Leadership at Cromwell College takes the form of “servant leadership.” Formal leadership roles at the College should not be rewards given to people for popularity, but rather they should be a matching of people to responsibilities for the service of others. Although there are several types of formal leadership positions (elected and appointed) at Cromwell, a badge of office or title does not make you a good leader any more than standing in a church makes you a Christian! Leadership comes from the heart and as such, all Cromwellians are leaders and have the potential to influence others in many ways.
Student leadership is formally recognized through six main areas. These are the Academic Mentoring and Tutorial Program, Resident Assistants (RA’s), Student Executive, Orientation Week Organising Committee, Information Technology Advisors, and All Age Events Representatives.
The Senior Academic Tutor and the tutors provide strong academic leadership throughout the College. These are paid positions and they work tirelessly to facilitate support programs for the students. Cromwell runs approximately 90 tutorials weekly in the college during the academic teaching semesters.
The Resident Assistants are appointed by application to the Principal and are the first line pastoral carers and academic supporters in the corridors. Resident Assistants are generally third year (and above) students and there is one per corridor. They meet weekly with the Principal, Deputy Principal and Dean of Students, and weekly with their corridor. Resident Assistants receive remuneration from the College in return for their work. Being a resident assistant is therefore viewed as a job and as such requires significant commitment both in terms of enthusiasm, ability and time.
The Student Executive is elected by the student body at the Annual General Meeting of the Cromwell College Students’ Association. All office holders are third year (or above) students with the exception of the Shop Team and Board of Governors Representative who are second year students. The Student Executive runs the student activities side of College life in collaboration with the Deputy Principal and Dean of Students. This includes fundraising, sport, cultural and social activities, competitions and events. The Student Executive has also been granted one full and one ex-officio position on the Board of Governors; the former being the elected student Board of Governors’ Representative, and the latter the Students’ Association President. All students within the College are members of the Cromwell College Students’ Association and pay an annual fee to this Association. Cromwell College acts as an agent for this Association by collecting this fee at the start of each year on the Association’s behalf.
The Orientation Week Organizing Committee is elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Cromwell College Students’ Association. In addition, the Principal appoints one person to jointly lead this Committee. The Committee is generally comprised of second year students, and it works with the Deputy Principal and Dean of Students to plan and then implement the Orientation Week program for the following year.
The Academic Mentors are faculty based, and are students who are exemplars in their fields. They are points of contact for students seeking advice regarding their studies. The Academic Mentors re appointed by the Deputy Principal, and work closely with him, the Senior Academic Tutor, and the Tutors.
The Information Technology Advisors are students with very high level IT skills who can be accessed quickly to assist their peers with minor IT troubleshooting issues that may arise.
The All Age Events Representative are appointed to work closely with the Resident Assistants and the Students’ Association Executive to plan and implement social activities at the College and off campus for students (both under and over 18) who have minimal interest in social activities involving alcohol. They also organise events involving the whole college that do not involve alcohol, such as “Crommovies Under the Stars”.