Mission statement: to analyze U.S. student government historical development in higher education (colleges and universities) showing the forms, structures, functions, activities, responsibilities, and developmental steps, in order to consider possibilities for a successful implementation of the U.S. model in Ukraine. It was necessary to solve the following questions: define the social and pedagogical conditions that necessitated student government development in U.S. colleges and universities, determine the periods in student government development, characterize the student government's functions to the present time, and finally to consider the possibilities for a successful implementation in Ukraine. With the establishment of the first American colonial universities in 1636, the student government was initially established to involve students in disciplinary functions. In 1779, after the Honor Code was established at William and Mary College (Virginia) the student government became actively involved in enforcing the university's academic policies. In 1900, student government functions were at an apex because the Dean of Students' position was officially established and cooperative efforts were established between teachers and students in different forms, i.e. cooperative or community governments and student-teacher associations. In the beginning of the 20th century student government functioned with real power, coordinating co-curricular activities. By 1940, student government was firmly established in counties, states and nationally to ensure optimum study at university campuses around the nation. With the finalization of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the student population changed to include former service men and adults of the community who needed additional skills. These adults wanted to become actively involved in the university's educational and decision making policies. In the 1960s, after the student 'sit-ins' at Berkley, California, AAUP outlined student government guiding principles with a 'Statement on Government of Colleges and Universities' that clearly marked the second stage of student government called 'shared governance'. This stage was, and remains, difficult to fully implement because students are not trained well or informed well about many governing functions of the university. Each student government organization had one main directive, which was to establish a constitution and bylaws based on the National Constitution and Bylaws. Student governments generally had the right to enforce the Honor Code, perform disciplinary functions, coordinate co-curricular activities by registering student organizations, allocate discretionary funds, and participate in university governing committees. Student governments had the latitude to establish specific adjustments to their constitutions to meet the local student body needs on their specific campus. Under the university committee's guidance, well written constitutions reflected the student government's mission, powers, responsibilities, and duties. Thus, the student government, with the support of federal/local laws, professional associations, and the university's cooperation became a strong influence on the university campus, both academically and socially. The student government is characterized by its ability to elect its officials, to decide its priorities, and to coordinate its activities with many other organizations. Additionally, conditions in America in the 1950s enabled universities to expand their facilities (buildings, libraries, campuses, etc.), their student numbers, and their course offerings to meet student demands and/or student needs. Thus, student governments have been able to influence American university educational development. And finally, student government has been influential in preparing citizens for democracy.
