There are no elections currently running at UWS, although nominations for vacant School Officer and Post Graduate positions will open on the 8th of September 2025.
Volunteer Roles
School Officers
There are two school officers per school at UWS, and this is a role you can complete during your studies to gain experience and skills, and an insight into how the university works.
School Officers represent all students within one of the four schools at UWS.
The four schools are:
- Business and Creative Industries
- Computing, Engineering, and Physical Sciences
- Education and Social Science
- Health and Life Sciences
- School Officers work to improve the lives of students who study within their school
- School Officers gather information from divisional reps
- School Officers attend school board meetings and share feedback and student perspective on matters discussed there
- School Officers feedback school board decisions to divisional reps.
- School Officers work together with staff in the school to improve the student experience.?
Post-Graduate Research Roles
What are they?
There are three committees at UWS with spaces specifically for PGR students. These roles are all voluntary roles which can be completed alongside your studies.
On all of these groups, the PGR Representative should:
- Provide a research student perspective on the issues being debated by the university.
- Read committee papers
- Discuss and debate changes that are proposed at UWS
- Talk to fellow PGR students to find out what they think and keep them informed.
- Be a student at UWS until at least Summer 2025
PGR Senate Representative
The PGR Senate Representative was succesfully elected in Spring 2025, and Rui Jin will be the PGR voice on the Senate. The Senate is responsible for overall planning, co-ordination, development and supervision of the academic work of the whole University and the elected Full Time Sabbatical officers sit on Senate too. Senate meets 4x a year.
The representatives will be in post for the academic year 2024-2025 so this role is not suitable for anyone who will finish their studies on or before August 2024.
- The representative will provide a research student perspective on the issues being debated by the university.
- Read committee papers
- Discuss and debate changes that are proposed at UWS
- Talk to fellow PGR students to find out what they think and keep them informed.
Doctoral College Board Student Representatives
There are two places for Doctoral Students on the Doctoral College Board. The Doctoral College is responsible for addressing issues related to the doctoral student experience including registration, research studies, progression, and assessment of doctoral students. They also review and monitor the conditions of doctoral candidates.
The representatives will be in post for the academic year 2024-2025 so this role is not suitable for anyone who will finish their studies on or before August 2024.
- The representative will provide a research student perspective on the issues being debated by the university.
- Read committee papers
- Discuss and debate changes that are proposed at UWS
- Talk to fellow PGR students to find out what they think and keep them informed.
Research and Innovation Committee Representatives
There are two places for doctoral students on the Research and Innovation Committee (previously REAC). This committee is responsible for the development of research and enterprise at UWS, and makes recommendations to Senate - one of the highest committees in the University.
The representatives will be in post for the academic year 2024-2025 so this role is not suitable for anyone who will finish their studies on or before August 2024.
- The representative will provide a research student perspective on the issues being debated by the university.
- Read committee papers
- Discuss and debate changes that are proposed at UWS
- Talk to fellow PGR students to find out what they think and keep them informed.
Elections Principles and Rules
A full list of elections principles and rules can be found on our candidates information page.
If you feel that a candidate has broken the rules you can submit a complaint by e-mailing David.Devlin@uws.org.uk stating which rule you think has been broken, and providing any evidence to support this.
Election FAQs
We'll be updating these as the election goes on and we get more questions!
Why should I stand for election?
Any of these positions are an excellent opportunity to:
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Make a Difference – improve UWS for your fellow students by making sure that students are heard!
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Develop Skills – you’ll get an opportunity to attend meetings at a very high level, work in partnership with university staff, and develop your skills for the workplace.
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Get training and support – Whatever role you stand for your Students’ Union will support you to campaign, and if you’re elected your Students’ Union is here to support you in your role.
Why should I care about the Elections?
We believe that students should be at the heart of everything that happens at UWS – Elections make sure that the student representatives truly represent the views of students, and that the student voice is heard at every level of the university.
How do I nominate myself?
When elections are open you can simply log in to this election page and choose which position to nominate yourself for. Make sure you upload a manifesto to let students know what you stand for and why they should vote for you!
Still have questions? Email elections@uwsunion.org.uk, for more information!
Questions or Complaints
If you have any questions about the election, please contact us by emailing david.devlin@uws.ac.uk. All enquiries are kept in the strictest confidence.
If you would like to make a complaint about the election please download and complete the Elections Complaint Form before sending it to David.
Eligability Criteria
You can find the written criteria for the positions up for election within this docoument. You must confirm that you meet this criteria during the nomination process.
Voting
You will need to log into the website, using your standard log in, to Vote.
If your password is not working - you need to have this reset by ITDS.
Big Election FAQs
Why should I stand for election?
Any of these positions are an excellent opportunity to:
-
Make a difference – improve UWS for your fellow students by making sure that students are heard!
-
Develop skills – you’ll get an opportunity to attend meetings, work in partnership with university staff, and develop your skills for the workplace.
-
Get training and support – Whatever role you stand for your Students’ Union will support you to campaign, and if you’re elected your Students’ Union is here to support you in your role.
Why should I care about the Elections?
We believe that students should be at the heart of everything that happens at UWS – Elections make sure that the student representatives truly represent the views of students, and that the student voice is heard at every level of the university.
How do I nominate myself?
The process for nominating yourself is coming soon, but you won't be able to put yourself forwards until Nominations open on the 8th September.