News Release

South Dakota Student Elected National Education Association (NEA) Student Chairperson at Annual Convention in Washington, D.C.

Mandy Plucker Vows to Use Technology to Enhance Communication and Increase Recruitment

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  More than 350 delegates at the NEA Student Leadership Conference elected Mandy Plucker national chairperson for the NEA Student Program.  Plucker, a master’s degree candidate in counseling at South Dakota State University in Brookings, outlined an ambitious agenda including working to recruit students preparing to become teachers and enhancing communication among members.  The election results were announced June 30th.

“By 2007, nearly 2 million teachers across the country will retire,” said Plucker. “Students have the technological know-how and tools NEA needs to increase membership enrollment.  We are the future.”

Plucker brings a variety of experiences, including serving on the NEA Board of Directors, participating on the national advisory committee for membership and acting as South Dakota’s Student-NEA chair.  Her familiarity with NEA’s organization and resources will enable her to hit the ground running.

Plucker credits her political awareness to membership in NEA and admits she didn’t register to vote until after she joined.  “I realized if I wasn’t involved politically among my peers, who would be?”

More than 80 percent of the 60,000 student members become active members, and one in three student members become leaders within NEA.

Despite state budget cutbacks for school counseling programs that are either eliminating or combining elementary and secondary counseling positions, Plucker wants to provide career counseling at the high school or college level. She believes there is a huge need for counseling because too many students are not prepared for college.

In Plucker’s speech to delegates, she declared that “the best is yet to come.  It will be so exciting when you actually walk into your own classroom.” 

The NEA Student Program includes more than 900 chapters in the nation’s colleges and universities.  It works to promote community partnerships, foster leadership through pre-professional opportunities and peer mentoring, supplement formal teacher education training and promote the national accreditation of teacher education training.  

July 2, 2004

For more information:
NEA Public Relations, 202 822-7200

###

The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.7 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, and students preparing to become teachers.