Student Governance 1433

Cooper Gibson Research. (2014). Cognitive review of Overview

survey items at postgraduate level. Retrieved from
https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/downloads/ Student governance defines the student experience
PTES%20Cognitive%20Review_CGR.pdf profoundly because the system of operative, for-
Gillan, A. (2018). The Student Experience Survey 2018 mal, and informal rules that apply to students
methodology. Times Higher Education. Retrieved is—to a large extent—the university in the lived
from https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/ experience of students. As a result, the question to
news/student-experience-survey-2018-methodology what extent students can participate in making or
Grove, J. (2017). National Student Survey 2017: changing these rules is fundamental. After all, stu-
Campuses omitted after NUS boycott. Times dent rules apply everywhere: in academic life, in
Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www and out of the classroom, on and off campus, in
.timeshighereducation.com/news/national-student- relations with the administration, and in residen-
survey-2017-campuses-omitted-after-nus-boycott tial life, from the moment of seeking admission
Higher Education Funding Council for England. (2017). throughout the student life cycle.
National Student Survey. HEFCE. Retrieved from Student governance is therefore an important
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/lt/nss/ concept in the study of student politics related to
Surridge, P. (2008). The National Student Survey 2005– the polity, politics, and policies of higher education
2007: Findings and trends. Retrieved from http:// (including the activist dimension of student poli-
www.hefce.ac.uk/media/hefce/content/pubs/ tics), and more broadly, when studying the student
indirreports/2008/rd1208/rd12_08.pdf experience. It raises important questions regarding
Vigentini, L., & McCluckie, B. (2014). Cognitive review the university’s relationship with students. Are stu-
of the postgraduate research experience survey.
dents treated as clients or are they seen as part of
Retrieved from https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/
the academic community? What are the rights and
files/resources/pres_2013_cognitive_testing_report.pdf
responsibilities of students? How therefore should
Vitae. (2018). About the vitae researcher development
student life be governed? And how can student
framework. Vitae. Retrieved from https://www.vitae
.ac.uk/researchers-professional-development/about-the-
governance be organized so that it fosters student
vitae-researcher-development-framework
engagement, contributes to academic success, and
develops citizenship competences? These and other
questions have given rise to different theoretical
perspectives in research on student governance.
STUDENT GOVERNANCE
The Student–University Relationship
Student governance has two complementary mean-
ings. When student in the term student governance The two basic meanings of student governance
refers to an active political agent who is involved in fundamentally refer to different perspectives on the
governing the student body, the meaning of the term student–university relationship. In order to under-
is similar to that of student representation. This is stand variations in this relationship, a typology has
the primary descriptive sense of student governance been developed based on different ways in which
in higher education contexts. However, student in students’ inclusion in (or exclusion from) govern-
student governance can also refer to a passive sub- ing higher education is legitimized. This perspec-
ject of governance, that is, someone who is gov- tive involves communitarian, politically realist,
erned by and subject to the system of rules that consumerist, and democratic-consequentialist
governs students. The two complementary mean- arguments that respectively involve different con-
ings of student governance thus are focused on the ceptions of students as “members of the academic
nature and extent of the system of student rules community,” a “political constituency,” “consum-
which represents a codified conception of the ers” or “clients of higher education,” and “citizens”
student–university relationship. This entry provides or “members of the elite.” The importance of the
an overview of student governance and then different conceptions and justifications is that they
explores the various perspectives on student gover- provide the tools for analyzing the student–
nance in higher education. university relationship in a differentiated manner
1434 Student Governance

and thus show how student governance operates to the object of engagement, the degree or mode
differently across time, in different systems and of engagement, and how student engagement is
institutions, and in different domains of student life connected to knowledge.
during the student life cycle.
A Function of Student Affairs
Academic Freedom
Student governance is also one of the typical func-
Another perspective on student governance is tions of student affairs and services departments
founded in the principle of academic freedom. In at institutions of higher education. From the per-
Graeme Moodie’s conception, this involves three spective of practitioner-focused literature, student
ideas: (1) institutional autonomy in a university’s governance relates to matters of student govern-
affairs and relationship with the state and society, ment, student or college unions, student organiza-
(2) the personal scholarly freedom of those tions, and student leadership training. These are
involved in academic activities, and (3) the prac- part of the broader category of campus activities
tice of academic rule. The governance implications overseen and supported by student affairs. Stu-
of students’ claims to academic freedom have his- dent governance in this context also includes stu-
torically been formulated in the language of stu- dent affairs functions related to student conduct
dent rights and responsibilities. In the United and discipline and student courts, among others.
States, students’ right to self-governance, for
example, was enshrined in a pact between student
organizations and organizations of university pro-
Final Thoughts
fessors and student affairs professionals by means While there is a tendency in practitioner-focused
of the Joint Statement on Rights and Freedoms of student affairs research to compartmentalize and
Students of 1968. Many university-based charters depoliticize student governance, not the least to
of student rights and student government consti- make this challenging function professionally more
tutions draw on this tradition. manageable, the theoretical perspectives and
A different way of codifying the student– research on student governance play an integrating
university relationship in formal and explicit terms role and tend to engage with the more politically
is found in the student charters in UK universities, contentious aspects of student governance. Theory
which outline what students can expect from the thus shows how student affairs functions are inter-
university, and what the university in turn expects related, which is important for determining the
from students. A comprehensive treatment of stu- causes of student activism, for example, or in
dents’ claims to academic freedom can be found in efforts to co-curriculate student affairs programs.
Bruce Macfarlane’s 2017 work, Freedom to Learn.
Thierry M. Luescher

