St Mary’s Appoints New Head of Student Experience

St Mary’s University, Twickenham (SMU) has appointed Claire McLoughlin as its new Head of Academic Student Experience and Enhancement.

The Head Academic Student Experience and Enhancement is responsible for, and provides expert leadership on, the delivery of student outcomes and the associated measures of success that enables, enhances, and enriches the overall Student Experience at SMU.

St Mary’s Vice-Chancellor Anthony McClaran said, “The experience of our students is at the core of all we do as a higher education institution. I am delighted that from a strong field of candidates we have appointed Claire to lead on this moving forward, and I am excited to see what brilliant initiatives she will be bringing forward in the near future to enhance our students’ time at St Mary’s.”

Speaking of her appointment, Claire McLoughlin said, “I am delighted to have been appointed to this new role here at St Mary’s. We have an amazing culture of student-centred learning here at St Mary’s which is reflected in our NSS results. I am looking forward to further promoting the enhancement of student experience across the University and working with all our amazing colleagues to continue and build on our previous successes.”

Claire McLoughlin is an Associate Professor in Sport Rehabilitation, gaining her MSc from SMU in 2008. Most recently, Claire held the role of Associate Dean for Student Experience in the Faculty of Sport, Allied Heath, and Performance Science (SAHPS). In this role, she was responsible for overseeing and coordinating the Faculty’s National Student Survey (NSS) campaign 2021-22, in which St Mary’s improved on its ranking to sit in the top ten in the UK, and the overall SMU NSS campaign 22-23 where there has been an 10% increase in participation to 82% of eligible students.

Claire has a passion for fostering student success, enhancing the student experience, and providing strategic leadership to support the overall well-being and development of students. Having worked at St Mary’s for 20 years she has built a strong collaborative network with various colleagues, including students, academic staff, and professional services, to coordinate and oversee initiatives that positively impact the student lifecycle.