Student David Kook Named to Bellevue College Board of Trustees

Washington Governor Jay Inslee has named student David Kook, of Bellevue, to the Board of Trustees of Bellevue College. Kook is the fourth student to serve on the Bellevue College board.

“As Bellevue College continues to grow, I want to be a part of the new advancements and help the Board provide and sustain a large and diverse learning environment for the wide array of Bellevue College students,” said Kook. 

As a student trustee, Kook will have all of the duties and powers of a regular trustee, but must excuse himself from participation or voting on matters related to hiring, discipline or tenure of faculty and personnel, or any matters pertaining to collective bargaining agreements. His term runs until June 30, 2016.

“I look forward to working with David,” Bellevue College President Dr. David Rule said.  “His naturally inquisitive and thoughtful nature will be an asset as our institution moves forward.” 

Kook, who is working towards an associate of science degree with an emphasis in biochemistry, has been an active and dedicated member of several clubs and groups at Bellevue College including the Debate Club, the Asian and Pacific Islander Student Association, the Rotaract Club, and Phi Theta Kappa. He also serves the campus as an editor of the student newspaper, The Watchdog.

Off campus, Kook is involved with Swedish Medical Center Seattle’s Health Scholars program, where student volunteers receive training to assist in basic patient-care tasks such as bathing, changing and feeding patients as they rotate among the different departments within the hospital.

Students at Bellevue College spearheaded the effort to allow those who attend the state’s community and technical colleges to serve on their boards of trustees, a right that students at the state’s public universities have enjoyed for years. Those efforts resulted in the passage of SB 5217 in the Washington State Legislature and signed into law by former Gov. Christine Gregoire in 2012. The law allows any college district’s board of trustees, which are comprised of five members, to establish a sixth trustee position to be filled by a student. 

The governor selects the student from a list of candidates submitted by the student government of that college district.

Current members of the BC Board of Trustees include: Steve Miller (chair), Lisa Chin (vice chair), Merisa Heu-Weller, and Richard Fukutaki.