Are you searching for inspiration to fuel your own journey in leadership and personal development? Look no further than the latest episode of our podcast, featuring Craig Best in conversation with Dr. Jill Creighton. This thought-provoking discussion is packed with candid stories, honest reflections, and actionable takeaways that you won’t want to miss.

One of the main themes that emerges from this episode is the ongoing process of growth—both personally and professionally. Craig Best is refreshingly open about the importance of learning from failure and embracing vulnerability in the leadership space. Through his anecdotes and experiences, listeners are reminded that the path to success isn’t linear, and that setbacks are not just inevitable, but invaluable. Craig’s perspective encourages us to reframe mistakes as opportunities for learning and self-improvement rather than sources of shame.

Another powerful topic explored during the episode is the significance of authentic relationships. Both Dr. Creighton and Dr. Lewis draw out compelling insights as Craig shares how cultivating trust and genuine connections can create lasting impact. Whether you’re a leader in your organization or working to develop your own network, the episode is packed with practical advice for fostering environments where everyone feels empowered and heard.

The episode also delves into the idea of legacy—how leaders shape their environments today, and how their choices reverberate over time. Craig discusses the mentors who have influenced him, the lessons he hopes to pass on, and the obligation leaders have to support and uplift others. This conversation is an important reminder of the ripple effect our words and actions can have, both now and in the future.

Finally, you’ll be inspired by the emphasis on self-awareness and intentionality as essential leadership tools. The dialogue is filled with strategies for staying grounded, keeping ego in check, and navigating challenges with empathy and grace.

If you’re looking for a compelling listen that blends insight, authenticity, and actionable wisdom, this episode with Craig Best, and Dr. Jill Creighton is one you can’t afford to skip. Tune in now and unlock new perspectives that will help you lead, grow, and connect more effectively—both in your personal life and your professional journey.

TRANSCRIPT

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:02]: Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to seasoned experts brought to you by naspa. We curate free and accessible professional development for higher ed pros wherever you happen to be. This is season 13 on the value of student affairs. I'm Dr. Jill Creighton. She her hers your Essay Voices from the Field host Today on Essay Voices, we're headed across the pond to meet Craig Best, who's currently the Director of Student and Academic Services at the University of Manchester. Craig is a senior higher education leader and researcher with extensive experience shaping student experience, governance and digital innovation across UK universities. As a Director at the University of Manchester, he oversees a broad portfolio spanning student success, outreach and access, curriculum and quality development, international transnational education and collaborations, interdisciplinary learning, careers and employability, student volunteering and success and administrative services including timetabling, data management, student records, admissions and student finance.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:09]: His leadership is defined by emotional intelligence, participatory decision making and a strategic focus on sustainable institutional impact. Craig's research at the University of Bath explores the intersection of emotional intelligence, systems thinking and higher education governance, with particular attention to digital transformation and policy implementation. A central theme of his work is the role of leadership playing in a volatile and uncertain climate we now find ourselves in. Beyond research, Craig translates theory into practice. He's led transformative initiatives and quality assurance, service delivery and workforce planning, admissions collaborations. Wow, starting that whole paragraph over. Sorry. Beyond research, Craig translates theory into practice.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:48]: He's led transformative initiatives in quality assurance, service delivery and workforce planning, admissions and collaborations. His approach ensures that institutional change aligns with mission and market realities while advancing student outcomes and staff development. Craig also serves on the Academic Registrar Council Executive in the uk, contributing to sector wide leadership and policy discussions as a mentor and advocate for professional growth. He champions leadership grounded in ethical reasoning, critical thinking and systems awareness, bringing comparative international perspectives to inform policy, practice and innovation in UK higher ed. Driven by inclusivity, innovation and service excellence, he Craig combines deep sector knowledge with creative problem solving, positioning institutions to navigate complex challenges while sustaining their core mission and enhancing the student and staff experience. Craig, welcome to SA Voices.

Craig Best [00:02:37]: Hi Jill. It's really nice to be here. Thank you for inviting me.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:40]: Lovely to see you again. You first engaged with NASPA at this year's annual conference. Which happened. Where were we?

Craig Best [00:02:48]: New Orleans.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:49]: New Orleans, that's right. I was. I was thinking Seattle, but that was two years ago now. I believe that was your first exposure to naspa, right?

