Workshop
The combination of rising student mental health needs, misunderstood provision and increasing sector pressures highlight the need for innovative leadership practice capable of embedding student wellbeing within strategy and policy.
This session presents recent research findings taken from a study exploring the rich experiences of higher education Student Services leaders, a perspective often absent from strategic leadership literature, and theories of Leadership-as-Practice (Raelin, 2016). We ask the question, what are the opportunities and challenges of placing student wellbeing as a strategic priority for wellbeing leaders of UK HEIs?
The study explored the insights of senior wellbeing leaders in driving the strategic positioning of student wellbeing within the UK HE sector, undertaken in the context of heightened public, political, and sectoral attention to student mental health, alongside growing demand for systemic responses that go beyond reactive service provision.
Findings and sector recommendations will be discussed and explored, to further legitimise Student Services leadership, to support the development of wellbeing leadership practices, particularly those that promote collaboration over competition, embrace complexity, and are responsive to the diverse and evolving needs of the student population.