Student Engagement See also Student Engagement; Student Government;

Student Services, U.S.
As student engagement has become a buzzword in
higher education research, popularized by large-
scale student engagement surveys, so has its Further Readings
pertinence as a theoretical perspective in research Ashwin, P., & McVitty, D. (2015). The meanings of
on student governance. Paul Ashwin and Debbie student engagement: Implications for policies and
McVitty propose that a workable definition of practices. In A. Curaj, L. Matei, R. Pricopie, V. Salmi,
student engagement, which is also highly relevant P. Scott (Eds.), The European higher education area:
to student governance, takes as a starting point Between critical reflections and future policies. Cham,
the question, What do nonengagement and dis- Germany: Springer.
engagement involve? On that basis, student Bryan, W. A., & Mullendore, R. (Eds.). (1992). Rights,
engagement is then conceptualized in ways that freedoms and responsibilities of students: New
are eminently pertinent to any consideration of Directions for Student Services, No. 59. San
student governance when asking questions related Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
 Student Government 1435

Clark, B. R. (1978). Academic power: Concepts, modes, on a single campus or across a multicampus univer-
and perspectives. In van de J. H. Graaff, B. R. Clark, sity system. Student governments may also charter,
D. Furth, D. Goldschmidt, D. F. Wheeler (Eds.), fund, and support student organizations, seat student
Academic power: Patterns of authority in seven representatives on campus committees, collect and
national systems of higher education. New York, NY: disburse student fees, or serve as stewards of campus
Praeger. traditions and services such as homecoming, food
Klemenčič , M., Luescher, T. M., & Mugume, T. (2016). pantries, and advocacy centers.
Student organising in African higher education: Polity, The size, scope, and complexity of student gov-
politics and policies. In T. M. Luescher, M. Klemenčič
ernments are highly variable and dependent on the
& J. O. Jowi (Eds.), Student Politics in Africa:
campus in which each is situated. On many cam-
Representation and Activism. Cape Town, South
puses, student governments have limited formal
Africa: African Minds.
responsibilities beyond gathering as a representa-
Kuh, G. D. (2009). What student affairs professionals need
to know about student engagement. Journal of College
tive group to discuss student issues throughout
Student Development, 50(6), 683–706. doi:10.1353/
each academic year and share their perspectives
csd.0.0099 with the leadership of the institution. On other
Luescher, T. M. (2016). Student representation in a campuses, student governments and the leaders
context of democratisation and massification in elected into senior positions operate complex
Africa: Analytical approaches, theoretical perspectives organizations with large budgets that have sub-
and #RhodesMustFall. In T. M. Luescher, M. stantial formal authority within the larger admin-
Klemenčič, J. Jowi (Eds.), Student Politics in Africa: istrative and governance structures on a college
Representation and Activism (pp. 27–60). Cape Town, campus. Common names for student governments
South Africa: African Minds. include student senate, student council, student
Luescher-Mamashela, T. M. (2010). From university union, associated students, and student associa-
democratisation to managerialism: The changing tion. This entry provides an overview of student
legitimation of university governance and the place of government in higher education, exploring its his-
students. Tertiary Education and Management, 16(4), tory and development, contemporary models, and
259–283. doi:10.1080/13583883.2010.529161 impact on campuses and students.
Luescher-Mamashela, T. M. (2013). Student representation
in university decision making: Good reasons, a new
lens? Studies in Higher Education, 38(10), 1442–1456. History and Development
doi:10.1080/03075079.2011.625496 College students around the world have self-
Macfarlane, B. (2017). Freedom to learn: The threat to organized for at least the last 700 years. Higher
student academic freedom and why it needs to be education historians point to students at the Uni-
reclaimed. London, UK: Routledge.
versity of Bologna in Italy organizing into guilds
Moodie, G. C. (1996). On justifying the different claims to
and houses for their own physical well-being and
academic freedom. Minerva, 34, 129–150. doi:10.1007/
protection as a precursor to modern-day student
BF00122897
governments. In early 19th-century UK, the Stu-
Trowler, V., & Trowler, P. (2010). Student engagement
evidence summary. New York, NY: Higher Education
dents’ Union is an example of students organizing
Academy.
into a collective for self-governance, academic
support, and social activities. At many English col-
leges, the Students’ Union also operate a building
situated alongside campus boundaries called a
STUDENT GOVERNMENT student union that serves as a hub for student rec-
reation and support. The English student union
A student government is a representative body of frequently mirrors the programs and services
undergraduate and/or graduate students in postsec- found in a contemporary student center or student
ondary institutions that is elected by their peers. union on American college campuses.
Student governments serve several functions, one of Student self-governance in the United States
which is advocating on behalf of the whole student emerged soon after the founding of the first colo-
population within the formal governance structure nial colleges. Student frustration with poor living