Craig Best [00:02:55]: It was absolutely my first exposure. Exposure and it blew me away. What NASPA does. I've come back singing the praises of NASPA and how the US model the work around student affairs and academic affairs is just absolutely fantastic. Lots of learning happened, lots of thoughts. So yeah, it's really great to be on the podcast to talk a little bit more about the UK and kind of where I've come and where all those kind of directions to travels are.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:03:22]: Well, as far as English speaking countries that are producing a lot of research, the UK is certainly at the top of that list as well, producing a lot of information at the moment. And a lot of change is happening in the British higher education landscape. So I thought we'd use our episode today to help our primarily North American audience learn a little bit more about what student services looks like in the UK and what we call things, because we have a lot of students coming over to study abroad. And in my own experience, I think that there's a lot of assumptions that we understand each other's culture more easily because we speak the same language. But I've also found that's really not true in a lot of cases. And so that assumption can get us into trouble when we think we understand the context and maybe we don't. So I'd love to start with Amashi actually, and if you could tell us a bit about what Amashi is, because for our North American listeners, it's really the analog in the UK to NASPA in a lot of ways, but the purview is a little bit broader because of the way that things are structured. So why don't you tell us about Amashi and what you do there?

Craig Best [00:04:23]: Yeah, no. So there's a number of associations in the UK and the British sector. So the one that probably is a closest aligned to naspa, as you said, Jill, is Omoshi, which is as its full name, which is rarely ever used, is the association of Managers of Student Services and Higher Education. Rolls off the tongue naturally. That's been about for about 20, 25 years and it's focused on what we in the, in particular in the UK refer to as student services. And traditionally that's focused quite a lot on your safeguarding, your mental health, your well being, some of the work around student experience and development, but mainly it focuses on the welfare and wellbeing side of the institution. But it does range into things like equality and diversity. It does deal with complaints and appeals and that process.

Craig Best [00:05:16]: But that group is predominantly your director level. So and I appreciate we've had a chat about this previously, is even our titles are different between the US and the uk. So a director level in the UK is around Europe, probably your Associate VP role within the us. So that traditionally was a smaller. A group of people that would come together, share good practice. And over the last 10 years, with most of our associations, it's broadened out to be an opportunity to bring people in to talk about the key themes and subjects. So sexual violence and harassment, looking at how we support Black heritage students or widening participation Students to succeed has been a big part. And for two years prior to the role I've taken on in another association, I was a member of the Executive for Omoshi, and now I'm an executive member for something we call arc, which is the Academic Registrars Council, which the best way of describing it is lots of the directors of Student Support Services report into the Academic Registrar role or the registrar role within the university.

Craig Best [00:06:26]: So the Vice President of Student affairs or Academic Affairs. And the way I kind of talk about that is we don't necessarily use the word student affairs in the uk. It's not a word we use. Student services is academic services or registry as a more traditional way.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:43]: And that Academic Registrar title was really confusing for me at first because in the US it typically means the person who is literally in charge of university credits and scheduling and some parts of enrollment. So my best analogy is that the Academic Registrar role in the UK is more like what we would call a vpsaem or Vice President for Student affairs and Enrollment Management. So both of those funnels are in that position. You also mentioned a couple of other terms that I just want to make sure that we clarify. You said safeguarding, which is not a term that's used in North America a ton. And then you also mentioned being on the Executive. So why don't you go ahead and just give us a quick brief explanation on those.

Craig Best [00:07:21]: Yes. So in the uk we use safeguarding as a phrase. So from a legal perspective, it's around protecting vulnerable individuals. So that may be people that may not have capacity defined by law, or it's in the broader sense around protecting the interests of individuals. And what do we do to safeguard a student that may be facing domestic violence, maybe facing sexual violence, so that that all builds into that. I think the one thing to really note about what I think is the difference between a US and a UK model is that student affairs, we operate quite heavily in a compliance environment, so we have quite a lot of regulatory. So when we talk about regulatory, it's the government requirements, so we have to meet conditions. So requirements of a regulatory body.

Craig Best [00:08:14]: So That's a government bodies called the Office for Students and there are multiple conditions in there and we're expected to demonstrate compliance and that enables us to be a higher education institution on the register. If we don't, then we can't seek funding, we can't ask our students to access student loans. So there's quite a lot of heavily compliant requirements such as things around the Equality Act. So that's the equality, diversity and inclusion requirements within the uk. We also have our Counterterrorism and Security act within the uk, which we colloquially in institutions called prevent. And you may hear that it's prevent duty and that's about protecting around counterterrorism all the way through to good practice guidance. So if you ever joined a UK institution, it's like navigating compliance and regulatory expectations. But no, safeguarding is around protecting the interests of people, supporting people when there have been challenges around welfare, wellbeing, etc.

