UHI and Your Students’ Association sign new Student Partnership Agreement
A new student partnership agreement was signed by UHI and Your Students’ Association (formerly Highlands and Islands Students Association - HISA) on Friday 1 December.
The agreement, covering a three-year period from 2024 to 2026, states how Your Students’ Association and UHI will work in partnership to enhance the student experience.
Throughout the agreement, the work themes agreed are the focus of partnership working and are overseen by a working group that meets on a monthly basis. The new agreement covers three areas of work:
Theme 1: Improved academic growth, engagement and quality
This theme includes improving the student experience, evidenced through National Student Survey results, improving the student voice representative system and other such initiatives.
Theme 2: Active campaigning and community engagement
This theme includes an annual general meeting/conference to which all students are invited, and the active campaigning of elected association officers on their manifesto pledges.
Theme 3: Celebrating success
This theme includes employability skills development, annual teaching awards, sporting blues, volunteer achievement and student voice rep reward and recognition.
Vicki Nairn, UHI’s Interim Principal and Vice-Chancellor, said: “UHI exists to have a transformational impact on the people, communities and economy of our regions.
“Our 36,000 students are at the heart of what we do, so I am delighted to see the signing of the latest student partnership agreement between UHI and Your Students’ Association.
“UHI was the first university in Scotland to introduce a student partnership agreement for the 2014/15 academic year, and I look forward to working with the students’ association, our students, and colleagues across the partnership to build on the success of previous agreements.”
Your Students’ Association President, William Campbell, added: “I am extremely honoured to be signing the student partnership agreement with the interim Principal and Vice Chancellor to show both UHI and the student associations’ commitment to improving the student experience.
“While I am the one signing it, I must give thanks to everyone within UHI and the students' association for working together to get this document made.
“The work to get the student partnership agreement to where it is now shows just how much partnership working the students' association and UHI already do and how the student partnership agreement will strengthen it even further."