Professor Claire Callender joined the Institute of Education (IOE) now IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society in 2010 and retired on 19 December 2024. Claire was esteemed member of the Department of Education, Practice and Society with a long and successful academic history. She was also a well-liked and valued member of the department.
Professor Callender’s areas of expertise included UK and international student funding, understanding graduate experiences of indebtedness and the implications of student funding policies for graduates. As an expert on student funding and graduate experiences of indebtedness Claire made significant contributions to the debate about student funding at an international level, and through her involvement in all the major national reviews she influenced UK government policy development in this area.
Until her retirement, Professor Claire Callender was Deputy Director of the Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE) and a member of the Centre’s Advisory Board of CGHE. CGHE is an ESRC funded international research centre undertaking studies on higher education and its future development, in partnership with the universities of Oxford, Lancaster and Bath.
Professor Claire Callender was appointed to UK’s Blueprint for change Advisory group on university finances, led by Professor Shitij Kapur in 2024 but regrettably resigned due to ill health. Claire was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to higher education in 2017.
Professor Claire Callender served the university with great distinction. In recognition and appreciation of her services to the university she was conferred the title of Emeritus Professor of Education, Practice and Society by UCL President and Provost on 31 March 2025.
Claire leaves behind, her partner Annette, and will be greatly missed by her brothers and their families.
Claire will be sorely missed by all who knew her. May Claire's soul rest in eternal peace.
Professor Moses Oketch
Head of Department of Education, Practice and Society
Related links
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Multilingual learners reap significant academic benefits and outpace monolingual peers
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