Glasgow University Students’ Representative Council (SRC) is the independent, student-led representative body for University of Glasgow students. With over 350 affiliated clubs and societies, a thriving volunteering programme, and a dedicated advice centre, the SRC plays a central role in supporting every aspect of student life.
From the start, the SRC team have been driven by a clear vision: to make it easier for students to engage, participate, and thrive online and on campus. Led by Gina Connor, Deputy Chief Executive, and Jamie Small, Head of Communications & Marketing, the team continues to innovate, ensuring students and student leaders have the tools and systems they need to succeed.
Volunteering, advice, clubs, and societies are central to the SRC’s services, with over 50 percent of Glasgow University students engaging with the 300-plus SRC-supported groups. When the team reviewed their membership processes and online student experience, they started with clubs and societies and their affiliation process.
The SRC had previously used a mix of separate systems for events, volunteering, clubs, and finance, supported by manual processes developed by their multi-skilled admin team.
The move to a new digital platform started with the advice service in 2017 and expanded to clubs, volunteering, and events. Weekly project meetings with representation from all areas ensured content and functionality could be migrated smoothly.
The main challenges we faced were around the amount of content we wanted to bring into the new website. Holding weekly progress meetings with the team managing this digital project really helped and, as the project team included representation from all the different SRC areas transitioning to the new system, we ensured everything that was possible to migrate came across ready for the launch.- Gina Connor, Deputy Chief Executive, Glasgow SRC
The online affiliation process for clubs and societies and the availability of training for committee members were key to supporting engagement.
Volunteering and employability opportunities were also brought together on the platform.
Having all the services that the volunteering team offer in one platform really helps us support our volunteers. Once a volunteer registers online, they have their own profile to keep a record of their volunteering and log hours, training courses, and skills acquired during their time at university. They also have access to the staff here to help them find suitable opportunities. Even if they want to participate in something we don’t currently offer, we can help them.- Gemma Wilson, Volunteering Coordinator, Glasgow SRC
In the first month after launch, the SRC saw over 3,300 registrations, with clubs and societies pages being the most visited.
Read the full April 2023 update
By the end of 2023, the SRC had focused on personalisation and the adoption of the StudentLink+ app, rebranded as “my SRC”, to deliver tailored content to students.
We really want to push personalisation as the reason for using it. It's about ‘my SRC’, where students engage with personalised events, clubs, tickets, and volunteering – their own little personal news feed- Jamie Small, Head of Communications & Marketing, Glasgow SRC
The phased approach included offline membership options to support clubs struggling with the transition. This resulted in over 12,500 registered club memberships and engagement from around 18,500 club members. Incentivisation and gamification through digital badges and recognition tools helped amplify participation.
Reflecting on achievements, the SRC celebrated increased engagement and a 75 percent score in the university’s digital audit.
We've set high benchmarks for ourselves, aiming to increase club memberships, event listings, and recognition for volunteer work. It's about fostering a vibrant student community.- Jamie Small, Head of Communications & Marketing, Glasgow SRC
Looking ahead, Glasgow SRC aims to amplify app adoption, develop club memberships further, and encourage active participation in volunteering and events. Their vision includes enhancing student recognition and fostering a culture of acknowledgement across the university community.
Glasgow SRC’s journey highlights the transformative potential of MSL’s digital engagement platform. By navigating challenges, embracing innovation, and prioritising personalisation, they have cultivated a thriving community and set ambitious but achievable goals for the future.
Looking ahead, we're focused on elevating the user experience, club engagements, and volunteer recognition. We aim to ensure no effort goes unrecognised.- Jamie Small, Head of Communications & Marketing, Glasgow SRC
Read the full December 2023 update
2025 Update: Growth and Recognition
Two years on, Glasgow SRC’s digital transformation has matured.
The fragmented systems of the past have been replaced by an integrated, mobile-first platform.
Through MSL, each individual user has their list of societies that they're a member of. They can go in and see my clubs, my events, my tickets if I've bought a ticket for an event, and they can even use that on the door.- Jamie Small, Head of Communications & Marketing, Glasgow SRC
Students now log volunteering hours, access training, and earn awards recognised on their university transcripts.
We’ve seen a large jump in the number of volunteering hours and we put all our training on the portal. Students can take it through their whole career at university, and the awards now appear on their transcript when they graduate.- Gina Connor, Deputy Chief Executive, Glasgow SRC
Since adopting MSL, engagement and operational efficiency have grown dramatically. The app, which launched with 3,000 users, now reaches over 15,000 students, with 11,500 actively engaging with clubs, societies, and volunteering. Digital transactions through the clubs and societies portal totalled nearly £417,000 in a single year, while the website received 2.7 million hits, supporting 25,000 members and 2,500 registered volunteers.
MSL is central to what we do and has enabled us to reach further than we could before!- Jamie Small, Head of Communications & Marketing, Glasgow SRC
It’s much easier for our team and there’s a greater flow of data that’s secure. It’s helped us support students more effectively and recognise their contributions in ways we couldn’t before.-Gina Connor, Deputy Chief Executive, Glasgow SRC
Since 2023, Glasgow SRC has continued to grow its digital engagement:
- Membership numbers for clubs and societies have risen to over 20,000.
- Volunteering hours logged now exceed 90,000, with students showcasing awards on LinkedIn.
- The “my SRC” app remains central to engagement, supporting event discovery, membership tracking, and volunteering logs.
- Committee training programmes have been enhanced, enabling societies to fully manage events, communications, and resources.
Looking ahead, the SRC is exploring digital badges for societies to further recognise contributions while focusing on sustaining high levels of engagement.
MSL has enabled us to reach further than we could before, connecting students, supporting leaders, and recognising achievements in one seamless system.
- Jamie Small, Head of Communications & Marketing, Glasgow SRC