Vice Grand Marshal

Vice Grand Marshal is a title used by the chief deputies of the Grand Marshal, who are typically responsible for overseeing the functioning of the Rensselaer Union Executive Board. Since 2026, the Senate has had two positions holding this title: the Vice Grand Marshal of External Affairs (VGMEA) and the Vice Grand Marshal of Internal Affairs (VGMIA). Prior to 2026, there was only one position, named the Vice Grand Marshal between 2017-2016 and as the Vice Chair of the Senate prior to 2017.

Vice Grand Marshal (2017-2026)

Vice Grand Marshal

Formerly known as	Vice Chair of the Senate (1981-2017)
Member of	Student Senate, Senate Cabinet, Joint Cabinet (2025-2026)
Reports to	Grand Marshal
Appointment procedure	Nominated by Grand Marshal, confirmed by 2/3rds vote of the Senate
Constituted by	Student Senate Bylaws
Position Established	1981
Position Abolished	2026
First Holder	Jeff Langan
Last Holder	Junning Sun

The office of Vice Chair of the Senate (alternatively known as Vice Chairperson or, historically, Vice Chairman) was established on October 18th, 1981, when Jeff Langan was approved as the first holder of the office.

On November 13th, 2017, the Vice Chair of the Senate was renamed to the Vice Grand Marshal, as motioned by the Internal Reforms Committee, an ad-hoc standing committee of the Senate. The change in title was made to clear up the Vice Chair's role relative to the Grand Marshal. There was a short debate on the exact name of the title, with some favoring "deputy" or "lieutenant" Grand Marshal. No changes were made to the now-Vice GM's role.

In the XXth Senate, there was a motion to appoint a Deputy Grand Marshal, as the Vice Grand Marshal would be on their Arch away semester for part of the term. The motion narrowly failed.

In the 55th Senate, the Vice Grand Marshal was also the Vice-Chair of Policy for the Student Life Committee, and as a result the line between the internal-facing side of the former office and the policy-facing side of the latter began to blur. Around the fall of 2024, proposals to split the office began to be floated, inspired partially by the split of the office of Vice President of the Union done in 2018. An initial proposal included two new roles, the Vice Grand Marshal for Union Affairs and Vice Grand Marshal for Institute Affairs. The VGM for Union Affairs was to oversee "Union-facing" committees (the Web Technologies Group, Union Annual Report Committee, the Student Government Communications Committee, and a as-of-yet hypothetical committee for policy matters named the Rules and Administration Committee, or RAC). The Vice Grand Marshal for Institute Affairs, on the other hand, would oversee the Academic Affairs Committee, Student Life Committee, Facilities and Services Committee, Hospitality Services Advisory Committee, and Community Relations Committee.

This proposal was never implemented, and in the 56th Senate the only major structural change to the Vice GM's role was to make them acting chair of any unchaired committee (a role previously given to the Grand Marshal). However, over the 56th Senate, the tension between the two elements of the Vice GM's role grew, and by the 57th Senate there was appetite for reform.

Senate Motion 57-02 established the Rules and Administration Committee, as proposed a year and a half earlier, but also split the position of VGM into two roles, now named the VGM for External and Internal Affairs, respectively. Although highly similar to the VGM split proposed earlier, with External Affairs being similar to Institute Affairs and Internal Affairs mapping closely to Union Affairs, there were several differences. Rather than simply overseeing RAC, the VGM for Internal Affairs would chair it in order to reduce friction between the two roles. In addition, rather than each VGM overseeing their own set of committees, the VGM for External Affairs oversaw all (except for RAC).

Vice Grand Marshal for External Affairs (2026-Present)

Vice Grand Marshal for External Affairs

Member of	Student Senate, Senate Cabinet, Joint Cabinet
Reports to	Grand Marshal
Appointment procedure	Nominated by Grand Marshal, confirmed by 2/3rds vote of the Senate
Constituted by	Student Senate Bylaws
Position Established	2026
Incumbent	Ryan Kilgore

The Vice Grand Marshal for External Affairs (VGMEA or rarely EVGM) is one of the two modern roles that holds the title of Vice Grand Marshal. The VGMEA is tasked with overseeing the Senate's advocacy work, including the functioning of its committees. They also chair any vacant committee ex-officio, and oversee raising awareness about issues in ways not tied to the Senate's formal structure (known as "special operations"). They also can serve as a representative of the Grand Marshal to administrators should the GM not be present.

Although many of the formal roles of the one Vice Grand Marshal were transferred to the Vice Grand Marshal for Internal Affairs, the VGMEA's duties are more aligned with the de facto function of most Vice Grand Marshals prior to the splitting of the role in 2026.

Vice Grand Marshal for Internal Affairs (2026-Present)

Vice Grand Marshal for Internal Affairs

Member of	Student Senate, Senate Cabinet, Joint Cabinet, Rules and Administration Committee (Chair)
Reports to	Grand Marshal
Appointment procedure	Nominated by Grand Marshal, confirmed by 2/3rds vote of the Senate
Constituted by	Student Senate Bylaws
Position Established	2026
Incumbent	Griffin Oliver

The Vice Grand Marshal for Internal Affairs (VGMIA or rarely IVGM) is one of the two modern roles that holds the title of Vice Grand Marshal. The VGMIA chairs the Senate's Rules and Administration Committee ex-officio, and oversees engagement among Senators. They chair the Senate in the absence of the Grand Marshal, and, in case of vacancy of the Grand Marshal, serve as Acting GM until a new holder is elected.

The VGMIA takes most of the internal-facing roles of the one Vice Grand Marshal, but also the roles of the Student Life Committee's Vice-Chair of Policy (2024-2026).