As part of Welcome Week 2018, we speak to a variety of staff about their involvement.

Name – Claire O’Leary

Job title – Assistant Director – Head of Student Experience and Internationalisation

Department – International Student Office

1. Can you tell us a bit about your role?

As well as co-directing the International Student Office with Helen Johnson, my role is really interesting as it covers the breadth of international student experience and student internationalisation. I oversee the student immigration service, which, each month, deals with up to 1000 requests for immigration advice and support with the sometimes stressful business of navigating UK immigration. I also lead on Tier 4 compliance and our compliance team ensures we have the policies and practice in place to maintain our Tier 4 licence and we are currently preparing for our first full UKVI audit sometime this year. I take an active role in lobbying the government for a more reasonable approach to student migration policy both through my role at Warwick and through a national network of compliance practitioners which I helped to set up.

I also oversee the Welcome and Student Internationalisation teams within my section: we are so excited about this year’s inaugural Welcome Week for all students and we’re hoping that all new Warwick students will have a smooth, fun and successful transition into their degree programmes and will find a really warm welcome here.

We’ve worked hard to support and encourage the integration between domestic and international students during Welcome Week and we’ll be continuing these efforts through our Take your Place: World at Warwick programme of social and cultural events, trips, campaigns and intercultural sensitivity training, which run throughout the year. We think there’s so much to be gained when students stretch their cultural comfort zones by choosing to work and socialise with people who are culturally different from them: it helps all students feel a sense of belonging here at Warwick and it enables students to develop global competencies, which are so highly valued by graduate employers.

At the EAIE conference in Geneva this September I’ll be presenting a session with colleagues from University of California, Berkeley on translating competencies gained through student mobility, into an employability context.

2. And what’s your involvement in Warwick Welcome Week 2018?

I have the pleasure of line managing Chris Luck, Head of Welcome and Student Internationalisation Manager and I’m a member of the Welcome Steering Board. I’ve brought my experiences of managing welcome programmes for international and postgraduate students at the Universities of Warwick, Birmingham and Coventry into our planning and together with Chris’ excellent project management skills and his brilliant work in bringing people along with us, I can’t wait to see how Warwick Welcome Week 2018 goes!

3. This year sees an entirely new approach and programme for Welcome. What benefits will this bring to new students?

With Welcome 2018, I wanted to see the creation of a programme that was well organised, had the support of all parts of the University, the partnership of the SU and which offered something for all kinds of students: a genuine sense of welcome; lots of support for those feeling homesick or daunted by the transition; loads of fun and excitement as befits this life-changing experience and a chance for students to meet with and orient themselves to their academic departments ahead of commencing their studies.

The key benefits to students will be a more equitable experience of starting University no matter which department you belong to, no academic tests or homework, fewer timetable clashes and therefore greater opportunities for having fun, settling in and making friends with a wide range of students. We also have an amazing range of events and activities to make it a truly memorable week.

4. What are you most looking forward to about Welcome Week?

I always love the buzz and emotion of Welcome Week: the excitement (and trepidation) of the arriving students; the pride (mixed with a little sadness) of the parents and supporters, the boundless energy and enthusiasm of the student helpers, so keen to give back the welcome and reassurance that meant so much when they first arrived; the friendships forming between students who looked a bit lost only a few days before and the total and utter exhaustion and satisfaction of the Welcome Team when it is all over and it has all gone well (fingers crossed)!

In terms of coolest events on offer, I’m drawn to the Hawaiian pool party, to a spot of Musical Bingo and the neon glow fun of the UV roller disco, to name but a few of the fantastic events we have on offer!