What is the Student Panel and how does it help support students?
Posted on behalf of: Internal Communications
Last updated: Friday, 9 August 2024
The Student Panel is an advisory group led by students that supports the development of access and participation initiatives and other key pieces of strategic work to improve the experiences of students who are underrepresented within higher education.
Hear from a couple of students who tell us what it was like to participate on the panel, share their experiences and give feedback on key University projects.
Read on to find out more:
Supporting students
We aim to support every student throughout their University journey. This ranges from general support services to specific initiatives to make sure everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed, which you can read more about in our current Access and Participation Plan (APP) (2021/22 - 2024/25).
A key part of creating effective support is to draw upon the insights and ideas of students directly. Colleagues across the University and Students’ Union have been working closely together to achieve this. A commitment to co-creation, students working with staff in collaboration, was at the heart of us launching the Student Panel earlier this year. Our Student Panel, of around 40 students, meets once a month to discuss and advise on projects, programmes and interventions designed to support students to access higher education, succeed whilst they’re here, and progress into their future careers or further study. It has had an important role in developing our new APP, which is due to commence in 2025/26.
Why is this work important?
The University aims to support all students, but not all students are always able to access the support they need due to certain barriers. These barriers often disproportionately affect students who are identified as being part of marginalised groups. The APP helps us provide equal opportunities for all students.
While the APP is aimed at supporting underrepresented groups, it benefits everyone. That's because diversity strengthens our community and achieving the APP’s aims requires our whole University community to work together in this shared endeavour.
How you can help
If you've got ideas on how we can make our support even better, or if you want to get involved in making a difference through the Access and Participation Plan, we want to hear from you. Contact APP Programme Manager, Jo McKinney-Green (j.mckinney-green@sussex.ac.uk) with your thoughts.