Developing and enacting student governance and leadership training in higher education

Abstract

Despite increased attention placed both in and outside Australia on student participation in university governance, there remains a gap in practices and programs that help support students to contribute across various governance groups, councils, and representative roles. This practice report explores two aspects of developing student partnership in governance at a research-intensive university in Australia. We will showcase a set of rationales co-created between students and staff on why partnership should be a critical aspect of higher education policy and governance. Secondly, we will provide an overview of a specialised training program that aims to provide students with foundational working knowledge of university governance practice, policies and language to bolster engagement within their roles. We will further discuss anticipated impacts and advance research and future practice in this area by highlighting key areas that require further exploration to further student engagement in governance structures.