Students have a majority on SSN's board

Did you know that five out of nine representatives on SSN's board are students? And that the chairman is a student?

Nils Herman Lien Håre (25) took over as chairman of the board of SSN in June this year, after serving as deputy chairman of the board for the period 22-23. He completed his bachelor's degree as a computer engineer from USN Campus Kongsberg before the summer and is now well underway with an online one-year study program in business administration at USN with sessions in Geilo. When he has some free time at home in Hokksund, he enjoys playing games and building PCs.

We had a chat with Nils Herman about being Chairman of the Board of SSN:

What have the first few months as chairman been like?

– The first months as chairman have been very interesting. So far, I've chaired two important board meetings and attended two board meetings with the other chairmen of the boards of the other student welfare organisations in Norway.

What are your experiences so far?

– The biggest shock so far is probably how different the student welfare organisations in Norway are, despite having exactly the same purpose. They all offer what they think students need, but in different ways, and sometimes with different offerings. While we are removing kindergartens from our operations and focusing on books, others are removing books and focusing on kindergartens.

Which issues are particularly important to you?

- One of the most important issues for me is that we offer students an offer they can afford with the price increases in society today, while at the same time ensuring that we also have a sound operation of the student welfare organisation. It's a balancing act that I think will be very difficult to achieve, but I have faith that the administration will deliver a good budget proposal for 2024 that achieves this.

What would you say to students who are considering running for election as a board representative?

– There are few reasons not to run as a board representative, but many good reasons. To name a few: all the insight you get into how the student welfare organisation and companies operate, but also the networks you make, the experience you can add to your CV, and the small bonus you get in fees every other month. So I hope everyone who wants to run, runs for election in the spring!

What do you think is important for SSN and the board going forward?

– That we manage to look into the future and create an organisation that is equipped for whatever the future holds. There's no denying that society is changing rapidly, and the services we have today may not be the best for students in two years' time.

Here you can find more information about how SSN is organised.