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Why Have Staff and Student Governors?

Staff and students have always had some part in the governance of most universities and colleges - indeed it is a role going back to the idea of a university being a self-governing community of scholars. In the managerial 21st century the idea of collegiality continuing to be the basis for governance is much more contested, but the traditions still run strong in many - although not all - institutions.

The arguments for staff and students being members of governing bodies are generally felt to be:

Recognition that in many professional organisations the idea of participation in self-government remains strong.
That staff and students bring direct experience of institutional life to a governing body.
That such membership enables effective links to be made with other aspects of governance (for example academic governance).
That in times of institutional crisis having staff and student governors can be a way of ensuring effective communication within the institution as a whole, which may reduce tension.
Some institutions have found that in times of a governance crisis staff and student members may be more willing to hold the executive to account than independent members. For example, in an article in 2004 Mike Shattock concluded that "all the evidence we have is that governing bodies have been less effective checks on 'dynamic management' than the academic community....we need to re-emphasise the importance of partnership in governance and the value of the academic contribution" (Shattock M, The Lambert Code and Best Practice, Higher Education Quarterly, Vol 58, No 4, October 2004).

For these reasons the CUC Guide concludes that: "the representation of staff and students on the governing body is important in all institutions" (paragraph 2.57).

However, there may also be some drawbacks. These include:

A general lack of experience of student and some staff governors in the key areas of governing body responsibilities.
That the nomination and election processes for staff and student governors may produce candidates who are popular with their constituencies rather than competent board members.
That in some institutions the nomination and election processes have become politicised.
That it may be extremely difficult for a governing body to take a rigorous strategic perspective in the face of the vested interests of internal board members.
That the trend towards moving away from a collegial model of governance to one that emphasises performance - including smaller boards - inevitably raises questions about the role of staff and student governors.

Scottish flag In Scotland, the sparqs initiative supported by the Scottish Funding Council has undertaken some interesting work to provide support and training for student governors.

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