Craig Best [00:09:17]: And then just touching on that executive piece. So for Omoshi, the Omoshi exec are elected individuals. We all institutions can be members of Omoshi. So you pay to be a member and then annually people will then stand for election and that's a spread from the uk. So we have nations within the uk, so Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and then in England there are about 10, I'm not 100% remember, but about 10 people that are elected, elected. We have a chair of vice chairs for the Organization for personal Professional Development and then you have an executive group. So I was fortunate to be elected two years ago and led two of the national conferences and then I stepped off because my role changed and I gained a broad arrayment as you, as you just said, my are ranges from student development and leadership all the way through to quality assurance admissions and your typical registration, immigration compliance. So my role was a very broad role, which I think you do.

Craig Best [00:10:21]: You find more in the uk, those typical teams are more dispersed.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:10:25]: Let's go back to OFS for a moment and talk about some of that regulatory information. Because that policy landscape in the UK is very different than the policy landscape in North America, whether it be Canada or the United States. And ofs, as far as I can conceptualize, it is a combination of the U.S. department of Education as well as the accrediting body that give US institutions their right to degree grant, basically, and then also in combination with state law in some aspects. So OFS is kind of the heavy hitter. But what are some of the biggest things that you're working with right now in terms of compliance when it Comes to making sure that student services are running smoothly at your institutions.

Craig Best [00:11:05]: Yeah. No. So in the uk, we've had quite a change in our regulatory environment. But you've absolutely articulated it well, Jo, is that, you know, we, as a higher education sector, we are influenced by the government, but we are independent. And I think that's what's really important for us. Most of the institutions in the UK have awarding powers, so we award our degrees as. As an institution. And that's previously been influenced by the Privy Council stats that the government approved that many, many years ago.

Craig Best [00:11:38]: And then as the Department of Education came into place under our Conservative government a number ago, what we ended up with, with something called the Office for Students, and that ultimately is our regulatory body. So they are responsible for the compliance to ensure that institutions are meeting in the best interests of students. So there was a Government act, so it went through Parliament and the OFS was set up. And as part of the ofs, there are many conditions and a lot of them focus on the good standing of an institution. So. So things around governance, ensuring finance is appropriate as well. But more importantly for student affairs and student services, it's around us ensuring the compliance around outcomes. So, you know, that cloakal thing in the UK is it's not just about getting students into the institution, it's about them succeeding and thriving and as being able to support them through their journey.

Craig Best [00:12:37]: So there are expectations around the student support. We provide them the access to learning resources all the way through to a condition that I spend quite a lot of time on, which is condition A1, which is our access and participation. And that's about ensuring that, regardless of a student's background, they can succeed. And we address barriers in their success. And that's talking about their continuing and studying. That could be around attainment, but it also could be about progressing post degree. So typically our degrees are free four years, and you choose at 18, typically 18, what degree you want to do. So you don't do minor or major in the uk, and that's quite a big ask for students to make a decision and then once they've done their degree, they typically go into employment.

Craig Best [00:13:29]: We don't necessarily have a big culture in the UK to go straight into postgraduate. What we talk is post there, so that's kind of how we look. But we've also introduced, recently the ofs have introduced something called their condition around sexual violence and harassment, which is a big thing for the sector at the moment. And that's about how do we protect the campus, what do we do in regards to when there are disclosures of sexual harassment or sexual violence and also things around freedom of speech and that. And that has been quite influential from what's been going on in the US and how do we ensure that balance of academic freedom and freedom of speech on campuses? So there's been quite a lot of new conditions or expectations that universities are tackling at the moment.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:14:16]: You mentioned that most university students are in your communities for three years, which is a different model than North America sees because that four year model gives a student development arc that's a bit more lengthened than what you're able to do in three years. But it also means that the three years that you do have those students every year has to be much more meaningful than if we had them over four. Can you tell us what the typical student services life cycle looks like for you for a student from admission through the day that they cross that graduation stage?

Craig Best [00:14:44]: Yeah, absolutely. So I think the big thing for universities in the UK is though we do see our students as soon as they register. So at the point in which they've had their applications accepted and they start. So we typically start in the September and that ranges from a couple of weeks across institutions. But a lot of us do work pre arrival so we work with 16 year olds plus on access work. So they could be about programs of supporting people together, get their qualifications or for those that have never been to university. So those first generation students, so let's have a look at what that is. And they support, we support them through the process of applying all the way into university.

