The Denison Board of Trustees has elected Ben Cross ’20 to serve as the newest Recent Student Trustee. Cross will graduate from Denison in May with his B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics.

He has been active as a leader across a wide array of organizations and activities on campus. He is a member of the Varsity Football Team, serving as captain from 2016-2019, a Senior Interviewer with the Department of Admission, a TA in the Religion Department, President of the Denison Student-Athlete Advisory Council (DSAAC) for the last two years, Co-founder and Treasurer of the Denison Pre-Law Society, a Peer Mentor in the First-Year Office, and a member of the Senior Class Gift Committee. Ben also was awarded a prestigious $10,000 NCAA scholarship this year and plans to attend law school in the fall.

The Board of Trustees consists of thirty-seven members plus the president of the university. Two of the Trustee positions are reserved for recent students who are asked to maintain a connection with and represent the current student body. Each year, a new Recent Student Trustee is selected from the graduating senior class to serve a two-year term. Thus, there is always one new and one experienced Recent Student Trustee, and the two have an opportunity to work together to bring helpful perspectives to the work of the Board.

Recent Student Trustees are selected through a process beginning with an invitation to all members of the Denison community to submit nominations. A screening committee of students, faculty, and staff reviews the nominations and recommends top candidates to the Board of Trustees, who make the final selection of the candidate.

Cross replaces Kelsey Schwimmer ’18, who will complete her term as Recent Student Trustee this summer. Elena Meth ’19 is the second currently serving Recent Student Trustee.