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There’s not enough time… “One of the challenges facing colleges is encouraging students to be interested in becoming student governors in the first place.”

Time is a precious commodity for all college students, and especially for those trying to balance their studies with student representation.

Meeting deadlines, attending board meetings, and undertaking the many duties required as Student officer are tough tasks in themselves; being both Student Governor and a student officer, while also attempting to keep up with your studies, can often be counter-productive.

Some colleges have overcome this by funding an elected sabbatical role for their students’ union. The creation of a sabbatical officer position frees up time that a student officer can use to get to grips with the requirements of their role, and the issues they might face during their term.

This time can also be used to acquire useful skills by attending all internal and external training opportunities, free from the concerns of study.

A non-sabbatical might overlook these opportunities when deadlines are looming and as a result may not be able to fulfil their potential in the role. Some colleges in England have developed a second sabbatical post, for instance for the role of students’ union vice-president, with both roles being ex-officio members of the college corporation.

The relative freedom of sabbatical status also helps a full-time Governor to attend scheduled college meetings, and also meet with other staff and Governors outside of these times. The increased presence of a Student Governor on the corporation will improve their personal credibility amongst other members, and ensure that they are seen as an asset to governorship, rather than a requirement.

Consider…Is this something your college already does successfully or could you develop this further?

NUS can provide numerous resources and bespoke advice that can help you explore this issue further. Contact NUS for support in establishing a sabbatical position.

Electing and inducting your student governors

Promote, elect and inductThis guidance sheet will help governing bodies consider how to promote the student governor role to the student body, the election of student governors and considerations on the induction process for your student governors. It aims to improve student engagement in the boardroom.

What’s the student governor role for?There is often debate and discussion about the role of a student governor and their function on the board. The table below features an explanation of four possible ways in which a student may approach their role as a governor.

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Discussion pointDiscuss the following around the points below: Are there any other strengths or weaknesses that

you can think of for each model Try to agree roughly what percentage each of the

four models should contribute to the whole picture of the student member. For instance, might they be equally 25% witness, representative, leader or governor? Or might one model dominate?

What are the implications of your answers and how do you support your student governors to fulfil that role?

Witness RepresentativePurpose:The witness is there purely to give their own perspective on things.

Might say – “in my experience, it happens this way…”

Advantages: Can help bring an operational ‘truth’ to strategic

discussions Helps board members understand student

experiences

Disadvantages: Reactive; there to simply give evidence upon

demand Does not give a diversity of student experience

Purpose:The representative is there to give the views of all the college’s students.

Might say – “these are the views I’ve heard from students...”

Advantages: Can present a wide diversity of views and

experiences Would ideally back this up with research or

evidence

Disadvantages: Anyone will struggle to represent the views of all

students Linking the student view with the strategic

consideration is a challengeLeader GovernorPurpose:The leader is there as political ‘chief’ of the students’ union.

Might say – “this is our policy on the matter…”

Advantages: Speaks for a legally-recognised and democratic

entity Supported by the views, resources and reputation

of the students’ union

Disadvantages: Creates a ‘summit’ atmosphere between college

and students’ union Potential for a lack of compromise or negotiation

Purpose:The governor is equal to and different from the other board members.

Might say – “the college’s interests seem to be…”

Advantages: Looks at big picture beyond simply the student

experience or students’ union Is a team player alongside other board members

Disadvantages: Could deny the unique perspective they bring as a

student Without any expertise in strategic matters, may

seem redundant

Electing student governorsNUS believes that student members should be elected by the students at the institution or nominated by a recognised student body chosen by the corporation, which represents students at the institution (usually the students’ union). Many colleges will still have this process stipulated in their instruments and articles. The student governor can either:

Elected by a ballot in which all students are entitled to vote;

Nominated by a students’ union executive, having been elected to the executive by a ballot in which all students are entitled to vote an elected officer of the students’ union. (For example, the President might have the role of student governor included in their job description in the students’ union constitution)

How often should student governor elections take place?The maximum term of office for any governor is four years, and there is no limit to the number of terms of office that a governor can remain on the board of governors. However, some boards have made policy decisions not to appoint governors for more than a set period of time e.g. two four year terms or their equivalent, only reappointing for longer than that for very specific reasons and limited periods of office.

NUS would recommend that the election of student governors is held once a year. However, if it is decided to hold elections for the student governor once every four years the majority of students will be denied the opportunity to either vote or stand for the position.

NUS would recommend that the election of student governors is held once a year. This maximises the number of students voting (and gaining experience of democratic process)

whilst also easing the burden of holding several sets of elections.

In order to ease the burden further, consider holding governor elections alongside the Students’ Union executive.

Student members of the governing body cease to be a governor if they leave the college. However, if they cease to be a student because they have completed a course, they should remain as governor until the end of the academic term. A sabbatical officer of the students’ union should have student status and is therefore eligible to be the student governor. This is can be outlined in the college Instruments and Articles.