Craig Best [00:15:28]: But typically the cycle is that we, we start in September. For a typical undergraduate they have normally two or three semesters. So the first semester, September to December and then we take the, the Christmas period off and then some students will have exams in the January, they'll start another semester between the January to the May March time and then they go into exams. So there's typically three semesters, some use two. But typically we run from a September to a June July time and that's their first year. And then if people are going on what we call internships or placements, they will either typically go in the June and July, either have a year out and go into employment, which is a big thing for like lots of universities in the UK or they'll go into their second year. What we are doing quite a lot is looking at that transition between that first year, you didn't know what university was, so we'll support you in and it's all new Everything from how do you deal with complaints, how do you get into clubs and societies? But what we find is that step between first year and second year, from an academic point of view, is sometimes quite a big step for students or they're going, is this the right thing? So we do quite a lot of work in the second year, typically. And then the third year of someone's degree is typically the semester period, but they have to write what we call a dissertation or a project work, if it's a typical undergraduate degree, and that's a prolonged portfolio of research and activity.

Craig Best [00:17:00]: And then sprinkled across all of that is all of the opportunities from getting involved in clubs and societies to volunteering, to mentoring opportunities, to career services. And a lot of that area at the University of Manchester sits within my purview. So I'm really fortunate to see some of the really fantastic work we do to nurture our students to predominantly lead in their lives and in globally businesses.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:17:27]: How is student services seen by the larger UK environment in terms of the value that it offers for students? And how do university colleagues see the value of student services?

Craig Best [00:17:39]: So I think that's a really interesting question and we've had a lot of debate in the sector recently around statutory duty. Is an institution responsible, responsible for the actions of their students? So when we talk about, unfortunately, suicide prevention and postvention, you know, what is our duty of care, you know, and that, that's a really big thing. So I think from a public point of view, there's a feeling that institutions should have more responsibility. And I think we, we perhaps say, yes, there is a responsibility, but these are adults that are engaging in a community and we are there to provide support. My view is student affairs, student services is absolutely the of institutions and we bring to life university strategy. We enable people to experience and live the lives and opportunities that they're wanting. So I think for me, where we see policy meets people is the best way I talk to my teams about it is the policy meets people where students potential is really nurtured and we provide the opportunities with and for students for them to achieve their goals. So I think we all see that, that, that work in that area and I think more broadly across our communities, we are seen as the bedrock of support.

Craig Best [00:18:59]: We are those people that perhaps don't always shout out about what we do, but are always there. And I think COVID Pandemic really brought attention to that quiet, reserved activity that we do in the background that really makes a difference, not just to students, students, but to the whole community equipping our academic colleagues to be able to engage with different groups of students. We're seeing an increase of neurodivergence, those are scaring disabilities and that that is a big learning curve to kind of approach curriculum and support. So no, I think public would like to see more of what we do and I think that's much more of a communication and kind of what can we support with linking in with the other health services, etc. But internally I do think we are seen as an absolute neighboring engine to supporting our students and staff.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:19:50]: I think this leads us nicely into our theme questions for the season on the value of student affairs. So I'm going to hit those three. The first is when you think about the value of student affairs, what comes to mind first and why?

Craig Best [00:20:02]: So I have to say that I am always biased is that I see student affairs as absolutely a number of institutions and before I even came into this I was very heavily in quality assurance and typical registry was like do they do. You know, they're running around doing these nice to do events and actually when you get immersed with it, they translate policy. It's where the meeting between the two kind of discussions happen. The reality of where they see students potential being nurtured. It's where you can see the success and the engagement work happening. You, you can see that we articulate different goals for our students who perhaps are not finding a space in their curriculum or learning, but they have found their space, their identity, their people within the support that we give. So I absolutely think we are an engine, the cogs of an institution. But I have to say I am biased on the brilliant work, particularly at the university.

Craig Best [00:21:01]: I am that we do.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:21:02]: I'm hearing a lot of alignment to the mission vision values of some Canadians in student affairs work as well. So that's nice to hear that the profession is spreading its wings no matter where we are.

Craig Best [00:21:12]: Absolutely. And I, and I do think there are and one thing that I found when I came to NASPA and there's a lot that we thought about, especially when I was at Moshe and we talk about it at the Academic Registrars Council, student affairs in the US is a lot more formalized and professionalized than in the uk. And even you and I talked about to be in roles that perhaps I have, you would need a doctorate degree and a PhD, and that's not necessarily the need in the UK, but I do think there's a shared skill and passion across the sectors of people that really care and really feel value in enabling and Supporting these individuals to grasp everything whilst they're there with us.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:21:52]: Which leads nicely into our second theme question. Can you share a specific story or moment when you saw the value of student affairs come to life?

Craig Best [00:21:59]: Life, absolutely. This is partly. It's sitting back and seeing this play out with the communities that work within our division. And I think one that really brought mine is I'm in an institution that's over 200 years old. It's an institution that has what we call high entries. So it'd probably be equivalent to the Ivy League institutions in the us We've always challenged with diversity, not because the doors are closed, it's because perhaps individuals don't see themselves in the community in which we work in. So I think last year what was really powerful me is that we, we launched something called the Black Leadership Program. And as part of that, we brought the students together and sitting and listening and hearing how students thrived during the program.

