Student welfare and guidance: The pastoral role of the academic

Problems relating to the role of academic staff in the pastoral care of students in institutions of higher education are discussed, and the arrangements made in one university for the provision of such pastoral care are considered. The operation of this 'supervisory system' is shown to vary between the different departments, and the views of the heads of departments are seen to be far from unanimous. The responsibilities attributed by heads of departments to supervisors are numerous and diverse. Perhaps, with the influx of professional student counsellors into institutions of higher education, the time is ripe for a re-assessment of the part academic staff can play in the pastoral care of their students.