HOW TO

establish good

relationships

with the university

administration

www.solargeneration.org

Ah, relationships with the governing body of your college or your university...now there's a tricky subject, but one which is essential to the success of yourproject. Actually, they are the decision-makers, so you are going to have tomanage relations with these partners in a way that subtly combines tact andtenacity. They are not your enemies but are in fact your partners: long-termpartners, on whom your project depends totally, from a financial point of view.This is why you need to see to it that the administration feels involved and decides to commit itself. The future of your Solar Generation projectdepends on it!

1.THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OFCOMMUNICATION

1. Be polite.

2. Present yourselves clearly, making yourselves of value to them - you have to be indispensable!

3. Explain your project well, in a clear and well-argued manner:

n It’s not just one student project among many, it’s a radical change;n You are part of a network of student organisations, you have the benefit

of suitable professional contacts (contacts from the design office, guidesfrom other campuses etc.);

n Through your organisation you will commit to this project both time andmoney, by means of seeking grants. That’s your “added value”;

n You are close to the students and are better placed to lead campaignsto raise awareness and communicate issues;

n Solar Generation benefits everyone on campus - less greenhouse gas,but also less money thrown down the drain. Emphasise the savings thatthe university or college could make by carrying out this project.

HOW TO ESTABLISH GOOD RELATIONS WITHTHE UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATIONK

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2. THE PRACTICEBEFOREHAND

Nominate someone within your organisation to be your regular contact withthe administration.

Find out about the different departments within the university and identifythose with which you should collaborate (closely or loosely). You can draw anorganisation chart to help you to understand the relationships between thedifferent departments, the hierarchy. This will show you who to contact firstand who are the decision-makers.

Try to find out about existing relations between the departments and alsobetween the staff of different departments. Sometimes feelings ofcompetition, jealousy or, conversely, friendship between key personnel canact in your favour; learn to identify these in advance.

FIRST CONTACTWrite a letter to the administration, taking into account the points mentionedabove (be polite, present your organisation and your project in a clear, wellthought-out fashion). Your letter must not reveal everything; hold back somedetails that you can explain at your first meeting. See Factsheet – Form Letter tothe Administration.

You could also start by contacting the technical services department toexplain to them that you are running a project on energy savingmeasures at the university and you would like to obtain someinformation beforehand. Acting nonchalant is a good way ofestablishing contact with them without putting them underany pressure, and to get the chance to show theseriousness of your project. They need to understand thatit’s a student initiative, by a motivated group, and that youwant to include them in the process.

The fact that the project forms part of your courseworkcan also be a means of reassuring them. You can thenbegin getting to know them and start to gleaninformation about the workings of your university orcollege, which will help you to progress with objectivesthat are more precise and suited to the situation.

If possible, surround yourselves with professionals whosupport your project. This could be an expert in the fieldof energy, or a teacher/lecturer that is already involved inthis area. The more support you have, the more credibilityyou carry.

You can design an

organizational chart

to understand the

relations between the

different departments

You can also find a way to show that your project reflects the general will ofall the students on your campus (by means of an amicable petition) so that itbecomes a necessity, even an obligation.

MAKE THE RELATIONS LAST

Listen to the staff in the administration and technical services. They can giveyou information, get round restrictions and guide your research. They can

help you to identify obstacles and to narrow down your objectives sothat they are better suited to the specific circumstances of

your campus.

Don’t let them push you around though. Always clarifythings as much as possible. You are running this project,

you are there as a negotiator, as their equal. Don’t presentyourselves as obedient pupils but as true project leaders.

Always show that you are of value, that you know what you aretalking about, that your project is coherent and structured and that you have

the legitimate right to defend it.

N.B. This is why your objectives must be clearly defined, have fixed time-scales, and be backed up by figures, and why you must continually hammerthem home without being distracted! See Factsheet – Define your Objectives.

The best thing to do to communicate with the administration regularly,officially and calmly is to create an Environmental Management Committee(see Factsheet – EMC). This is comprised of the various interested parties andtakes communal decisions, taking into account the circumstances andrestrictions of the different parties. In this way you can ask to have a say in thedecisions that affect your project.

In any case, it’s best if you can arrange to have regular meetings with theadministration. However, if they don’t honour you with their presence, if themeetings are too far apart or if it seems impossible to set up an EMC, whydon’t you organise an event to force them to establish relations with you? (SeeGuide – How to organise an event.)

This will be a chance to bring together campus students and staff and to havea more informal discussion. You can use this to let them know howdisappointed you are with their lack of communication. Explain to them howthis is paralysing your project and how you want to establish long-termrelations with the administration and collaborate with them on the issue ofSolar Generation. Several events that come under the heading of fun are also suitable for bringing people closer together: organic dinners, workshops, exhibitions…

Don’t allow your-

self to be fooled,

always check if the

things you heard are

actually possible

COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY?

