Further particulars - Global Student Life Committee Vacancy

Further information on the role

Thank you for looking further into our Court Committee roles. We hope the information below is helpful and that you choose to apply. The University is looking for a member with experience of being a higher education student in Scotland or elsewhere in the world.

Lay members of the Global Student Life Committee are independent of the University and contribute by providing an external perspective on important issues. Membership is for a three-year term, with the option to be considered for two further three-year terms.

Within the initial three-year term, members would:

• become familiar with key topics within the remit of the Committee (for example, student wellbeing);
• become familiar with legislation and processes which impact on the work of the Committee (for example, the Education Act 1994 or the development of the University’s Student Partnership Agreement);
• provide scrutiny of the University’s initiatives to improve the student experience, using their own experience of good practice in a relevant area;
• provide advice on actions that the University could take to improve its student experience, using their own experience of good practice in a relevant area;
• demonstrate the University’s values of Inspire, Belong, Collaborate and Celebrate;
• promote equality, diversity and inclusion within the Committee and through its work; and
• regularly attend meetings and contribute to discussion.

The Global Student Life Committee is part of the University’s governance structure, reporting to the University Court. By focusing on the student experience at Heriot-Watt, the Committee helps the Court to:

• advance excellence in the student experience;
• make sure that the student voice is heard and informs decision making; and
• make sure that the goals of the University’s Strategy 2025 reflect the diversity of needs of students across all our campuses.

The Committee’s business is largely driven by the priorities and themes laid out in the Student Partnership Agreement, which is an innovative approach to bringing together the University management team and our student representative organisations in Scotland, Dubai and Malaysia.

The University Secretary, the governance team and fellow governors are all on hand to help new members and induction is provided to help governors develop their knowledge and skills.

The Committee normally meets three times a year, with meetings lasting around two hours. Members will prepare for meetings by reviewing the papers circulated, which should take no more than half a day on each occasion. In addition, lay members of the Court Committees are invited to attend two Court Strategy Days per year at the Edinburgh Campus, one in November and one in May. The total time commitment for the role is a minimum of seven days per academic year.

Global Student Life Committee meetings take place via Microsoft Teams. Meetings are normally scheduled from 9am to 11am (UK time), 1pm to 3pm (Dubai time) and 5pm to 7pm (Malaysia time) to allow the participation of students and staff at our Dubai and Malaysia Campuses.