Craig Best [00:22:46]: By launching societies from securing internships and supporting each other, it really showed how targeted support and community building, it can really transform the potential of individuals. And for them to say, actually, I do have an identity, I do have a space in this organization, in this community. And for me it was just another really powerful reminder about the potential of our services. Thinking differently, that importance of creating opportunities for and with students to really lead, grow and shine and lead, grow and shine is something that I really feel quite passionate about. And so, yeah, that was probably one of my highlights over the last 12 months. And it takes a unique group of people to deliver programs like this. And it's a pleasure every day seeing these pilots, these little sparks play out and then being delivered with our students.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:39]: You mentioned earlier that much like North American Student affairs, uk, Student affairs has a lot of storytelling left to do in our communities. So for our third question, what do you think student affairs needs to do better to be understood and more seen in today's educational environment?

Craig Best [00:23:55]: Yeah, and I think you've just took my words out of my mouth. Is the storytelling. You know, we, for so long we have been the invisible engine or the perception of. We only go to them when there's an issue or there's a problem. And we being that sense of reactive support, where actually fundamentally our biggest impact is when we do the proactive engagement with our students. And absolutely, we have to have excellent services. We have to ensure that the infrastructure is in place for students to succeed and access health services and mental health support and financial support as well. But I do think what we need to do more is Be confident on what we do, telling the stories around our impact, linking to outcomes, aligning those to the goals of the institution.

Craig Best [00:24:44]: And we're talking at Manchester at the moment around service learning, community engagement. We are an institution within a regional context and our services provide such an impact to not just our students, but our community. So a lot of it is linked around storytelling. I don't think we're very good at champing our own selves and recognizing that, but I do think the pandemic was a real stepping stone to say, hang on a minute, these people are pretty core to what we do. And I think don't lose sight of that is the phrase I'll use with my teams.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:25:18]: You know, five years ago now that we were working with students remotely and figuring out how to get them Wi fi hotspots and food security and all those things. And I feel like we learned a lot from that. But I also agree with you that maybe we're losing sight of it a little bit.

Craig Best [00:25:30]: Yeah, no, definitely. And we're facing in the UK a massive cost of living. The cost of coming to university for students in the UK is significant. The access to student loans only provides a certain amount of that. We're seeing our students working much more, looking at different ways of studying, taking on part time work. So I do think there's an absolute core essential to how do we think about and really engage in those lived experiences of our students to say, well, actually this doesn't work for them anymore. And how do we. Not from a vanity point of view, but from a visibility point of view to say it's not a bad thing coming out and talking about the support you need.

Craig Best [00:26:09]: It doesn't have to be at the end, it can be very much at the beginning.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:26:13]: The student residence model is so different in the uk. A lot more privatized residences for students, a lot of students commuting living at home because of the housing crisis. Whereas at most North American universities we see, you know, housing that's provided on campus. And although there's of course a charge, the residence life system is internal to the institution, whereas it's mostly external in the uk, which changes your opportunity to engage with students in their residences. So lots of different things going on there.

Craig Best [00:26:40]: No, absolutely. We were only talking this morning about the changing dynamics of commuting students. You know, we're Talking roughly about 20, 25% of our students in Manchester, and we're a big city, are actually looking to commute because the cost of living in our city is becoming so much. It Costs more to perhaps have your child come and live in the city than the mortgage a parent or guardian is paying for their house. So, again, there's a lot there that's playing and. And it does impact the sense of community and identity. It really challenges us to say, how do we still ensure, when We've got over 40,000 students at MAN Manchester, how do we still ensure that sense of community when actually they don't all stay in halls anymore and we can't get the residence life teams involved?

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:27:28]: Absolutely. One thing that we talked about earlier was the admissions process, where students apply directly to a course. And so I wanted just to demystify that a little bit for our North American listeners as well. It's a very different system. We have something called ucas, which. I've said that with like the most American a possible ucas, which is UCAS or University College Admission is it system. Is that the S?

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:27:51]: Yep.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:27:52]: Which is kind of like the common app in the United States. But instead of just being kind of a clearinghouse, there's actually decisions that are made through that process. And one thing that struck me as absolutely wild the first time I learned about it was that a student might not know where they're going to university until like a week or two before they're supposed to start courses, which stressed me out so badly. So can you talk a little bit about GCSEs and A levels, what those are, how they impact and how a student actually gets involved offer for their major or their course?

