operations
• Director of Public Relations
• Director of System Relations
• Office Manager

Mission

Led by Minnesota State University Students, we are the inclusive voice for all future, current, and former students. We actively work to represent and support Minnesota State university students and advocate at a campus, state, and federal level for higher education policies that make a positive impact for our students and communities.

Vision

Students United will be the inclusive voice for all future, current and former Minnesota State university students and will advocate for affordability and student success. We believe that students should lead the conversation on higher education because it affects our future.

Values

We organize, represent, and inform students from all seven Minnesota State Universities. We discuss challenges, goals, and students’ experiences on their campuses to better the future of higher education.

Definitions

Represent: Always think and act in ways that support Minnesota State University Students.

Inform: Listen to students needs and broaden the resources to foster improvement.

Organize: Communicate with students and build relationships to have an effective impact.

Governing Documents

Student Platform

This document is essential to the advocacy work of the organization. It is the broad collection of all of Students United’s stances. Our legislative agendas and program outcomes use it as a reference. The board can amend it any time and students are encouraged to use it as a resource and reach out with any questions or suggested amendments.

Pandemic Platform

This document was passed by the board on March 20, 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This document will act as an extension of our existing platform to specifically outline our stances relating to the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. This platform will become obsolete if/when the COVID-19 pandemic is obsolete.

Bylaws

The Bylaws of Students United are a road map to how the organization conducts itself. It includes items such as the outlined roles of the officers, the organization’s purpose, and defined membership. Amendments to the Bylaws take affect immediately.

Policies and Procedures

The Policies and Procedures document outlines the policies and procedures the organization follows. The document includes information for all five of the board’s committees. In addition, this document also includes the organization’s Code of Conduct. Any edits to this document made by the Board go into effect immediately.

Financial Policies

The Financial Policy sets in place procedure and rules the organization must follow when handling any of the organization’s finances. Any edits to this document made by the Board go into effect immediately.

Scholarship programs

In addition to the student advocacy work, it also runs two scholarship programs to assist student leaders in achieving and paying for their education.

Penny Program

The Penny Program consists of two scholarship opportunities for Minnesota State students. The first is the Timothy J. Penny State & Federal Public Service Fellowship, awarded to students participating in state and local government internships. The second program is the Barbara J. Penny Community Service Scholarship which recognizes Minnesota State students who have demonstrated a commitment to community service, and to promote their growth as a community leader.

Jared P. Stene Student Leadership Scholarship

The Jared P. Stene Student Leadership Scholarship was created to honor the accomplishments of a former board member. The scholarship provides financial support to students who share Jared's leadership and passion for student advocacy.

Friends Scholarship

The Friends Scholarship awards are given in $500 increments to students attending a Minnesota State System university who have completed at least two academic years (30 semester credits) and exhibit special or unique financial need that may keep them from continuing their education pursuits.

Robert L. Carothers Distinguished Student Writers Award

The Robert L. Carothers Distinguished Student Writers Award was created to acknowledge Chancellor Carothers’ outstanding contributions to the Minnesota State University System, and to higher education in Minnesota, by providing a way to highlight the work of student writers at Minnesota’s state universities.

Elizabeth Pegues Scholarship Matching Program for Students of Color

The Elizabeth Pegues Scholarship Matching Program for Students of Color was created to ensure students of color might have greater access to a four-year baccalaureate education at one of the seven state universities in the Minnesota State System. This program consists of seven matching scholarships, up to $1,000 awarded annually to students who are Minnesota residents and are enrolled or have been unconditionally accepted at a State University who have received a scholarship from a Minnesota-based civic, religious, fraternal, social or nonprofit youth-serving organization.

Hull Educational Foundation Scholarship

Students United accepted funds from the Orson A. Hull and Minnie E. Hull Educational Foundation in 2016 for the Hull Educational Foundation Scholarship. The scholarship is limited to students who graduated from St. Paul area high school. The program assists students with financial assistance for their educational pursuits.

External links

• Students United