UNITU WEBINARS
Strategies to Empower Students in University Committees
Event Overview
Do you feel that students’ voice are not well represented in your university committee?
University committees are responsible for making important decisions that impact the academic and administrative aspects of the university. However, student participation in these committees can often be limited, and their voices may not be adequately represented in the decision-making process.
That’s why we are excited to offer this webinar panel, where experts in higher education discuss practical insights and best practices for enhancing student participation and impact in committees.
Through this panel-style discussion, you will learn about:
- Experiences of students and staff around student engagement in key University governance structures
- Key challenges that students face when participating in committees and how to address them
- Discussing if students on committees is an effective way for co-creation and student/staff decision making
- Strategies for creating more inclusive and equitable committee cultures
- Improving communication channels between students and committee members
By watching this webinar, you will gain valuable insights into how to empower students to make meaningful contributions to university committees. Whether you are a student leader or student voice coordinator, this webinar is designed to provide practical strategies that you can apply in your own institution.
Speakers
Stephanie LomasStudent Voice Coordinator at UCLan SU |
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Kevin McStravockLead Policy Officer at QAA |
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Rebecca FreemanDean of Students at the University of Warwick |
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Tom LoweChair of RAISE |
Host
Ashley Storer-Smith
Student Voice Manager at the University of Nottingham SU
Speaker Profile
Stephanie Lomas
Student Voice Coordinator at UCLan SU
Steph is the Student Voice Coordinator at UCLan SU, where she was twice elected as VP Education and two years as School President. Steph has lobbied on a national level around the dangers of Essay Mills working with QAA and the Government to provide the human side around their impact on students. Steph has the pleasure of working with academic representatives from the SU, and advocates for the power of student voice within decisions to create student centred and impactful change, whilst also empowering representatives to look after themselves.
Kevin McStravock
Lead Policy Officer at QAA
Kevin McStravock is the Lead Policy Officer for Devolved Nations and Europe at QAA, the UK’s independent quality body for higher education. He has extensive experience in student representation, having served as Vice President and President of Ulster University Students’ Union and Deputy President/Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Union of Students in Ireland.
He is an Associate Fellow of Advance HE and holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism with French from and a Masters in Student Engagement in Higher Education.
Rebecca Freeman
Dean of Students at the University of Warwick
Professor Rebecca Freeman is the Dean of Students at the University of Warwick, responsible for ensuring academic success for the university’s 29,000 students across 33 academic departments. Rebecca has long championed student voice and co-creation. Her research focuses on student voice and forms of power in higher education and underpins the significant range of strategic initiatives that she leads across the institution and nationally. These successes build on her early sector work on student partnership through the CETLs and as a QAA Student Reviewer.
Tom Lowe
Chair of RAISE
Tom Lowe is a Senior Lecturer in Higher Education at the University of Portsmouth, where his research includes student engagement in development of education, embedding employability into the curriculum and supporting student belonging. Tom is also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and Chair of the RAISE Network. Prior to Portsmouth, Tom was the Head of Student Engagement and Employability at the University of Winchester. He has recently published a book on student engagement and has worked as an advisor across more than 30 universities internationally.
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