Innovation In Students' Union Governance

Are we seeing a shift in the way students' unions are governed?

Over the last couple of years, we've started to see signs that the students' union sector is on the cusp of a governance revolution. So what's going on?

The case for change

The traditional SU model relies on a board of trustees made up of paid sabbatical officers alongside unpaid student and external trustees, supported by a number of unpaid part time officers with specific portfolios.

SUs have reported various drivers for changes to this model:

• Reluctance among student beneficiaries to be involved in governance without clear career benefits, academic credit or financial incentive;
• Disproportionate representation – whether assessed by protected characteristics, by school or course, postgraduate or undergraduate;