Craig Best [00:28:22]: Absolutely. So I'll talk in them all the general sense. So not our medical degrees, because they're slightly different if you're going into one of those courses. But GCSEs are what individuals take roughly about when they're 16 years old and it's their general certificate. And that basically is your. Predominantly, we focus on that maths, English and sciences and then broader subjects such as history. And the subjects there then influence what students would then do at what we would call their. Their 16 study.

Craig Best [00:28:53]: And they are typically things like what we call A levels, which are more traditional courses. So very similar to lessons, learning about something, pieces of essays and then doing. Doing the exam. And that's normally two years. So that's A levels. But we also have things called btec, which is much more practical. It doesn't mean it's a less qualification. And when they came in, that was the perceived rwits for those that are not as academically able.

Craig Best [00:29:19]: Absolutely not. BTEC will be more vocational courses like engineering, mechanics and there are other courses as well. And we will accept anything across the sector and internationally. Typically when you do, when you're 16, you then go into your secondary, that secondary study piece, and that's when you start thinking about university. And then you apply as you shared is through ucas. So you would typically select five programmes from different institutions or it could be all in one university university. And you've got to get that in for the January before the September. So January, February time is the deadlines roughly.

Craig Best [00:29:54]: So you submit your application to your five institutions or five courses, your personal statements. A student will need to write a personal statement. And then between that February, March time, all the way up until about July, you will be made offers from institutions and then you typically select your first offer so that first confirmed choice and then an insurance offer, the place you'll go to if actually your grades might not meet there at that time. That May, June, July time, you're also doing your exams for those, let's say A levels.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:26]: That sounds for advanced level, right?

Craig Best [00:30:29]: Yes, you have as and then A level. So your first year is as and then your second year is the A level. So it's like the top up piece. You don't get your result for your A levels. And this is the bit that suddenly worries people more globally than us is until about the 14th of August, and for us we start mid September. So students will not know where they are going until their A level results are released. And that day is quite a big day within the uk. And we then go into offering people who got their qualifications the grades we expected they'll get their offers and that might be then three weeks of confirming your accommodation, mapping everything out and that's if it goes well, if unfortunately you weren't successful with your grades or actually you've got really good grades and want to go somewhere else, you go into something called confirmation and clearing and that's where you contact institutions and see if there's any availability on our courses.

Craig Best [00:31:27]: And that is a really big part of our sector and particularly at the moment. So Manchester, we generally engage in it for about four or five days. And because we don't normally get quite a lot of offers or requests to come to us, but other institutions could be open to more applicants all the way up until to the registration point in September or even beyond. So yeah, a lot of our typically 18 year olds who have just got their grades about the 14th of August will hopefully know then where they're going. But they typically have about three weeks to confirm their finances, make sure They've got their accommodation and then they start studying with us. So a week after next at Manchester, about the 20th of September is when we will welcome our new students. About 6,000 students will be joining us. So yes, quite intense here.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:32:19]: Absolutely. And you also see students who, after their general certificates or GCSEs, they can elect to leave high school at that point, which is 16 in England. And so you might have a 16 year old student who is now trying to get that B tech, that technical certificate and do something else, or they might try to start working. So it's a bit of a different environment where instead of leaving at 18, you know, you might be leaving at 16.

Craig Best [00:32:42]: Yeah. And they typically go into play things like apprenticeships. So that's being able to go into paid employment in, in a profession, gaining experience whilst being paid. So yeah, it's very different model in the uk. And we've also got a big international community as well. That's a big thing for us. We have a very fixed fee for those that are from the UK, so we can't charge over, over about 9,525 or 45. But in regards to international students, all institutions can charge a fee that they feel is appropriate and therefore there are that playoff between our home students, as we recall, and our international students.

Craig Best [00:33:24]: And that can also be quite a challenge for the sector.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:33:27]: What advice would you give North American students who are trying to either study abroad or go full time in the uk? And then the inverse advice for UK students who are going to North America for the university experience?

Craig Best [00:33:39]: Yes. So I think for students considering to come to the uk, ask a lot of questions, get online, talk to people at an institution that you're particularly interested in. A lot of it is around how you feel within that community, what city you would like to go to, think about the broader experiences. And then the course obviously is important, but I think that's the really big piece that me. Because if you are 18, thinking to come to the UK you do have to make a choice, you have to be like, I'm going to study law, I'm going to study English. But I think being able to come over and do a semester. Absolutely. Seeing culture in a different way is really important.