There are big differences in relations with the administration depending onthe size of your institution and its status. There are notable differencesbetween colleges and universities, although sometimes the features that areadvantages and disadvantages for one can equally apply to the other (acollege can have a huge campus and lots of students, a university can havemany contacts to exploit and a governing body that is easy to contact andreadily available). In general the governing body has many different things tomanage so you must play your cards right if you want to be activelysupported. To simplify:

UNIVERSITY

Difficult to contact / contacts moredifficult to identify.Anonymous.Several kinds of site and buildings.Several electricity contracts /managed with other universities /shares buildings.Little financial freedom.Few or no partnerships withbusiness.Small address book.More areas of specialisation, morediverse support (lecturers, researchand teaching units…)Less well-known, dependent on theuniversity.Students have more autonomy,easier to adopt a project.Student organisations enjoy little orno support.

Easy to contact / contacts easier toidentify.Everyone knows everyone / easierto have personal and regularcontact.Often only one building or a verysmall campus.One electricity contract.Depends on the college, oftenbusiness schools have morefinancial scope and are betterplaced to support or evenencourage student projects.Partnerships with businesses forstudent placements / can be usefulto the project.Large address book.One limited area of teaching.More well-known, more easilyidentifiable, more power.Students are often “mentored”, lessflexibility to take on projects.Setting up or joining anorganisation is practically part ofthe educational process.

COLLEGE

So you can see that relations with the administration ofa college are often easier than with that of a

university. It is often the case that students of acollege feel more supported and less held back bytypical administrative obstacles: slowness, no

transparency in relations, lack of communication,down time… as a result the administration of a college

seems more dynamic. Indeed, the student population isoften smaller which facilitates management and personalised

contact with every student or organisation.

So, make the most of the reputation of your college and of all the tools youhave available. On the other hand, don’t be discouraged if the atmosphere atyour university does not seem suitable for your project or if you feel you arenot supported, have patience and you will succeed in moving things along. Donot forget your strong point - university students are often more easilymobilised, they will be willing to support your initiative, and you will be able touse this support to your advantage in dealings with the administration.

SUMMARY

1. In short, you need to formaliserelations with the governing body;creating an EMC is the ultimate aimof this process.

2. Prior to this, find out how theadministration functions, the levels ofhierarchy, the names and contactswithin the different departments.Draw up a contact sheet.

3. Then, organise regular meetings with the various interested parties. Try tobecome an integral part of the team of decision-makers, having a say in thedecisions concerning energy and buildings. Your organisation must play aspecific role.

4. In order to do this you will need to gain recognition and credibility. This willbe the result of your work and of your capacity to make your work visible byorganising events and meetings.

5. Be clear, communicative, both firm and cooperative. The harder you workon your project, the more your self-confidence will grow and the better you willbe at putting it into words.

6. Within your organisation it’s the job of the nominated representative forrelations with the administration to follow up with your contacts within theuniversity. They must make the effort to maintain regular contact withmembers of the administration. Their role is to communicate and negotiate

make the most of

the reputation of

your college and of

all the tools you

have available.

TIP Suggest good ideas to your contacts whilst

giving the impression thatactually it was their idea. This is a very good way to get them to adopt ideas anddefend them fiercely to otherdepartments/participants!

6

with these partners. They can make an assessment of the state of relationsbetween your organisation and the administration and come up with acommunications plan to improve these relations.

7. If there’s a crisis, don’t get discouraged. Continue to push your projectforward and to keep the administration informed (send letters, telephone…).The more you are open and clear with the administration, the more they willbe with you.

8. Communicate and use powers of persuasion. You must convince theadministration of the value of your project.

NEXT…

Have your chancellor/president or other influential person sign a GreenCampus Charter. This should be reviewed each year and set targets that aremore and more ambitious and specific. It will allow you to establish long-termrelations and set in stone your Solar Generation project. See Factsheet –Charter of Commitment.

Laying the groundwork for good relations with the administration will make iteasier to hand over your project to future members of your organisation. Yourrole is to sow the seeds of Solar Generation so that everyone can enjoy theharvest. Remember, the more you can mobilise the various groups oncampus, the more involved they will feel and the longer the support for yourproject will be maintained.

TESTIMONYTHOMAS, FORMER LEADER OFTHE SOLAR GENERATION PROJECTIN STRASBOURG:

«I was involved in settingup the Solar Generation

project in Strasbourg, as leader ofthe project. At the start, we werejust a group of friends in the sameyear that wanted to take somekind of action within the university.

At the start things were a bit difficult due to our total ignorance of the university andhow it worked. We had problems finding good people to represent us, and this ledto some disappointments. But once the first step had been taken, the adminis-tration gave us a proper hearing. Now that we have succeeded in showing that ourundertaking deserves to be taken seriously, dialogue between the two parties(university and association) is going really well.

This successful initial contact with the administration was in fact our mainachievement in the first year. It is absolutely essential to establish a relationship oftrust in the first instance, otherwise discussion is impossible. Given the size of theuniversity, this was not an easy task.

This partnership with the university admin was formalised by the signing of acharter, which, while not implying any major commitment for the university, did atleast make them aware of environmental issues and of our desire for the universityto get involved on a more practical level.

We have now succeeded in becoming known and recognised by the full range ofuniversity departments, and I think we can say that our association has becomean essential part of campus life! »

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