The Second Student GovernorIt is a legal requirement for colleges to have student governors. In some cases colleges will have up to three positions on the board reserved for students. The positions can also be linked to the students’ union executive and/or the election processes but should the college decide to keep the role separate to current officer/class rep job descriptions then there is flexibility here also.

The student governors can provide each other with peer to peer support throughout the year. Should one of them not be able to attend a particular meeting they can pass on their views to the second member who can in turn share information with the rest of the board.

For colleges with large populations, or a number of sites, it is useful if student members are enrolled at different campuses.

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Consider…The responsibility to ensure student membership on the board is the responsibility of the corporation. Student governors can work with their clerk and students’ union to ensure that the process to find their successor is undertaken properly.

Mechanisms for electing the second student governorThere are a number of approaches that could be taken in filling this space. Consider some or all of the following options:

“Ex-officio” – just as the first student member space is generally filled by the students’ union president, the second student member could be filled by another officer, for instance the vice-president.

Separate election – your college or board may wish to differentiate a second student member from the democratically-elected student president and executive committee.

Demographic balance – Limits can be placed on elections to allow balance e.g. male/female, level or areas of subject, age, centre and so on. What might be the advantages or disadvantages of this?

Complementary terms of officeA perennial discussion among boards and the students’ union concerns the date of election of the Student Union officers (and, by default in most colleges, the student members of the board). Primarily, there can be debate around whether the student members should be elected before or after the summer.

It can be possible to have one of two student members on a pre-summer cycle (serving a term of May to May) and the other on a post-summer cycle (for instance, September to September). This presents the following opportunities:

It may minimise the impact of each model’s advantages and disadvantages

It means that whenever a new student member starts (each May or September) there is a pre-existing student member who already has a number of months’ service under their belts, therefore providing a useful source of support to the incoming member.

Advantages of electing pre-summer Ensures plenty of time for handover,

induction and planning for new year Allows for attendance at NUS training

events, often held in summer months Can fit in well with sabbatical status for the

role of Student Union President Maximises the time that will be served on

the board Candidates will often have immediate,

relevant experience of student life, the work of the college and the activities of the students’ union

Disadvantages of electing pre-summer Limits choice to only those students

intending to return the next year Potential candidates may be unclear about

future plans, or may get elected and then decide not to return

Turnout in elections may be impeded by disinterest among those students not intending to return

Advantages of electing post-summer Opens election to all currently-matriculated

students Presents a great way of engaging all

students in the democratic process from induction or pre-induction onwards

Students can participate free from heavy academic pressures

Disadvantages of electing post-summer Loses time: may only be fully trained and

effective from October onwards For meetings held in late summer or early

autumn, the board routinely fails to have a student member

Students’ time management can change dramatically if taking on a new and unexpected responsibility

Unless students are expected to drop out of their courses upon election, it prevents full-time sabbatical status

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Getting student governors started

Below are some key areas to consider when reflecting upon and reviewing the induction process for student governors. Use the ideas and areas of understanding in developing an effective induction process for your student governors.

Understanding the roleThe governing body (known legally as the college corporation) is made up of a range of stakeholders from the college and the local community it serves. It is mandatory for every college corporation to have student members of the board.

Some key points in relation to the role: Student governors, along with staff, may be

asked to absent themselves from a corporation or committee meeting on matters of closed business

Some governing bodies may allow student and staff governors to stay but not vote on a matter considered to be closed business

Student governors who are under 18 cannot vote on financial matters

Student governors are allowed to sit on recruitment panels for new governors and college senior managers

College governor handbook

If a handbook is in existence for all college governors then it is worth discussing this as a group.

What are the key elements of the handbook?

What areas need further detail or explanation?

Can the student governor access the language and format of the handbook?

Are all governor away days and other key dates outlined?

Have you considered asking a student or a group of students from a design course to come together and review the handbook – linking it to a project that might benefit their study?

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Consider…Does an introductory handbook currently exist that is appropriate for all governors? If not then why not consider developing one with the support of outgoing student governors?Consider…

Does your induction process explain these key points to student governors? How will you ensure governors are clear of their role?

Introductory meetings

At the start of their term of office on the board, or perhaps in the weeks beforehand, the student member should meet a number of people. The table below highlights who student governors may need to meet with and what they may discuss.

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Consider…Who or what would you add to the above list?

Consider what the most effective way of setting up these meetings would be? (At a training event for all governors? Before the first meeting of the year? Separate 1-2-1 meetings?)

Individual Issues to discussClerk General introduction to the board

Meeting fates and format Setting out dates for informal 1:1’s with the student

governorsChair of the Board The role of the Chair

Background and perspective of members Expectations of student members

Principal Current priorities and direction for the college Role of the Senior Management Team

Senior Manager with responsibility for Learner Engagement

The college Learner Involvement Strategy Activities that are currently run in relation to student

engagementHead of Quality Current college priorities and activities relating to Ofsted

Quality improvement plans for teaching and learning

Mentor Governor Informal discussion of past year’s agendas and minutes Setting out dates for informal 1:1’s with the student

governor Discussion of how meetings run and any complicated

language/processes

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