Bola Adebayo, University of Houston-Victoria Student Government Association president, left, and UHV Interim President Vic Morgan show Asit Shah, student regent on the UHS Board of Regents, around campus during his visit Thursday.

Asit Shah, the student regent on the University of Houston System Board of Regents, had never visited the University of Houston-Victoria before Thursday, but he liked what he heard and saw.

“I got a good flavor of what UHV is, was and hopes to be,” the 20-year-old UH junior said. “UHV is a great example of what the future of higher education might be – a strong combination of face-to-face and online courses.”

While at UHV, Shah got a tour of campus and Victoria, and saw firsthand the excitement of new freshmen moving into Jaguar Village for the start of the school year on Monday. In addition to meeting UHV administrators, he spent time with Bola Adebayo, UHV Student Government Association president.

“It’s important to me as the student regent to get to know all the SGA presidents and get their input for decisions being made by the Board of Regents,” Shah said. “Bola talked to me about her goals of increasing student engagement at UHV, and I fully support that.”

Interim President Vic Morgan said he was pleased that Shah came to Victoria.

“We always welcome the regents to visit our campus because the more they know about UHV, the better they can help us and the entire UH System achieve its goals,” Morgan said.

Shah decided to apply to be the UHS student regent in fall 2013. His nomination was forwarded to UHS Chancellor Renu Khator and then to Gov. Rick Perry, who appointed him to serve a one-year term that began June 1. The student regents appointed by Perry to serve on their respective university system governing boards have the same powers and duties as regents but do not vote and are not considered part of a quorum.

Shah said his main goal for the year will be to increase student success throughout the UH System. He also wants to make sure that Texas legislators know about all the great things the four universities in the UH System are doing.

“We’re here helping students achieve their higher education goals, and it’s important to remind them of that,” he said.

Shah, who is from Richmond, is a student in the UH Honors College and the C.T. Bauer College of Business. He plans on graduating in 2016 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance and a minor in energy and sustainability.

At UH, Shah is a member of the Energy Association and a co-coordinator for Honors Advocates, a volunteer organization that recruits and welcomes new students to the university’s honors community. He also is a co-founder of Knowledge Solutions LLC, a company providing guidance to students transitioning from high school to college.

“You really don’t know a university until you visit it,” Shah said at the end of his visit on Thursday. “Everything was just awesome all day.”