Electing and Inducting Your Student Governors

Electing and inducting your student governors

Promote, elect and induct

This guidance sheet will help governing bodies consider how to promotethe 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.

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 officerare 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 officercan 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.

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.

Witness / Representative
Purpose:
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 challenge

Leader / Governor
Purpose:
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 governors

NUS 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 astudents’ 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 Governor

It 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.

Mechanisms for electing the second student governor

There 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 office

A 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

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 role

The 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?

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 belowhighlights who student governors may need to meet with and what they may discuss.

Individual / Issues to discuss
Clerk /

General introduction to the board
Meeting fates and format
Setting out dates for informal 1:1’s with the student governors

Chair 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 engagement

Head 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