The NERUPI Student Ambassador and Mentor Working Group invites you to the launch of the Student Ambassador and Mentor (SAM) Project Report. At this launch, we will present the findings of the Working Groups’ multi-institutional quantitative research study of student ambassadors’ experiences and perceived value of their roles in higher education.

Dr Cristian Dogaru, the project data analyst, will present the report findings, including who student ambassadors are and how they engage, what they gain from working in these roles and the impact of the breadth of their engagement. He will discuss the patterns that have emerged in the analysis that are central to understanding how ambassador roles translate into perceived benefits, and the implications of the Report findings for how institutions design, manage and evaluate ambassador programmes.

We will also hear from practitioner colleagues from some of our Project partner institutions about how they are already implementing the research findings into their practice, or how it will shape their future approaches.

Background to the Project

Taking an exploratory approach, a Student Ambassador Reflection Tool was initially developed by the Working Group to support ambassadors’ reflections on their experiences and learning to provide a firm basis for further research and evaluation. From this, a NERUPI online survey to support future internal and collaborative evaluation was developed and piloted in a small-scale study with student ambassadors from four NERUPI membership institutions. The questions in that survey were analyzed and refined.

Building on the findings from these previous collaborations, this latest phase of the Project was a multi-institutional research study conducted across a collaboration of ten universities in the NERUPI network. Over 300 student ambassadors completed the Project’s online survey. The study was designed to develop a shared evidence base on the experiences and perceived value of student ambassador and mentoring roles in a diverse group of NERUPI member higher education providers, with the aim of supporting institutional practice and sector-wide learning.

Our Partner Institutions

The partner NERUPI membership institutions in this phase of the Project were: Bath Spa University; SOAS University of London; University College London; University of Bath; University of Hertfordshire; University of Kent; University of Leeds; University of Manchester; University of Salford and the University of Sheffield.

Our Speakers

Dr Cristian Dogaru, Course Leader, MRes Social Sciences and Humanities, School of Business, Arts, Social Sciences and Technology, University of Suffolk

Cristian is an Associate Professor at the University of Suffolk with over 20 years of interdisciplinary professional and academic experience spanning medicine, epidemiology, and social sciences. A paediatrician-turned-social scientist, he holds a medical degree from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Romania and a PhD in Human Development and Family Sciences from Oregon State University, USA.

As well as playing a key leadership role in the development and implementation of the Civic University Agreement (CUA), Cristian helped shape the university’s civic mission, guiding principles, and governance structures. In addition, he has successfully led and finalized the University of Suffolk’s compliance with the Assured Organisational Connectivity (AOC) framework, ensuring secure and accredited remote access to research data in alignment with UK GDPR and Digital Economy Act standards.

Background Reading

Student Ambassador Experience: Enhancing Professional and Personal Development (NERUPI Report, 2024)