Shaping Scotland’s best student experience 

Linda Barclay Isles

Friday 16 January 2026

For the latest In The Loop Long Read, we spoke to Director of Student Experience Ros Claase about her role, her commitment to inclusion and wellbeing, and her hopes for the future.  

Consistently ranked among the very best in the UK for student experience, the University of St Andrews has built a reputation not only for academic excellence, but also for the distinctive quality of life it offers its students.  

From centuries-old traditions like Raisin Weekend and the May Dip, to innovative wellbeing initiatives and a strong culture of partnership between staff and students, St Andrews continues to stand out as a place where learning is deeply connected to community. At the heart of this success is a commitment to ensuring every student feels supported, included, and able to thrive throughout their time at the University. 

Leading on this commitment is our Vice Principal Education (Proctor) Professor Clare Peddie, who oversees teaching, learning, and assessment across the institution, as well as our Education and Student Experience team, Student Services, the Graduate School, and a wide range of student-facing areas such as the Chaplaincy and Saints Sports. Supporting the Proctor are the Dean of Learning and Teaching, the Provost, and the Director of Student Experience – Ros Claase. 

Everyone in the University works hard to ensure the student experience is the very best it can be and Ros’s role enables that enthusiasm to be focussed on the strategy and co-ordinate its successful delivery. Her work involves close collaboration with academic and professional services teams across the University, ensuring that projects and initiatives genuinely enhance the student journey. 

Ros’s road to St Andrews 

Ros’s own journey into the higher education sector has been, by her own admission, circuitous.  

“I graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2003, over 20 years ago now. During my degree, I spent time abroad and later started working in financial services in the City of London. It was quite different from what I do now, but I was largely focused on graduate recruitment, so I was always working with universities and students. 

“The financial crisis of 2008–2009 brought redundancy which was a difficult experience but one that ultimately redirected my career.” 

A move to Scotland opened up new opportunities, including a project role with the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), which immersed her in the higher education sector and connected her with universities, government, development agencies and employers. 

“A year later, a job came up at the University of Edinburgh Business School. A colleague told me I’d be a fool not to apply – it had my name written all over it. I applied, got the job, and worked there from 2011 through 2021 in various roles. Initially, I focused on careers, then wider skills development, and later student experience more broadly. I was asked to lead a university-wide project reviewing student support and personal tutoring. The recommendations from that project were implemented and, by all accounts, have worked well.” 

The pandemic in 2020 reshaped roles across the sector, but by spring 2021 another colleague encouraged Ros to apply for a new position at St Andrews. Although she hadn’t been seeking change, the role spoke to her interests in holistic student support and collaborative working. She applied, was appointed, and has been shaping the student experience at St Andrews ever since.  

“There was no master plan,” she says. “I’ve taken opportunities and calculated career risks along the way.” 

At the heart of her work is inclusion – ensuring that opportunities are accessible and welcoming to St Andrews’ diverse student population. Much of this is driven by students themselves, and Ros values the privilege of working alongside elected representatives and other students who bring fresh perspectives each year. 

A Role of Many Dimensions  

“I sometimes joke that my job is to have my finger in multiple pies. Some might say “jack of all trades, master of none,” but really, it’s about connecting people and projects to improve the student experience.  

“On any given day, I might be working on student traditions like Raisin Weekend, reviewing policies for disabled students, or convening discussions with staff and representatives from the Students’ Association about issues such as Gender Based Violence. I also work with academic colleagues on projects that affect both education and the wider student experience.” 

Achievements and Priorities 

Among her proudest achievements is leading the University’s response to the cost-of-living crisis. Working in partnership with the Students’ Association, she worked with colleagues to help introduce subsidised bus travel and food schemes such as the campus larder. “It’s not perfect,” she admits, “but it has made a tangible difference.” 

“I’m also proud of the frameworks we’ve put in place around student traditions, ensuring safety and responsibility while respecting local communities. These changes may seem small but have had a big impact.”

Wellbeing is another major focus. Ros led the refresh of the University’s mental health and wellbeing commitments. “Rather than creating a new plan, we highlighted existing commitments across different strategies and action plans, framing them through the lenses used by the Student Minds Mental Health Charter.” 

By mapping the work under the themes of ‘work, support, study, live’, she ensured clarity, efficiency, and accountability. Alongside this, she worked in partnership with the Students’ Association on the NUS “Think Positive” Student Mental Health Agreement, focusing on key themes such as academic stress and loneliness. 

“These priorities align with wider commitments and help us create healthier study and work environments which support students to navigate their university experience whilst preparing them for the world beyond university.” 

Looking to the future  

Over the next year, Ros will continue to focus on work to reduce barriers to inclusion, projects relating to our new joiner experiences and work to ensure that our systems, services and ways of communicating with our student populations are easy to navigate and well joined up. 

And what does success look like? For Ros, it’s not defined solely by her career. “It’s rounded,” she explains. “It’s about being a partner, parent, daughter, and friend as well as a professional. Balance across all areas of life is what success and fulfilment look like to me.” 

Her greatest joy professionally comes from working with students and their representatives. While her current role is less directly connected to individual students than earlier in her career, collaborating with elected reps keeps her close to their priorities and challenges. “It’s always inspiring,” she says, “and it reminds me why this work matters.”