Emily represents you when campaigning for improvements to academics.
About my Role
Read the President of Education's full role description.
Hi I’m Emily, your President of Education this academic year. I am tasked with representing students on matters related to learning, teaching and research in St Andrews. My manifesto encapsulates the accessibility of me, resources and spaces for all students.
As the token ‘Swifty’ of the Executive Officers this year, it was only right for it to be eras tour inspired. I aim to secure changes for all students through training and supporting fearless- and productive- student voices all levels. I will speak now to support postgraduate students, cement their representation structures, and advocate for their unique experiences. Students receive too many emails, thus I aim to cut the red tape and ensure that students are facilitated though efficient and streamlined communications. Our university has a historic reputation, though I will push for innovative teaching and policies. I hope to ensure that students facing barriers to academia know of all support available to them. I will further explore the extension of collaborative study spaces, and advocate for the accommodation of diverse learning requirements.
To keep up to date on what I am working on, you can follow me on Instagram (@standrewsunion and @sta.eduexec) or follow @standrewsunion on Instagram! You are also always welcome to reach out to me through email with thoughts or concerns for anything related to education or academia in general.
Fearless- Student Voices:
I am committed to protecting student voices!
- The academic representation team received the highest ever nominations for the class and PG rep elections- 902, compared to last year’s 765!
- I have written a university ‘Student Voice and Representation Policy’ to be followed by all members of our university community. This policy protects and embeds the student voice in decision making.
- I helped launched the new Module Feedback Questionnaires. Through this we have implemented ‘Student Voice Receipts’ to ensure students who provide module feedback receive a response of staff action. As part of this I created training for students in how to provide constructive feedback.
- I have introduced Vice School Presidents in each school to reduce the extensive School President workload and prologue student engagement with representation.
- I have carried out the first ever ‘Student Voice Audit’ where I checked to what extent UG and PG Student Staff Consultive Committee meetings were occurring in each school.
- I organised and chaired the Undergraduate Academic Forum. With School and Faculty Presidents, we successfully campaigned for greater fee transparency, increased study abroad and placement support, more standardisation of workload across schools, and bluntly expressed student dissatisfaction at the increased UG cohort this year.
- I organised and chaired the Postgraduate Academic Forum. With the Postgraduate Presidents, we lobbied the university for greater PGT dissertation support, protection of PG Student Staff Consultive Committees, transparency of funding opportunities and support for community initiatives.
- Alongside the Director of Student Experience, I presented at the new staff induction on the importance of the Students’ Association and the student experience.
- I have co-written the University’s Self Evaluation Action Plan, and contributed to the Tertiary Quality Enhancement Review, to further set clear areas of improvement for our institution. The University will be held to account for both documents by the Quality Assurance Agency and Scottish Funding Council, so we should see improvements for students soon.
- I am currently organising an Academic Representation Conference to occur in semester 2 to reassert essential training, celebrate achievements, and work together on our university-wide aims.
- When new School and Faculty Presidents are elected in March, I will standardise the handover process between representatives at the Union and in individual schools. This will ensure all representatives are productive from the beginning of their tenure, rather than spending months utilising their valuable time navigating their school landscape.
Speak Now- Postgraduates:
I wear two hats at all times, remembering that what I’m doing will affect undergraduates and postgraduates.
- I wrote in university policy that PGRs who teach can request a private room to securely grade their students work.
- I have ensured all School Presidents and Language Convenors include relevant postgraduate information in their weekly emails.
- I carried out the first ever audit of Postgraduate Student Staff Consultive Committees.
- I have supported Postgraduate Representatives apply to relevant funding for events and initiatives.
- I am working on a teaching workload model in collaboration with the university to ensure PGR students have adequate preparation time for their teaching.
- I will continue working alongside your Postgraduate Presidents and Postgraduate Representatives to build a strong PG community.
Red- Communications:
I am working to ensure students are facilitated through improved communications.
- In the NEW ‘Student Voice and Representation Policy’ I have stipulated that schools must send a limited- yet necessary- amount of emails to students per week.
- I have relaunched ‘Weekly Wins’ to highlight the achievements of academic representatives each week! You can find this series on @sta.eduexec
- I began my quarterly updates to improve my own transparency.
- The Executive Officers launched our instagram account to improve our outreach.
- I have ensured School Presidents can advertise their events to wider audiences through inclusion in the Union’s weekly email.
- I have contributed to the Careers Centre’s communications strategy to expand their social media.
- I am working with the Careers Centre to improve their support for female graduates. This work will be launched on international women’s day.
