Student Council Involving Key Customers in Key Decisions Matt Carter Director: Organisational Development & Student Success

Profile 7,300 Students 4,004 EFTs Programmes, Certificates to Postgraduate $64m revenue 3 Campuses – Dunedin, Central Otago and Auckland Experienced based education with a sustainability focus Ranked first equal in our sector for course and qualification completion Student Satisfaction rating is 93% overall

Purpose Post 2010 legislative change formal student representation lost How does Governance here the voice of the key customer – their priorities, expectations, needs? Formal Standing Committee Input into key decisions  Strategic directions  Learning environment  Mergers, acquisitions, divestments  Fees and levies Also have voice to management level via CEO and Director: Student Success

How it Works Monthly lunch time meetings (1 hour) Formal agenda, papers, minutes Held in OP Council Board Room Follows the cycle of OP Council We feed them but not paid Not elected (yet!) OP Council and Executive Representatives attend Representation from across OP Members sourced in any way possible (class reps, lecturer nomination etc) OPSA works alongside (contractual relationship)

Student Perspective Student Council Convener: Jeremy Hall

2014 Focus Projects  Student Communications  Learning Spaces Leadership Development Programme Consolidating membership and committee processes Increasing profile

Successes Certificate of Achievement / on transcript Free food! Recruitment of 2 nd year students High calibre Student Convenors Excellent input into  New strategic directions  Revised values & behaviours  fee and budget setting priorities  Campus Redevelopment Reviewed at end of 2013 Last meeting …. (2013 AUSSE Results)

In hindsight From the start we should have…… Trained them (skill & confidence) Had projects / link to other initiatives Split the agenda into Governance / Management matters Linked benefits to programme of learning (relevance) Increased Executive Team drive behind this

Challenges Including Distance / Other Campus students Communication – Linked In / Facebook? Getting a Diverse Student Council (age, gender, programme of study, ethnicity etc) Being proactive instead of reactive Students “owning their council” and seeing “beyond their programme” Governance level discussion Selling benefit to the students Culture shift!

Thank you How do you hear the Customer Voice at all levels of the Organisation? Questions? Comments? ?