I have had an exciting, busy and successful first term as your President (Academic Life) here at CCSU! My key highlights include:
- Vice Chancellor’s Question and Answer session which took place on the 7th of November. I aided in the facilitation of gathering feedback via an anonymous form where students had the opportunity to interact with Senior Management at the University. Through my interactions and discussions with students, I noticed a concerning trend where student visas overlapped with reassignment periods and submission dates. From this, I encouraged students to attend the Vice Chancellor’s Q&A to raise their concerns. By amplifying the student voice I helped successfully facilitate the readjustment of the resubmission and reassessment period. As a result of the forum, 27 International Students were able to get a CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies ) extension visa. All International Students were given the opportunity to resubmission earlier so they could finish their studies within the visa timeline. This event highlighted to the University that International Students do have a proactive voice and we will be heard!
- I attended course rep meetings and provided evaluations for the trial run of Unitu (a student feedback platform). It is also important to note that the SU has the highest number of course reps ever! A higher proportion of course reps meant more detailed qualitative feedback could be gathered and strategies could be implemented to ensure students have the best academic experience.
- I also worked on the ICE (Industry, Careers, and Enterprise) module. This involved integrating employability skills into the curriculum, which can significantly enhance student preparedness for the workforce. This was done by incorporating practical activities and industry partnerships within modules.
- Employability was a key area of concern last term, but this was continued forward through my time as an Officer. I worked on job fairs for every school to make our students employable and also researched micro internships with Unitemps. I also promoted Handshake to raise awareness for international postgraduate students to find job opportunities online, where they can access employers directly and find their upcoming career events. In the new term, I hope to promote Handshake via lecture shoutouts to prospective students to help aid career growth and development.
- I attended numerous Academic Board Meetings throughout the year the student body. I was representing student voice at the highest level at University and making a strong impact on students ' concerns raised about the proposed transformational changes the University will be undertaking. I am proud to use my position as your Academic Life president to ensure all students feel supported.
- I collated feedback regarding the new proposed Academic Regulations facilitated by Cathi Fredricks to ensure the regulations reflect the best interests and needs of our students whilst being equitable and transparent.
I am looking forward to the new term, where I will continue to make an impactful difference at the University and the Union. My upcoming projects include Academic Societies Fair, One World Week and integrated employability campaigns.