Management & Leadership at the European Student Affairs Conference (ESAC) 2026

ESAC 2026 brought together leaders in student affairs and services from across Europe. Therefore, the topic of management & leadership was one of the key themes of the conference.

On the first day, the session Sustainability in Student Services focused on ensuring sustainability in student services at the leadership level with a strategic approach. We heard from:

• Gabriel Soleil: A national sustainability strategy – what is the way forward for student services in France?

This session talked about the partnership with the "caisse des dépôts" (CDC), a public-sector group and long-term investor dedicated to the public interest and the country's economic development. The presentation highlighted urgent issues related to government objectives and climate change, including energy-efficient renovations and the need to densify the capacity of existing structures in relation to the national regulation on zero net land artificialisation by 2050. A national programmatic study launched in 2025 suggested technical solutions and eco-friendly processes that can be reproduced in building elevation and off-site projects, create a decision-making toolkit that can be applied by each CROUS.

• Clemens Metz: Sustainability – improving efficiency in student cafeterias, creating affordable housing, achieving sustainability goals

This presentation examined the sustainability strategy of the STW Freiburg-Black Forest and its progress toward achieving sustainability goals. Student service organisations in Germany, the STWs, are under increasing cost pressure in their catering operations, driven in part by sharp rises in food, energy and labour costs, while they are expected to offer meals that are affordable, healthy and climate-friendly. The presentation outlined cost-reduction measures such as improving canteen efficiency, optimising operational processes, streamlining procurement and adapting menus. It showed how these measures can support sustainability goals, including reducing food waste and increasing the share of meat-free options. In student housing construction, the STW Freiburg-Black Forest demonstrated how student accommodation can be built through sustainable and energy-efficient construction methods while keeping rents socially accessible for students.

On the second day, the session on Student Services from a Management Perspective explored innovative examples in student services management, professionalisation, and training:

• Joeri Van den Brande: Student Services Under Pressure: Safeguarding Equity, Well-Being and Access

This presentation examined how student services in Flemish higher education institutions contribute to equitable participation and student well-being through a broad range of universal and selective support, including housing, catering, social and psychological guidance, mobility services, and student engagement. At the same time, student services face growing pressure from rising catering costs, a structural shortage of affordable student housing, increasing demand for psychological support, higher study-related expenses and rapidly evolving needs among Gen-Z students. Persistent underfunding intensifies these challenges and disproportionately affects the most vulnerable groups. The presentation called for renewed policy attention and investment to ensure sustainable and equitable student support across the Flemish higher education landscape.

• Dr Birgit Schreiber: Strengthening Student Affairs in Europe and Beyond: Professionalisation, Leadership, and Institutional Change

Dr Birgit Schreiber highlighted how student services across Europe and beyond are under growing pressure to do more with less, often prioritising compliance and management over vision, leadership, and transformative impact. It introduced the IASAS professionalisation programme, designed to embolden, fortify, and strengthen the student affairs profession by prioritising leadership development, strategic visioning, and the ability to steer institutional change. Based on the ideals of social justice, public responsibility, inclusive and bold internationalisation, the programme positions student affairs professionals as cultural and institutional change agents and highlights why such professionalisation is essential for high-quality student affairs practice and more equitable, responsive, and student-centred higher education systems.

• Jérémie Dupont: From rental pressure to decision-making: actionable tools and indicators to guide CEOs' strategic choices

Jérémie Dupont presented a decision-making approach for higher education institutions and student housing operators facing a structural paradox: demographic decline in the medium and long term combined with sustained pressure to increase the supply of housing, while student demand remains strong only in specific and unequal territories. The presentation showed how indicators such as the demand for local students can be transformed into an operational tool for CEOs and institutional leaders, allowing them to classify territories, prioritise investment and arbitrate between construction now, construction under conditions or postponement of a project. The aim is to reconcile the social mission of student housing operators with financial discipline over the next five to ten years and to build in the right place, at the right pace, and at the right scale.

Finally the interactive workshop on Building AI Literacy in Student Services discussed how we can develop an institutional strategy that implements a coherent, ethical, and equitable practice model for student success and the preservation of human thinking.

• Kelly Heather: Beyond the bot – building AI literacy in student services at the University of Toronto

This session explored how students are already using generative AI because it saves time, supports learning at their pace and language, and functions like a 24/7 tutor, while also raising concerns about hallucinations, fairness, privacy, and unclear rules. Showing that 88% of students globally using AI in their learning, the presentation highlighted the need for a coherent, ethical, and equitable practice model that strengthens student success and preserves human thinking. Drawing on an institutional "AI-ready university" landscape and a student services working group's recommendations, the session presented approaches including service design principles, scalable programming, staff development and shared-learning structures, as well as governance, use-case guidance, and scaffolded AI literacy for student services staff and students. The presentation also highlighted that 61% of students focus more on thinking through ideas, 31% attempt more challenging work than before, while 21% find it harder to work through problems without AI and 19% notice they retain less. At the same time, only 29% say instructors are well equipped to guide AI use. The workshop emphasised the importance of not letting AI replace reflection, practice, source-checking, drafting, or problem-solving.

These sessions showed that good management and leadership are vital to ensure the quality, sustainability, and professionality of student services in Europe. ESAC 2026 was a valuable opportunity to exchange experiences at the leadership level and show how strong leadership can support sustainable, equitable, and student-centred services across Europe.

If you're interested in finding out more about these sessions and delving into the content more in-depth, take a look at the documentation on the ESAC 2026 website to access the full presentations: