Senate committee has approved the appointments of WSU Pullman students Collin Bannister and Tathagata Pal to separate higher education boards.
Bannister was appointed to the Workforce Education Investment Accountability and Oversight Board. The WEIA Board works to provide direction and recommendations to the Legislature on which workforce education initiatives should be funded, as well as to ensure that WEIA-sponsored workforce education investments produce the expected results.
Pal was named to the Washington Student Achievement Council, a cabinet-level state organization that strives to improve educational attainment via strategic engagement, program management, and collaborations.
During the same Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee on Monday afternoon, both Cougs received unanimous support in their confirmation. They will serve in their respective positions until this summer. Collin and Pal have previously worked as student lobbyists in Olympia for ASWSU and GPSA, respectively, and have also served as student leaders for numerous years. Their appointments will now need to be voted off the chamber floor ahead of confirmation.
You can watch their respective confirmation hearings below: