For Peter Kunzel, the lone student who will sit on the presidential search committee, the job of finding a new leader for the university does not come without a burden.

“This is the most important contribution I’ll make to this school,” the sophomore criminal justice major said. “In four years, when I’m out in the professional world, whatever decision I make will still be affecting the school.”

Since being chosen by the board of trustees as the representative, Kunzel, who also joined the Criminal Justice Student Advisory Board this fall, said he has been avidly studying the role of the president and the other functions of the university’s administration.

He said as a result of his research, he has come to the conclusion that finding a president who understands practice-oriented education is the most important priority the university should have.

“We need someone who will build on the success that we’ve already had and go beyond that,” he said.

Other important priorities he listed include finding a leader who will assist in helping the university’s academic program grow, as well as expanding alumni relations and improving relations with city residents and officials.

Board of trustees representative and Vice President and University Counsel Vincent Lembo said Kunzel was selected from a pool of applicants from the entire university.

“All of the students who were interviewed were terrific, and the choice was very difficult,” Lembo said. “Mr. Kunzel did a stellar job answering the questions.”

Sophomore criminal justice major Kathryn Seed, a friend of Kunzel, said she also has confidence in Kunzel’s abilities.

“Peter is definitely fit for this job and will take the task very seriously,” she said.

Still, questions remain about what role Kunzel should play for students.

Kunzel said he thinks his role is to serve as the lone student voice on the committee. He said he doesn’t feel personally accountable for all 14,000 students, but instead feels it’s most important to make sure the presidential candidates will pay attention to students, as well as continue the growth of the university.

“I don’t see myself as representing every student,” Kunzel said. “I am someone who will serve as a reminder that the students cannot be ignored during this process.”

Others, though, like Student Government Association President Ashley Adams, see the role as much more expansive.

“He’s one student representing 14,000,” Adams said. “There are so many different groups of students on campus. Whether they be cultural groups, academic groups or something else, these different people all need to be represented.”

Adams said she felt “nervous” about Kunzel taking on the role because the student government is not fully successful in advocating for every student despite the time, energy and infrastructure they put into their job.

“On this campus, there is no general student feeling. That is important to realize,” she said.

Adams said she had reached out to Kunzel to help facilitate a forum where students could voice concerns. The university also plans to conduct several forums for the entire university community.

Kunzel said he was unsure of what his role in any forum should be because the search process is strictly confidential.

“The most important thing is that the committee members need to have trust in me, and if I am out meeting with different groups, that could undermine their trust and hurt my work with the group,” he said.