New members appointed to QAA’s Student Strategic Advisory Committee

QAA’s Student Strategic Advisory Committee (SSAC) - one of the core elements of our student engagement work - will welcome 11 new members next month, after their appointment was confirmed last week by the QAA Board.

SSAC provides a space for QAA to engage students and student representatives in the work we carry out as the UK’s independent quality body for higher education. SSAC members are recruited annually and serve a maximum term of two years.

SSAC is co-chaired by the two student members of the QAA Board, one of whom is nominated by the National Union of Students (NUS). The current co-chairs of SSAC are Hillary Gyebi-Ababio, Vice-President of Higher Education for NUS UK, and Eve Alcock, a former two-term President of the University of Bath Students’ Union.

The newly-appointed members of SSAC are:

• Jasmine Smail, Vice-President Education, Bath Spa University Students' Union
• Alice Ruby Foulis, Graduate, The University of Law
• Harry Michael Williams, Graduate, Keele University
• Amy Elizabeth Gallacher, Student, University of St Andrews 
• Ondrej Kucerak, Vice-President Education, Aberdeen University Students' Association
• Sean Righardt Holm, Student, Swansea University
• Christopher Brasnett, Graduate, University of Bristol
• James Edward McHale, Student, University of Leeds
• Emma Murphy, Vice-President Education, Queen's University Belfast Students' Union
• Jamie Thomas Crawford, Sabbatical Officer, Blackpool and The Fylde College Students' Union
• Nina Curpric, Vice-President Education, University of Derby Union of Students

Welcoming the new members to the committee, QAA’s Director of Membership, Quality Enhancement and Standards, Dr Ailsa Crum, said: 

‘Student engagement is at the heart of our work and the Student Strategic Advisory Committee shapes what we do, ensuring we’re addressing the priorities of higher education students across the UK. We look forward to working with new and returning members of the Committee throughout the next year. It’s going to be busy but it will also be rewarding, and we thank them in advance for their lively and vital contributions’.

SSAC Co-chair Eve Alcock said: ‘It is fantastic to welcome new voices and expertise to SSAC. The committee is crucial in informing the work of QAA and ensuring our student engagement is as robust as it can be. I cannot wait to continue our work ensuring the student voice is at the heart of quality in higher education.’

SSAC Co-chair and NUS Vice-President for Higher Education, Hillary Gyebi-Ababio said: 'It is great to welcome some more brilliant minds to SSAC this year to champion the student voice. The diversity of the SSAC membership ensures that QAA’s work is informed by a broad range of student perspectives. I'm looking forward to furthering the great work we do at SSAC with this new cohort!'

The committee will hold their first meeting online on 10 November.

You can view further information on the Student Strategic Advisory Committee and its members on the QAA website.