Craig Best [00:34:22]: And I think for the UK students going to particularly the US is have your eyes open. It's absolutely different, but there's a lot to learn there. I think typically UK domiciled students don't necessarily engage in international activities as much as others because there's a perception it's better to be in the uk, that's the courses they are familiar with. But I do think for me would be get out, ask questions, get on social media, there's so much information out there, but find the place that fits for you. If the city or the community doesn't work for you, even if the course is great, it's not going to be the experience that you're looking for.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:34:59]: Can you talk a little bit about non traditional students in the UK and how you might access university if you're over 25 and wanted to take a different route?

Craig Best [00:35:07]: Yeah. So I think what's great about the university sector in the UK is there's so many different universities. So we have places like the Open University that deliver courses online part time, what we call stackable. So they can kind of do one unit drop off, come back again and that online piece really works for those that are not your typical 18 to 21 year olds and you see a lot of mature, we call them matures, anyone over 25 we be classed as a mature student. That's been the big thing with places like the Open University and other universities in the sector. Typically Manchester is a full time programs and that's where we currently are. That doesn't mean we're not looking at part time and courses that you can drop in and drop out of. But I do think it's finding the institutions that work for your lifestyle the way you want to study.

Craig Best [00:35:58]: But it is typically everybody for an undergraduate degree would go through ucas for postgraduate. So that's the, the what we would call the Level 7 qualifications. So the most detailed skills. There's a lot of opportunity there. Typically they aren't always full time. We're looking at what we call cpd so the professional development programs and I do think in the UK we have something called the lifelong learning entitlement. So that's something being driven by the government which basically says any individual under 60 gets allocated a loan pot that they could use and that doesn't have to always be your three year traditional course. So can you, you don't just apply for that 9,000, you could spend £2,000 on a unit or some credits at one place and then go somewhere else.

Craig Best [00:36:45]: So there's a lot more opportunities coming up over the next few years for those that are post 25.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:36:51]: Greg, anything else that you'd love our listeners to know or learn about UK student services?

Craig Best [00:36:56]: So I think the one thing that it came out from when I went to naspa, while I absolutely really respect, respected and found in awe was this ability to formalize and professionalize the activities that are being delivered and that desire to research and enhance the expertise in practice blew me away and inspired me to go off and do my own research in there. What I think I reflect on that that is something that listeners could think about is how the UK looks at the spread of those divisions and activities. We aren't just contained into one area, we are spread spread across student affairs, academic affairs, enrollment and making those connections on how different services hand off or engage, I think is the bit that I would really recommend listeners to hear because understanding how outreach and access pre arrival feeds into financial support and then all the way through to the curriculum development really enhances our colleagues in the uk. Does it make it easier to because you can't be an expert in everything, but you do get a very rounded view on the experience of our learners.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:38:09]: It's time to take a quick break and toss it over to producer Chris to learn what's going on in the NASPA world.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:38:15]: Thanks Jill. So excited to be back in the NASPA world and there's a ton of things happening in naspa. As you heard in last week's episode, one of the big updates that has happened on the NASPA website is that we have a brand new new Policy Hub on the NASPA website. The Policy Hub is an amazing resource for you to be able to stay on top of things that are happening across the United States that impact higher education in many different ways on the NASPA website. If you go under Key Initiatives and click on Policy Resource Hub, you will find this valuable resource. The Hub consists of a compilation of policy research, coalition work and resources from naspa, other associations, nonprofit organizations and think tanks with expertise in various areas of higher education. This hub is based on input from staff, organizational partners and members. And through this, NASPA has curated this centralized resource to include policy trackers, articles, fact sheets, legislative summaries and informational videos that I outline state and federal legislative and policy changes for student affairs professionals.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:39:28]: This resource is only available to current NASPA members. So as I said, this is an amazing resource that will help you to be able to stay on top of things and see the relevance of these changes in the work that you're doing on a daily basis. I highly encourage you to check it out for yourself and take advantage of this this amazing resource The European Conference for Student affairs and Services is coming up November 12th through 14th in Porto, Portugal. This is the seventh annual European conferences for Student affairs and Services and it's co hosted by NASPA and Ayuka in Porto, Portugal. The European Conferences for Student affairs and Services gives student services professionals a platform to discuss innovative programs, practices, practices, models and trends in student affairs. All student affairs professionals are invited to join others in Porto, Portugal for an amazing opportunity to learn and grow from people around the world. If this professional development opportunity sounds like something that you want to take advantage of, Remember it is November 12th through 14th in Porto, Portugal and you can find out more on the NASPA website. There's a brand new issue of the Journal of Women and Gender in Higher Education that's now available for for NASA members, this journal publishes scholarship that centers around gender based experiences of students, faculty and staff while examining oppression including but not limited to patriarchy, sexism, trans oppression and CIS normativity as they intersect with other systems of domination.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:41:05]: The journal is particularly interested in manuscripts that not only focus on gender based on a gender based group, but also also critically interrogate the ways in which gender has been used as a construct to limit opportunities to shape outcomes and experiences. The journal publishes high quality and rigorous scholarship can be used by all of you, can be used by you in the work that you're doing on a daily basis. You can access this journal as a part of your membership in NASPA by going to the NASPA website under Publications. Click on Journal Journals and you can access the journal there. Every week we're going to be sharing some amazing things that are happening within the association. So we are going to be able to try and keep you up to date on everything that's happening and allow for you to be able to get involved in different ways. Because the association is as strong as its members and for all of us, we have to find our place within the association, whether it be getting involved with the knowledge community, giving back within one of the centers or the divisions of the Association. And as you're doing that, it's important to be able to identify for yourself where do you fit? Where do you want to give back each week.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:42:19]: We're hoping that we will share some things that might encourage you, might allow for you to be able to get some ideas that will provide you with an opportunity to be able to say, hey, I see myself in that knowledge community, I see myself doing something like that, or encourage you in other ways that allow for you to be able to think beyond what's available right now to offer other things to the association, to bring your gifts, your talents to the association and to all of the members within the association. Because through doing that, all of us are stronger and the association is better. Tune in again next week as we find out more about what is happening in naspa.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:04]: Chris, thank you so much as always, for bringing us all the news about what's going on in and around naspa. And, Craig, we've reached our Lightning Round. I've got our traditional seven lightning round questions for you in about 90 seconds. Ready to rock?

