UUSU is one of the largest membership organisations in Northern Ireland supporting around 25,000 student members. Operating as a charity, UUSU represents, supports and connects its members through a range of services, activities and pledges, and is the voice of the students at Ulster University.
UUSU was formed in 1984 as a semi-autonomous part of Ulster University to work on behalf of the students attending the University. Over the years its representation and services have grown significantly with a range of services for its members including academic representation, welfare advice, volunteering opportunities and enhancement of the student experience through events, activities and change programmes. UUSU holds a significant budget of over £1.5m to deliver its services which is garnered through grant funding and income generation.
Seven elected student officers are supported by around 50 staff across the Belfast, Coleraine, Jordanstown and Magee campuses. The overall responsibility and safeguarding of UUSU falls to the Board of Trustees, who are a group of 12 appointed individuals. The Trustee Board ensures that the resources of the Students’ Union are applied effectively for the purposes of, and furtherance of, its aims and objectives. The Board is also responsible for the overall strategy, management and finances of the Students’ Union.
UUSU is member led, not just in spirit but also in practice, and this is the key to its success. That is why the University, politicians and the media want to speak to UUSU, to hear the voice of real students and young people.
Why the UUSU is supporting Boardroom Apprentice
“UUSU views the opportunity to support this scheme as holding significant value to both the participant and UUSU. It is a fantastic way in which to provide Board experience to an aspiring board member, but also gives a fresh voice and perspective to UUSU within its most senior governance structures. As an organisation whose membership is made up of students, additional insight and knowledge around the trends and needs of the student body is critical to continue the growth of the organisation.
“We have a good mix of individuals on the Board at present and this would be complimented by an individual joining as part of this scheme. Currently we have four external Trustees who are drawn from senior positions in industry across Northern Ireland; four student Trustees who apply to the position during their studies; and four student Officer Trustees who are elected into the role on behalf of UUSU’s Student Council. Having an additional voice to add to this scope would be extremely valuable to UUSU, and due to the scope of the Board’s make-up any individual joining UUSU would be able to make links with a range of groups and sectors.
“Although the President of the Students’ Union is the default Chair of the Board, one of the External Trustees is appointed as the Deputy to support the function of the President. It seems appropriate that the Board Buddy would potentially be the Deputy Chair. However, if successful we would take some time to match the applicant to the most appropriate buddy that would be inevitable drawn from one of the four external Trustees.
UUSU feels that due to its diverse nature; from its volunteer, representative structures, to its member-led aspirations, and its significant staff resource and budget; that any applicant would inevitably attain significant knowledge to draw upon in future Board level aspirations. In addition, all staff and Officers attending the meetings (whom haven’t been elected to serve on the Board) act in a non-voting capacity therefore the structure and culture of honest and transparent debate and discussion is already in place. This ensures that any successful candidate can instantly add value to the discussions (albeit in a non-voting capacity).
“There are also many appropriate events and activities that UUSU can offer and gain feedback and input from any successful applicant. These include various Awards, large scale student events and democratic student meetings. The level of involvement to some extent will be dependant on the time and flexibility of the individual applicant, however this is something that can be discussed with the Board Buddy on an ongoing basis.
Working through the checklist provided in the document UUSU would also point to a detailed governance process across the organisation. This includes Articles, Byelaws, detailed local and central risk registers, operating plans, strategy documents etc. all of which we hope would benefit the development of any individual who came onboard through this scheme.”
Location of Board and Committee Meetings
Video conferencing or in-person options available to all meetings across the four campus sites in Belfast, Jordanstown, Coleraine and Magee (Derry).
Frequency and timing of board/committee meetings
Full Trustee Board meetings normal take place once per quarter from around 4.30-7pm (maximum).
There are also three constituted sub-committees that are governed by the main Board and are detailed in the subsequent questions.
Date of Board Meetings (September 2021 – August 2022)
Meetings are usually held in early September (which includes annual Trustee training), and the last weeks of November, February and May.
Committee of the Boards and meeting dates (September 2021 – August 2022)
The Board has three other Sub-Committees where engagement could be secured for the individual availing of this Boardroom Apprentice programme. These are detailed below:
Staffing Sub-Committee (meets twice per year)
Finance & General Purposes (meets four times per year)
Audit and Compliance (meets twice per year)
