Student Governance

Student governance has two complementary meanings. When student in the term student governance refers to an active political agent who is involved in governing the student body, the meaning of the term is similar to that of student representation. This is the primary descriptive sense of student governance in higher education contexts. However, student in student governance can also refer to a passive subject of governance, that is, someone who is governed by and subject to the system of rules that governs students. The two complementary meanings of student governance thus are focused on the nature and extent of the system of student rules which represents a codified conception of the student–university relationship. This entry provides an overview of student governance and then explores the ...