Craig Best [00:43:19]: I am. Ready to go.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:20]: All right, number one, if you were a conference keynote speaker, what would your entrance music be?

Craig Best [00:43:25]: Simply the best, because my surname's Best Classic.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:28]: I love it. Number two, when you were five years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Craig Best [00:43:32]: I wanted to be a policeman.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:34]: Number three, who's your most influential professional mentor?

Craig Best [00:43:37]: I would say someone called April McMahon, who's our previous Vice President for Teaching and Learning at the University of Manchester. She's just set down, but she is absolutely inspirational.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:48]: Number four, your essential student affairs read.

Craig Best [00:43:50]: In the uk, that would be wonky. So that's wonk H e at number.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:43:54]: Five, the best TV show. You've been binging late lately.

Craig Best [00:43:57]: Me and my partner are currently obsessed with Wednesday on Netflix.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:44:01]: Number six, the podcast you've spent the most hours listening to in the last year.

Craig Best [00:44:04]: That's really interesting. I would say it would be Stories of a CEO. I listened to quite a lot of audibles, so John Boyne is my audible, but Stories of CEO.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:44:16]: And finally, any shout outs you'd like to give, personal or professional?

Craig Best [00:44:19]: I would say massive shout out to anyone that is heading off to the NASCAR conference that is from an international institution. It is an absolutely brilliant opportunity to engage in wider conversations and personal shout out will be to my partner who tolerates everything I do. So huge shout out to Sam, who works in mental health but within our social services in the uk.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:44:42]: And if you're interested in a conference this fall, in November, the NASPA International Symposium will be taking place in Portugal. So if your institution has travel budget to allow you to do something a little bit different, or if you want to learn about student services that are less US centric, it's a really great opportunity to head to a warmer climate in November. Craig, it's been an absolutely educational conversation with you today. I love learning from you and I hope our listeners did as well. If they would like to reach you, how can they find you?

Craig Best [00:45:09]: So I would say just drop me a message on LinkedIn. So it's Craig Best, or you can send me an email at. Craig Bestanchester ac.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:45:19]: Craig, thank you so much for sharing your voice with us today.

Craig Best [00:45:22]: Yeah, thank you so much Jill. It's been an absolute pleasure and thank you for your interest. Invite.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:45:30]: This has been an episode of Essay Voices from the Field brought to you by naspa. This show is made possible because of you, the listeners. We continue to be so grateful that you choose to spend your time with us. If you'd like to reach the show, you can email us@sa voicesaspa.org or find me on LinkedIn by searching for Dr. Jill L. Creighton. We welcome your feedback and your top and guest suggestions always. We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a colleague about the show and leave us a five star review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you're listening now.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:46:00]: It really does help other student affairs professionals find the show and helps us to become more visible in the larger podcasting community. This episode was produced and hosted by Dr. Jill Creighton. That's me, produced and audio engineered by Dr. Chris Lewis. Special thanks to the University of Michigan, Flint. Your support as we create this project. Catch you next time.