Newswise — Nicholas J. Vaugh believes he can successfully integrate his duties as college student by day and city council member by night. The 20-year-old Clarkson University sophomore, who made Ogdensburg, N.Y., history November 6 as the youngest elected city official, will literally be learning on the job.
Vaugh is studying in Clarkson's Areté program which fuses practical business preparation with political science. He is using his classroom learning to prepare himself for his duties as city counselor.
Vaugh was short on experience, but long on commitment when he announced his candidacy in July. Using door-to-door tactics, a youthful energy and a partnership with current Mayor William Nelson, Vaugh steadily circulated his name throughout Ogdensburg.
His determined campaigning paid off. Out of seven candidates, Vaughn was the second-highest vote earner.
Vaugh knows that as a rookie he has a lot to learn. Still, he believes that his fresh outlook will be instrumental in assessing relevant issues. "As someone of the younger generation, I have new ideas and a youthful perspective that represents the future," said Vaugh. "I want to deliver a new vision."
Vaugh has drawn heavily from the opportunities he received at Clarkson, where his first political experience came as the freshman class president and a student senator. He is taking the skills he acquired during that stint and applying them to his most recent political achievement. He also used the know-how gained as a first-year Clarkson business student, where he developed, started and operated his own company.
"The entrepreneurship program at Clarkson was my primary business background," said Vaugh. "It was essential in preparing me for my campaign and also for my future in politics. It gave me budget experience working with larger sums of money and helped me understand the ins and outs of business and finance."
That will come in handy for Vaugh after his January 1 swearing in, as the most immediate undertaking for city council will be the 2008 fiscal budget. Also on the agenda: waterfront and commercial development, tackling Ogdensburg's crime and drug problem and establishing relationships with municipalities and colleges to increase the number of jobs in New York's North Country.
Vaugh's long-term professional and academic goals correspond with the four-year timeline of the city council seat. Vaugh plans to pursue a master of business administration degree from Clarkson after his scheduled graduation in spring 2010.
Clarkson University, located in Potsdam, New York, is a private, nationally ranked university with a reputation for developing innovative leaders in engineering, business, the sciences, health sciences and the humanities. At Clarkson, 3,000 high-ability students excel in an environment where learning is not only positive, friendly and supportive but spans the boundaries of traditional disciplines and knowledge. Faculty members achieve international recognition for their research and scholarship and connect students to their leadership potential in the marketplace through dynamic, real-world problem solving.
[A photograph for media use is available at http://www.clarkson.edu/news/photos/nvaugh.jpg.]
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