January is traditionally a busy month in the NUS calendar as elections season sets in to disrupt working patterns, working relationships and a common working endeavour. This year was definitely an exception to that tradition.

For the NEC members on the Senior Management Team our month was dominated by preparations for something we had commited ourselves to before Christmas: confronting the membership with the true state of NUS’ finances and future. That reality had a sobering effect on the usual punch and judy pantomime politics of the NUS silly season and gave us some much needed perspective on the future direction of the organisation. Here’s what happened in January.

Quality Enhancement Conference, Sheffield Hallam – Friday 5th January

The 4am start to get to Sheffield in time for the opening of Hallam Union’s Quality Enhancement Conference was well worth it for what was a fantastically planned and executed one day conference exploring a range of themes around quality and the student experience – both nationally and at Hallam. I presented some opening remarks alongside Nicky Joiner at the beginning of the day and was on the panel at the end of the day. I’d really encourage other unions to undertake similar initiatives.

Priority Campaign Meeting – Tuesday 8th

Another thinly attended priority campaign meeting in NUS HQ, followed by a long train ride up to Southport with lots of other NEC members for our residential.

NEC Away Day, Southport – Wednesday 9th

A great, productive day looking at some of the key issues facing the organisation.

Burgess Steering Group and Unions ‘94 – Thursday 11th

The penultimate meeting of the Burgess Group on measuring and recording student achievement was a great opportunity to feed in (again!) opposition to the pass/fail model floated in the consultation as well as accreditation and recognition of student activities – which is gaining ground.

I then attended a Unions 94 meeting – the new group formed by the students’ unions of the 1994 Group of universities. I strongly support the development of this initiative and believe it could bring enormous benefits for those unions and for NUS.

Office day – Friday 12th

As it says on the tin.

Meeting with 1994 Group – Monday 15th

I met with Paul Marshall, Chief Exec of the 1994 Group, largely to prepare for our joint panel debate on the Student Experience at the forthcoming Guardian Higher Education Summit, but also an opportunity to discuss other joint work and concerns.

I spent the rest of the afternoon and the next day (Tuesday 16th) in the office preparing for the NUS Strategic Conversation.

FE Leadership Conference, London – Wednesday 17th

I spent much of Wednesday at the FE Leadership Conference organised by the Centre for Excellence in Leadership. It was a fantastic day and I facilitated a discussion on the Leitch Review of Skills which was one of the most engaging policy conversations I’ve had with student officers all year. Ellie Russell also did a great opening speech (see her blog) and Kat Fletcher reminded us that people look much healthier and happier post NUS!

Meeting with UCAS – Thursday 18th

A day in the office, broken up by a meeting with UCAS about admissions reform, changes to the UCAS website and entry profiles and possible joint work on focus groups for students in schools, colleges and sixth forms. I will be shortly joining the board of UCAS as a non-executive director following an invitation sent to NUS for student representation, which I’m really looking forward to.

We then drove up to Leicester for the strategic conversation being held the next day. We were nervous to say the least.

NUS Strategic Conversation – Friday 19th

This was one of the highlights of my time on the NEC so far. The atmosphere was overwhelmingly positive and electric. The audience (officers and managers from students’ unions) reacted very well to our honest and open appraisal of the state of NUS and were incredibly supportive of our determination to reform for the better. I won’t wax lyrical about this just now as I’ll put together something more considered later.

I do want to offer thanks to Gemma Tumelty for her leadership during this difficult time and to the director team for their support. So long as the NEC remains focussed on the challenge ahead and the big picture I think we can not only turn the corner, but transform NUS for the better.

The hard work’s just begun.

Management Team meeting – Monday 22nd

I started this week aged 24, as I’d celebrated my birthday the day before, slightly hungover after a ceilidh in Edinburgh.

The day was spent with the NUS Senior Management Team thinking over the feedback we’d received from the week before and taking things forward. This was followed by regional conference preparation.

AoC Debate on FE Bill and TUC Speak Up for Public Services Rally – Tuesday 23rd

Tuesday was spent in Westminster, first at a debate organised by the Association of Colleges in the House of Lords on clause 19 of the FE Bill (to allow FE colleges to award Foundation Degrees). The debate was chaired by Michael Brunson and brought together the great and the good (and the bad) of the FE and HE sectors to debate this contentious clause in the FE Bill. I was on the panel on behalf of NUS, standing in for Ellie. I enjoyed the debate and received positive feedback from the AoC and some of the friendly VC’s present.

I then walked over to Westminster Central Hall to address the TUC’s Speak Up For Public Services Rally. It was a great privilege to speak on the platform alongside the general secretaries of pretty much every trade union in the country. The chair for my speech, TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O’Grady remarked after my speech: ‘It looks like Mark Serwotka’s [firebrand General Secretary of PCS] got some competition’. Make of that what you will. ;-)

Great Fees Debate, Leeds – Wednesday 24th

This was a fantastic event organised by Education Officer Beth Forrester which had been rescheduled during the preceding term due to a Commons vote at the last minute. I spoke on the panel alongside representatives from the three main parties, Leeds University Union, Leeds University and the HE Minister Bill Rammell. It was a great opportunity to take on Rammell in public following his outrageous accusations of NUS scaremongering last term.

Higher Education Academy Board Meeting – Thursday 25th

Thursday was spent at a meeting of the Higher Education Academy, followed by an afternoon in the office and an evening finishing off my manifesto.

Close of nominations – Friday 26th

I handed in my nomination for re-election as VP Education and also attended an NEC meeting. If would like to feed into suggestions for my Extended Manifesto, please e-mail me on wes.streeting@nus.org.uk I’ve also set up a Facebook group (www.facebook.com). Since I’ve posted it on there, for the sake of transparency I nominated/am supporting the following candidates for election this year:

National President – Gemma Tumelty (NEC)

National Secretary – Stephen Brown (NEC)

National Treasurer – Dave Lewis (Reading University)

VP Welfare – Richard Angell (NEC)

VP Further Education – Beth Walker (Chichester College)

Block of 12 – Katie Curtis (Winchester University), Be Pringle (Nottingham University), Richard ‘Bubble’ Budden (NUS NEC) and Daniel Rosenstone (Manchester University).

Regional Conferences – Sunday 28th January – Thursday 1st February

This term I was in the East Side fun bus. I went in the van on Sunday night up to Leeds with Ste and Bubble. Throughout the week we were joined by the Fin, Ruqs, Veronica, Sofie, Louise, Dave, Claire and Suzie. The schedule was as follows:

· Monday – North East Regional, Leeds

· Tuesday – East Mids Regional, Derby

· Wednesday – London Regional, UCL

· Thursday – East of England, UEA

Throughout the week I delivered a presentation on the next steps of the Priority Campaign and also chaired various bits and pieces like the Education Zone and Report & Plan sessions.

Guardian Higher Education Summit, Wednesday 31st

Apologies to London Regional Conference for leaving early, but I was speaking at the Guardian’s inaugural Higher Education Summit in a panel debate I was chairing on the Student Experience. It generated a really great discussion as part of the wider summit.

Any questions on anything in the January blog, drop me a line on wes.streeting@nus.org.uk.

All the best,

Wes

The Blogs on this site represent the individual views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or practices of the National Union of Students.

All links in blogs will open in a new browser window.

The permanent URL for this specific blog entry is: http://www.officeronline.co.uk/blogs/wesstreeting/273900.aspx