by KURT CHENG

The University of Technology Sydney has signed its first Student Partnership Agreement (SPA) with its student leaders.

With the common goal of enriching the student experience, the agreement strengthens UTS’s engagement with students as partners and its inclusion of multiple student perspectives. It also makes a strong statement of the university’s commitment to the students who contribute to decision-making at UTS.

The agreement also details agreed priorities for the next two years, identifying opportunities for student engagement on key issues and enabling students to utilise this as a reference point. Nominated priorities include: the institutional response to sexual assault and harassment; sustainable funding models for the student union; engagement with quality improvement; initiatives for courses; and teaching practices for teaching staff.

To ensure the continued relevance of the agreement, it will be reviewed bi-annually by the elected student leaders of the day along with university management.

UTS recognises that inclusive governance requires students and staff to work together. It acknowledges that a positive working relationship between students and staff is essential to the realisation of the university’s long-term vision and strategy. By partnering with students, UTS ensures that students are given a voice in the university community and an opportunity to shape their student experience.

For additional information and a copy of the agreement, read more from the UTS Newsroom (May 2022) and (June 2022). Further resources on how your institution can develop a SPA can be found at Student Voice Australia.

Kurt Cheng is a fourth-year Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Communication (Social and Political Sciences) student, University of Technology Sydney. @KurtCheng01

Connect with Kurt via LinkedIn or by email at [email protected]

Kurt has served three terms as an elected student member on the UTS Academic Board and was recently elected to the University Council. He is a strong believer in the transformative power of education to improve social outcomes for low socioeconomic and cultural and linguistically diverse students. Kurt’s main areas of interest are equitable access to education, academic quality standards and the future of assessment in higher education.