Mission
"The National Union of Students will constantly improve the lives and experiences of students in the UK:
by ensuring their voice is heard and effectively represented; by developing democratic and strong students' unions;
and by providing collective benefits and access to information for all students."
Vision
"Every student will play an active part in and be a respected member of a society that values learning,
participating with their students' union locally, and nationally through NUS,
which will be the recognised voice of UK students."
Background
The core values of NUS are "democracy, equality and collectivism". The organisation believes that student organisations should be student-led and that education is a benefit to the individual and to society.
The NUS is a voluntary membership organisation comprising a confederation of local student representative organisations in colleges and universities throughout the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland which have chosen to affiliate and which pay a membership fee - the fees are calculated by a number of means, depending on the number of full-time and part-time students who are members of the union and the amount of money the union receives from their college or university. Some colleges and university unions decide to opt out of the NUS preferring to go it alone, examples are Imperial College, Southampton University and Glasgow University. In spite of the increasing number of individual unions choosing to opt out, the NUS consists of nearly 750 constituent members (CMs) - virtually every college and university in the country.
The funds raised from affiliation fees are used to fund the campaigns and activities of the National Union, including the running of all of the democratic structures in which the union is entitled to take part.
The NUS is one of the largest student organisations in the world and represents the interests of around five million students in further and higher education throughout the United Kingdom. The organisation provides research, representation, training and expert advice for individual students and students' unions, dealing with over 15,000 welfare enquiries each year and training over 3,000 students' union officers.
History
The National Union of Students was established in 1922. Unions had previously been set up in various universities late in the nineteenth century. Before World War I there had been several attempts to form a national body for students - a British Universities Congress was established in 1909 and an Inter-Varsity Association (established by the Presidents of Liverpool and Birmingham Guilds) in 1919.
Then, in 1922, the Inter-Varsity Association and a body called the International Student's Bureau (which organised student travel and had been lobbying for a national student body) joined together at a meeting held at the University of London - forming the NUS. An Annual Council was held, with student's unions sending delegates who then elected an executive which met thrice yearly. In the early years the main areas of work were travel, language courses, vacation work and international visits, choices mainly down to International Student's Bureau.
By 1924, all university colleges were in membership and then, in 1934, the NUS produced its first major report on student health which raised the profile of the organisation. The late thirties saw NUS leaning towards a more radical stance, while the outbreak of World War II nearly saw the end of NUS - there were bigger things on the agenda.
However, the organisation survived and after the war, NUS membership widened to include training colleges and technical colleges and, as one of the few national students' unions of any strength to survive the war, the organisaion was instrumental in establishing the International Union of Students. NUS was able to influence the debate on the structure of post-war education and NUS submissions and briefings came to be well respected. Universities came to formally recognise students' unions and NUS campaigned to establish students' union rights in polytechnics and further education colleges.
The international student unrest of 1968 happened in spite of NUS and was not directly encouraged by the union. However, the unrest did bring to the fore two future Labour MPs in the forms of Jack Straw (who was elected as President in 1969) and Clare Short. The 60s saw the NUS supporting students' unions in their fight for autonomy and the organisation spoke out on government policy, abortion and women's rights.
The early seventies saw many NUS take a stand on many issues, such as gay rights. The organisation did take a blow from the crisis in the UK travel industry, which forced the NUS to sell off its travel company, a key source of revenue.
In the 80s, NUS stood up to repeated attacks and attempts by various ministers to restrict NUS activity and funds and even close it down completely. A large victory for NUS and students' unions came in 1994, with the Education Act, which guaranteed student unions the right to autonomy within universities and colleges. This was probably one of the most effective campaigns in NUS' history.
Today, NUS continues to campaign for student rights and offers support to over 700 students' unions across the country. At the forefront of its campaigns in the early 20th century is the issue of tutition fees - demanding that the British Government rules out top-up fees and brings back grants.
Source : www.nusonline.co.uk