- I produced a guide of Union and University resources available to resent graduates.
- In semester 2 I plan to work to improve the communication of office hours in a centralised system.
Reputation- Innovation:
Our university is rich in history, but we must still prioritise innovation.
- Diversity: I have met will all school EDI Directors to introduce all school EDI Representative providing a dedicated student voice report at school EDI meetings. This will ensure staff instantly know of EDI feedback.
I am working with the BAME Students’ Network to encourage the university to found scholarships for BAME students. So far we have ensured a full refresh of the scholarship website to better advertise these scholarships, and that the BAME Students’ Network can contribute to the scholarship selection criteria.
- Artificial Intelligence: I contributed to the University Strategy to ensure a more welcoming approach to AI. I am further working with the University on policies to provide more guidance to students of how we use AI to enrich our learning.
- Fighting Federalization: School to school difference is negatively affecting joint honours students. I am working with the university to standardise coursework and assessment for each credit weightage, to ensure no student is being over assessed unnecessarily. I am further working to standardise our credit system to ensure joint degree students no longer have to over credit.
Lover- Support:
- Carers, Commuters, Mature, and Flexible Learners: I am working to ensure the Students’ Association has a dedicated space for commuters- including a kitchen. I continually advocate for the university to respect all extenuating circumstances.
- Students with disabilities: I have introduced Beacon Bar as a study space following student feedback about overwhelming Main Library light levels. In semester 2 I will work with the DSN’s Education Officer to update the Disability Guide and ensure its wide circulation. I am working with IT Services to improve lecture capture accountability.
- Widening Access: I organised a Textbook Giveaway whereby 300 books were given to students who need them most at the Freshers’ Fayre. Alongside School Presidents I have worked to improve tuition fee transparency, prevent fee discrepancies, and will soon be looking at measures to ensure students do not drop out of their industry placement degree pathway because of funds.
- LGBTQ+: I changed the name of an offensively named crucial university policy to demonstrate better respect to our transgender and non-binary community.
- Palestinian Students: I contributed to and signed a letter to government ministers and advocated to our university leaders to ensure our students could study here.
- Sustainability: I introduced the ‘Outstanding Commitment to Sustainable Teaching; award for the 1413 Teaching Excellence Awards to embed sustainable practices in the curriculum.
- Academic Appeals: I have ensured that only qualified staff members are making the judgement of stage 2 academic appeals, with the President of Education and President of Union Affairs overseeing this process.
- Leaves of Absence: I am working on a university policy to consider better support measures for students on a leave of absence.
Folklore- National and International Advocacy:
- I have been selected as a member of European University Association’s 2026 Quality Assurance Thematic Peer Group to represent students internationally!
- I have been selected as a member Scotland’s Student Expert Group to represent students nationally.
- I have joined the National Education Officers Network to stay connected with all Scottish HE and FE institutions.
- I organised for the education officers from the Stockholm School of Economics to visit the University of St Andrews to share good practice.
- I presented at the Higher and Further Education Strategy Forum with our Vice Principal of Education on the importance of the student voice in decision making. As the only student attendee in a room full of Vice-Chancellors, Principals, Deans and other officials, I really hope St Andrews managed to make an impact across the sector.
Evermore- Funding:
- I attended Ethical Finance and Divestment Training and am using this to lobby the university to divest from unsustainable funds alongside the President of Union Affairs and Environment Officer.
- I met the Minister for Further and Higher Education to discuss the unsustainable Scottish HE funding model.
- Alongside the President of Union Affairs, and other Executive Officers across Scotland, I launched the Save our Scottish Education Campaign. The President of Union Affairs is now furthering this work.
- I am the lead Executive Officer for the Main Bar student consultation to ensure student views at the heart of the Students' Association's financial decision making.
Midnights- Study Spaces:
- Alongside the library I have introduced a ‘Desk Hogging’ campaign to combat the longstanding issue of students reserving seats with bags.
- I worked with the timetabling team to ensure societies can book university spaces for their events and meetings.
- Alongside the Library and Arts and Divinity Faculty President, I organised the Library Open Forum to gather in person feedback about library etiquette, noise levels, lighting levels, rules, and occupancy levels. From this we can begin implementing changes.
- Following a proposal to dramatically reduce library opening times, I successfully lobbied a return to regular hours and an extension of ours in revision and exam weeks.
- I am working to introduce a new and accessible 24 hour study space!
Previous holders
| Year |
Name |
Resources |
| 2025/26 |
Emily Bannister |
|