Dr Christine Lusk - Director of Student Services
Dr Chris Lusk is the Director of Student Services. Born and raised in the East End of Glasgow, her undergraduate degree was taken at Edinburgh University and followed by a postgraduate in Social Work at Dundee University. Her first jobs involved working with child abuse in the community and as a Court Adviser. She is qualified as a Social Work Practice Teacher. She joined the Students' Association in the University of St Andrews in 1992 with the specific task of creating a new Welfare department to assist students with disabilities, low socio-economic groups and from an international background.
On switching to the University's direct employment, Chris's share of titles in the institution have been many and varied, moving from "Head of Welfare" and "Special Needs Adviser", through "Assistant Hebdomadar", to "Head of Student Support". Her current position of "Director of Student Services" strives to deliver a package of support, incorporating the evening care of over 3,600 students in Halls of Residence with the daytime Student Services and an Out of Hours emergency service. She is the key liaison with the students' Athletic Union, the Students' Association and she has strategic responsibility for what St Andrews calls "The Student Experience". She also co-ordinates the "control" of the Student Experience in the role of Principal's delegate for University Discipline.
Assisting Chris is a Student Services Management Team based in the Student Experience Office at 101a North Street and this is a central point for encouraging student involvement, the development of leadership and the source of student consultation systems. Chris would encourage any student with comments on their service to feel able to email her at clusk@st-andrews.ac.uk or make an appointment to see her by phoning 01334 462171. A core student experience project for 2009 however, is reflected in the team's determination to raise money to establish Project Zambia; sending outstanding students to establish an educational programme for children suffering from HIV and Aids using Sports and counselling skills as tools for communication. Anyone wishing to contribute to the project fund should again contact Chris - no matter how small their donation.
Chris has now established service benchmarking partnerships with numerous international universities, and in 2009 will present at international conferences in Manchester, Malmo, Copenhagen and Boston. Her personal research examines the tensions of the HE sector, particularly for Ancients, in a political wider access agenda. Chris's methodology focuses on the social construction of identity; she has tended to use a qualitative, interpretive methodology throughout all her work.
On a personal basis, having studied whilst originally a single parent, she understands some of the stresses which can be encountered, but acutely recognises the potential of the student experience to transform lives. Chris has five children, one dog and has been begged by friends not to bake.