Student governors bring unique perspectives to higher education governing bodies – they understand institutional reality from a lived experience that is hard to replicate from data alone. They are able to ask questions and enhance Board understanding in a way that strengthens governance effectiveness and assurance. The key to enabling their success is through effective support and ongoing development that leads to being fully integrated members.
Aaron Porter, Associate Director Governance, Advance HE
Dan Tinkler, Advance HE Consultant, Governance and Strategic Transformation, reflects on Advance HE’s Student Governor Training and discusses the importance of the student voice in HE governance and how development opportunities help to ensure their voice is heard.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of higher education governance, one voice remains uniquely irreplaceable: that of the student governor. While independent/lay governors bring valuable expertise and experience, student governors offer something that simply cannot be replicated elsewhere in the boardroom – the current lived experience of being a student at their institution.
Student governors can speak to how policies and decisions impact student life and wellbeing in real-time. They understand the pressures, challenges, and realities that today’s diverse student body faces in ways that board members who were students decades ago cannot fully grasp. This perspective has never been more crucial, particularly as the student experience has been fundamentally transformed in recent years, not least by the seismic shifts brought about by COVID-19 and the subsequent cost of living crisis.
What makes student representation so powerful is its immediacy and authenticity. When a governing body debates accommodation policies, fee structures, or support services, the student governor doesn’t need to hypothesise about impact – they can speak from direct experience. They bridge the gap between boardroom strategy and student reality, ensuring that governance decisions are grounded in contemporary student needs rather than historical assumptions.
Chairs who actively seek student perspectives before discussions are framed, governing bodies that provide proper context for complex decisions, and institutions that create space for the generative thinking student governors excel at – these are the boards that benefit most.
Jim Dickinson, Associate Editor,Wonkhe
However, this unique value comes with distinct challenges. Unlike external governors who typically serve three to four-year terms, student governors often have just one or sometimes two years to make their mark. They must hit the ground running, quickly mastering complex areas like financial governance and fiduciary responsibilities while simultaneously fulfilling their role as equal members of the governing body with full collective accountability.
The sector is responding to these challenges with increasingly sophisticated support mechanisms. We’re seeing more institutions appointing two student governors rather than one, recognising that shared experience strengthens impact. Governance teams are providing targeted pre-meeting support, helping student governors navigate papers and identify key intervention points. Some institutions have developed innovative two-way mentoring arrangements, pairing student governors with experienced independent governors for mutual learning – the student sharing contemporary insights while gaining guidance on governance complexities.
Perhaps most significantly, we’re witnessing a welcome diversification in student governor representation. Moving beyond the traditional model of students’ union presidents, we’re seeing international students, postgraduates, and mature students taking on these vital roles. This broader representation reflects the changing face of higher education itself and brings even richer perspectives to governance discussions.
Advance HE’s Governance Development Programme (GDP) Student Governor (a personal highlight of my year!) programme, led by Aaron Porter, Associate Director Governance, exists because this representation matters profoundly, but also because it requires specific support to be truly effective. When 80 to 100 student governors gather twice annually for our development sessions, they’re not just acquiring governance skills – they’re forming a community of practice that recognises shared challenges and celebrates collective impact. Each year we see a room full of enthusiastic delegates who are eager to learn, develop a network and step in to “uncomfortable” spaces.
This week’s GDP Student Governor saw delegates welcomed by Aaron Porter as Chair framing the current priorities and challenges for governing bodies before a range of high-quality sessions designed to equip student governors with the skills and knowledge to be effective on the governing body. The day saw delegates receive an overview of higher education policy from Mack Marhsall (Community and Policy Officer, Wonkhe); a presentation on just how university governance actually works form Helen Watson (Chief Operating Officer, City St George’s, University of London); a history of the HE sector and how governance has evolved from Mike Ratcliffe (Interim Senior Advisor: Regulatory & Compliance, University of the West of England); a delve into the picture of how HE finances work led by Gavan Conlon (Partner, London Economics); and a session on leading institutional change from Jim Dickinson (Associate Editor, Wonkhe). The day was then wrapped up with delegates undertaking a simulated exercise on how to ask the correct questions in a safe environment to equip with the skills governors need.
With an increasing number of institution’s sending delegates we are seeing how the development of student governors is valued across the sector. This aligns with one of the recent recommendations drawn from The Big Conversation: Shaping the Future of HE Governance to invest in governor development as a continual process. Notably, in the room at Student Governor 1, we have seen a shift in institutional support with most delegates present stating they had already met one-to-one with the Chair over the Summer before their first meeting and had specific training from the University Secretary or equivalent. This has grown year on year when we ask this question.
Student governors don’t simply represent the student voice – they are equal governors who happen to bring unparalleled expertise in current student experience. In an era where higher education faces unprecedented challenges around accessibility, mental health, employability, and value for money, ensuring that student governors are equipped, supported, and empowered isn’t just good practice – it’s essential for effective governance. As higher education governance and institutions begin to transform and shape the future of the sector, we know governance culture is crucial to enable success. Ensuring student governors are supported, engaged and empowered to contribute to a governing body contributes to governance culture.
The question isn’t whether student voices belong on our governing bodies, but whether we’re doing everything possible to ensure they can be heard, understood, and acted upon. That’s the challenge our programme seeks to meet, and it’s one that matters for the future of higher education itself.
Find out more about our Governance Development Programme (GDP)
GDP has been designed to address a broad range of needs across governance. The programme supports Governors and governance professionals in all HE institutions throughout the UK to develop and refine skills in response to a rapidly changing environment.
