A selection committee of the University of California Board of Regents last week nominated D’Artagnan Scorza, a UCLA student, as student regent for 2008-09.

The full board will consider the committee's recommendation at its July 18-19 meeting. If approved, Scorza becomes the 34th student regent since the position was established in 1975.

Scorza would then serve as the student regent-designate for the coming year and be able to participate in all deliberations, but not vote until July 2008 when his one-year term would begin.

“I firmly believe we must ‘practice’ our scholarship, and look forward as a Regent to addressing issues of educational diversity, affordability and access that are vital to the health of the University and our society,” said Scorza. “As a public institution, the University also plays a crucial leadership role in developing the technological innovations, skilled workforce and energy efficiencies to keep our economy competitive in the global 21st century.”

Scorza completed his bachelor’s degree in religion studies at UCLA, and will begin his Ph.D. studies in education at the Los Angeles campus this fall. For the past year, he has been a McNair Undergraduate Research Scholar in UCLA’s Academic Advancement Program, studying issues specific to the experience of African American males in education.

His UC education was interrupted after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, when he chose to join the U.S. Navy, eventually serving in Iraq, where he was responsible for personnel, records and communications management activities. He returned to UCLA in April 2006.

As an undergraduate, Scorza has been active in several community service projects, as a mentor at the Student Retention Center, a UCLA Admissions Workgroup participant exploring admissions changes to address educational access and opportunity, an African Student Union access coordinator, a student representative on the Chancellor’s Enrollment Advisory Committee, and a member of the Student Initiated Access Committee and the UCLA Task Force on African American Enrollment.

The student regent for 2007-08 is Benjamin Allen, a UC Berkeley law student.

The nominating committee included regents Eddie Island (chair), Odessa Johnson, Fred Ruiz, Jefferson Coombs and Maria Ledesma.

The regents' policy on the appointment of the student regent is available at www.universityofcalifornia.edu/regents/policies/6010.html.

This year, 58 students from all 10 UC campuses applied for the position. The regents' committee interviewed three finalists, whose names were submitted by the UC Students Association after its review of the top candidates from the UC campuses.

Scorza may be contacted at (619) 997-7855 or dartagnan.scorza@gmail.com.

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