Ensuring best practice while sharing ideas and experiences around student engagement in a new era in education, was central to the Biannual Student Affairs Ireland Seminar which took place in the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS) Moylish Campus this Tuesday (June 18, 2024.)
More than 180 student affairs professionals from 19 Higher Education Institutes attended presentations and specialist workshops as part of this “Creating, Engaging and Enhancing Community for Student Success” seminar.
President of Student Affairs Ireland and Student Affairs Manager at TUS Midwest Linda Barry said, “Moving on to third level education is a major milestone for all students, and while each student will face challenging moments along the way, those challenges are not universal. As student service professionals our role is to ensure that students are supported through their personal journey and remain engaged with the whole college experience. We must therefore always be prepared to adapt to the changing needs of our students – be that navigating the digital age or providing extra supports in a post pandemic Ireland.
“This seminar was an opportunity for student affairs professionals from the third level sector to share knowledge, good practice and expertise. It provided a platform for researchers and practitioners to present new research and to share ideas to enhance student growth, development and success.”
Welcoming the SAI to TUS, President of TUS Professor Vincent Cunnane said the first two values that emerged from TUS staff when developing the inaugural TUS Strategic Plan were inclusivity and supportiveness.
“This means that student services are almost uniquely important to us here in TUS, both because of their work and because student services articulate what we are about, our values, our mission, and our very identity. Possibly more than another single group, our student services staff really provide the meaning for the phrase “We care about people”.”
Meanwhile the keynote address “Creating Higher Education Communities that Foster Student Engagement and Success” was delivered by Tom Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Higher Education at the University of Portsmouth.
Mr Lowe’s research includes student engagement in the development of education, embedding employability into the curriculum and student belonging. He is experienced in the practicalities surrounding student engagement in quality assurance, learning and teaching, University governance and Students’ Unions, as well as student involvement in extracurricular activities and overcoming barriers to student success through inclusive practice.
