So, what should we call... err... students?

I'm wrestling with a particularly slippery, err, customer. What do we call university, um, subscribers? "Those who pay for their tuition"? Technically they are 'students' ("a person who is studying at a university or other place of higher education") more than they are 'customers' ("A person who buys goods or services from a shop or business") or 'consumers' ("A person who purchases goods and services for personal use"). Anyone who's tried to debate this soon comes to the inevitable yet unhelpful conclusion that "[s]tudents are not customers nor are they not customers" (Trachtenberg, 2010). At least we can all agree that they are, at least, definitely 'students'!

But is the term 'student' sufficient? And, what might we risk if we seek to change it to 'customer'? Do we run the risk of overlooking valid, customer-style expectations if we glibly dismiss the term 'customer' as evidence of consumerism? Is the word 'customer' one we should be suspicious of? I've observed that universities can be very supply-centric in how they operate. In other words, university systems are often pragmatically aligned with what suits the university rather than what might suit their, err, paying members. The term used to describe these paying members - be it 'student', 'customer', 'consumer', whatever - might be seen to indicate an ideology about universities and what they exist for. Taking a customer-focus too seriously can, according to some narratives, lead to degradation of quality. These apparent ideologies might be summed thus:

• 'Student' implies that universities are there to educate, students are there to learn. The university determines what is good for the student, and controls the relationship. 
• 'Customer' implies that universities are there to supply a service in exchange for income. The customer determines the level of service they expect, and controls the relationship. 

There's clearly some productive overlap across these two terms, and truth across both. But the terms are often presented as alternatives, forcing irreconcilable debate. The concept of partnership is lost across these extremes. Consider these two positions (emphasis added):

A truth continuing education leaders have known and practiced for years is starting to make its way into mainstream higher education conversations, and it’s stirring up a great deal of controversy. This truth is the idea that students want to be treated like customers, and doing so actually improves the student experience overall. Critics and traditionalists worry that the academic product will suffer from a customer service mentality, but this is a contentious and debated point. (Gonzalez, 2016).

A student complains that they have too many deadlines and are overworked at the end of term. Then, they blame their lecturers for poor results in those assignments. The reality is that those deadlines have no bearing on when the student could elect to do those pieces of work over the full length of term. This, of course, assumes that students are organised and do not leave everything to the last minute. Should a member of staff cave in and appease the student and offer compensation, or should they tell the student that time management is an important part of the education process and a vital life skill to take forward beyond their degree? (McGlinchey, 2014).

Part of the problem is the mixed messages universities themselves provide. Those accessing university study pay substantial fees, and are marketed to as customers:

The glossy brochures and the expensive advertising campaigns that are offered by many universities often exceed the reality that greets students when they arrive... [yet universities must] take a stand against those who put marketing and consumerism above academic integrity (Baker, 2008).

Ultimately I'm certain common ground is agreed to conceptually. Universities are obligated to maintain academic standards to benefit their students, and this should be done with a customer-focus. Again, we need a way of describing the professional partnership the valid expectations of both universities and their, err, paying class members.

So does it ever help to see students as “customers”? Yes, if this means ensuring they’ll be well advised and well supported, so they can make informed choices, use their time well, and benefit fully from study. And no, if this means distorting the teacher-student relationship, failing to uphold course standards, or undermining the institution’s integrity and the reputation of its degrees (The Conversation, 2013). 

In my experience, those wanting to emphasise improving support and flexibility in addition to maintaining academic standards need a term that demonstrates how central this improvement is to what, umm, purchasers reasonably expect from universities. We need a term other than student and customer to describe the fact that both have valid expectations of the education relationship. The term students can be too dismissive of the valid desire to improve the lot of the, err, client.

Say, that might be a good term to use: Client - "a person or organization using the services of a lawyer or other professional person or company". The term is at least based on a professional relationship, though the aspect of actually performing work (studying) directed by the professional company (university) also needs recognition. The term 'client' is quite different to that of 'customer':

A client is one for whom professional services are rendered. A customer is a person who buys goods or services and expects his or her expressed preferences to be met with regard to the product or service being purchased (Bailey, 2000, p.354). 

There are many types of professional-client relationship (Bailey, 2000); my favourite is that of fitness trainer/trainee, though those of management consultant, accounting services and mountain guide are also helpful. Significantly, using the term client emphasises the relationship between client and professional. Student can seem to place a relationship at an academic arm's length.

If 'client' seems too customer-oriented, perhaps we might talk of the 'student-client'? I think at the very least, the term student is not quite enough to challenge us to provide the very best service we can provide alongside academic standards. Client, to me, seems a much better option.