Communication, presentation, experience, delegation and an intense drive to do good for students are key qualities for past, present and future Government of the Student Body presidents.

A GSB president needs to be people-orientated, as well as accessible to students, said GSB office manager Mary McBirnie.

Thomas Hill, vice president for Student Affairs, said a GSB president needs to be a good listener and should possess a network of contacts. That network will allow him or her to receive feedback from students and assist in fulfilling the role.

A working relationship with administration is important to the president as well. Students and administration need to work together in order to accomplish goals such as working to balance budget cuts and increases in tuition, he said.

Some people are good with one type of audience, but the GSB president must communicate with a wide variety of audiences, Hill said. The 28,000 students at Iowa State are not a homogeneous population. The student body is composed of nontraditional and traditional, resident and nonresident, on-campus and off-campus students and represents a variety of majors. The president must work with all students while striking a balance between them, Hill said.

Hygiene, image and business savvy are an important part of a person, especially when he or she represents an entire student body, said Andy Walling, GSB director for campus awareness.

A GSB president should be articulate and able to present his or her ideas in short and precise presentations, said Warren Madden, vice president for Business and Finance.

The recent transfer of student fees from designated tuition to mandatory fees will require the president to present fee recommendations to the Iowa Board of Regents and provide support for those recommendations, he said.

Madden said, overall, a candidate needs leadership skills and a fast learning curve.

The GSB president only has one year to become familiar with the GSB system, but he or she also needs to take action during the term.

It may be more difficult for those outside GSB to serve in the presidential position. It is not impossible, and it has been done in the past, but there is value in understanding the process of student government, he said.

The experience Andy Tofilon had from serving as GSB director for governmental relations solidified his term as president during the 2001-02 academic year, said Walling, senior in management information systems.

The people a president chooses to fill his or her cabinet influence the effectiveness of the term, Madden said.

Presidents must delegate responsibility and then trust the people to do their job and do it well, Walling said.

The president should work for what students want, Walling said.

“[A GSB president] can’t change the world if students like the world the way it is,” he said.