Profile
April 8, 1999
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9
Mark Richter: Seeking higher education as a path to the future
Carrie Lancos
The Pendulum
At Freshman Convocation in
the Fall of 1995, Mark Richter heard
the same speech that former presi
dent Fred Young gave every year
and heard then-SGA Executive
President Michael Rodgers give the
welcoming speech to the freshmen.
When they left the Convoca
tion, his dad said to him: “Mark,
you know something? In a couple
years you’ll be up there where that
Michael Rodgers was,”
Three years later, Richter, a
senior political science/public ad
ministration double major from
Greenport, N.Y., did just that.
“I could never see myself
welcoming the freshmen or being
president of the Student Govern
ment,” Richter said. “But every
time I ran for a position, I thought
about what my dad had said that
day.”
He joined the Student Gov
ernment Association early, serving
as a freshman class senator and as
sophomore class president. As a
junior he served as executive trea
surer.
Although he intended to run
for a second term as executive trea
surer, his father asked him why he
didn’t just run for for president.
Finding no reason not to, Richter
ran for Executive President and was
elected.
“I think it’s fun to see stu
dents who can fix the problems on
campus without whining about it,”
he said of what he thought was best
about SGA. “But the best part is not
just solving problems but planning
for the future.”
Richter’s year as SGA Ex
ecutive President, which officially
ends at the inaugural ceremony to
night, has been a busy and produc
tive one.
Over the course of his term he
represented the student body on the
Presidential Search Committee,
which selected Leo Lambert as the
new Elon College President last
semester; he has played an active
role in the day-to-day operation of
the SGA Senate and he was chosen
to follow in the footsteps of Michael
Rodgers by taking a two-year term
as a Youth Trustee on the Board of
Trustees.
In addition to his work with
the SGA, Richter also works in
Admissions, a trait which he shares
with his older brother who works in
Admissions at Virginia Wesleyan
College.
Although he will not take the
title of Youth Trustee until after he
graduates in May, he already is look
ing forward to playing a part in the
completion of the current Elon Vi
sion and the design and planning of
a new Elon Vision.
“I don’t think Elon should
really change too terribly much,”
Richter said. “What I think we
should do is build on what we have.”
He stressed that increased di
versity among both faculty and staff
as well as a continued effort to pro
mote academic challenges and the
unique experiences that Elon has to
offer is the key to preserving a
healthy future for the college.
His own future lies in further
ing his education. He has applied to
George Washington University
where he plans to pursue a master’s
degree in higher education admin
istration. The school is not far from
American University, where his
girlfriend is pursuing her master’s.
He also hopes to work with
an educational association dedicated
to promoting excellence in higher
education. He believes he may con
tinue into doctorate study and hopes
to eventually become a college ad
ministrator.
He cites his experience with
the Presidential Search Committee
as an encouragement to pursue a
career in higher education adminis
tration.
“I’ve been inspired by ad
Emily MacDonnell/TVie Pendulum
Outgoing SGA Executive President Mark Richter
plans on furthering his education and entering a
field in which he may regain a presidential title.
ministrators on this campus and I
have seen the importance of higher
education and of education in gen
eral,” he said. “I think colleges are
exciting places and I’d like to be
involved in giving other students
the same opportunities I had at
Elon.”
Does a future in higher edu
cation administration mean that
Richter might return to Elon and get
his title back?
“I would highly doubt that I
will ever become president of Elon
College,” Richter said. “But then
four years ago I highly doubted I
would ever become the president of
Student Government.”
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