Adam Yates: Dedicated to a pattern of giving

 
Adam Yates, a Northland College junior, is one of two student representatives on the Northland College Board of Trustees who hold staggered terms and are elected to the two-year positions by the student body.

Adam Yates

As a student trustee, Adam represents the interests, wishes, and voices of his fellow students on the Board of Trustees. At the same time he acts in the students’ best interests, and therefore in the best interest of the college as a whole, he explained.

“How that actually works out is what makes it interesting, I suppose,” Adam said.

When Adam learned during his freshman year of the possibility of being a student representative on the Board of Trustees, he thought about it and then decided to run. He made the decision after learning of the many duties and expectations that come along with holding the office: quarterly Board of Trustee meeting attendance, being an active member of the Northland College Student Association (NCSA), attending weekly NCSA Executive Council meetings, and serving on campus committees. Board of Trustees members are also expected to make donations to the college. Adam knew all this and stuck firm to his decision to serve his peers as a trustee representative – and donor.

Being a donor, and being involved in budget discussions as a trustee, has helped give Adam perspective about where funds go, how they’re spent, and how gaps in budgets are covered, he explained.

“You realize where your money is going, and you realize the importance of an unrestricted gift,” Adam said.

Once he’s out of school, settled down and fully employed, Adam plans to continue in his pattern of giving to Northland College.

“The college provides students with an opportunity to grow in their own personal understanding of themselves and their interaction with the world,” he said. “I think that’s unique. You can go and get an education anywhere, but at Northland I’ve really been able to get an education about myself. I’d like to see that other students continue to have that opportunity.”

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