Clare Taylor
Clare Taylor manages the Student Welfare Service at the University of Leicester. She believes in excellent pastoral support for students and is committed to working closely with colleagues throughout the University to achieve this goal, thereby contributing to a high level of student satisfaction.
Clare's career in student welfare began at Leicester Polytechnic (now De Montfort University) in 1987, she has worked at the University of Leicester since 1990. She has extensive experience in all aspects of practical student support and has developed various aspects of welfare support including:
- student financial support;
- advice and support for international students;
- enhanced support for under 18's;
- pastoral care in accommodation;
- collaborative projects within the local Leicester community;
- health promotion activities.
She is one of the University's Safeguarding Officers. She is also responsible for co-ordinating the University response to student emergencies and, with her team, has responded to many challenging situations.
As the student population has grown the Student Welfare team has worked closely with local community leaders, Leicestershire Constabulary, and Leicester City Council towards achieving community cohesion in student areas. The aim is to address the challenges brought by a diverse and transient student population in order to achieve the best possible living outcomes for all residents. The team have won awards for their pro-active work.
Clare is involved in wider University activities as a long-standing co-opted member of the Standing Committee of Convocation and is active in encouraging alumni to stay involved with the University. She is an elected member of Chaplaincy Council and member of the University's World Faiths Group.
She has lived and worked abroad therefore has first-hand experience of cultural adjustment.
Always keen to undertake developmental activities Clare has participated in the International Network of Universities (INU) Shadowing programme, hosting guests in Leicester and visiting James Madison University in Virginia, USA (2008) and La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia (2009). She is keen to encourage her staff to take every opportunity to broaden their work experiences.
Clare has extensive experience in the voluntary sector. Her most recent major voluntary activity was a nine-year appointment as a lay member of the Leicestershire Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee for Justices of the Peace (the committee responsible for appointing magistrates); for part of that time she chaired the Ashby and Market Bosworth Sub-Committee. Prior to this she was an Officer in the Order of St. John for many years, and was responsible for developing a very active local Division of St. John Ambulance Brigade in Leicestershire. She is currently an active fund-raiser for Kidney Reseach.
Clare graduated from the University of Leicester with a social science degree in Economic and Social History (she was one of the University of Leicester's first Erasmus students, and was awarded a travel scholarship to visit the Universities of Leiden [Holland], Leuven [Belgium] and Giessen [West Germany] as part of her degree programme). She also has a first-class science degree in Health and Social Care from the Open University achieved as a distance learner. Her other relevant qualifications include Management (OU and ILM), Health Promotion (Cert HP, OU), Counselling (Leicester), Certificate for International Education Professionals (UKCISA/University of Nottingham), and First Aid Certificates stretching back over 50 years!
Clare has two daughters and four grandchildren; she enjoys photography, art, swimming, her garden, and most of all her family.
