The health and wellbeing of our students is the foundation upon which they can build their university experience to be as fruitful, rewarding and enjoyable as it should be. But their time at university can be very demanding as well. As students’ needs increase, we seek your help to expand wellbeing support through the creation of a new role: the ‘Pelican Officer’.

An appreciation of the importance of mental health and wellbeing to people of all ages and circumstances continues to rise. Thankfully, cultural taboos surrounding these topics are eroding fast; and our understanding of the complexities of mental health is ever improving, as does our willingness to discuss our own needs and to help one another.

Today’s students, be they at Corpus or elsewhere, face many of the challenges experienced by previous generations. They also face issues that are specific to their own generation: the impact of COVID-19 on their schooling and formative years; financial concerns exacerbated by accelerated cost of living increases; pressures created or increased by social media; and the prospect of entering an ever-more competitive graduate job market.

Wellbeing at Corpus and the role of Pelican Officer

Corpus already has in place a strong student welfare and wellbeing team. The Senior Tutor leads a programme that involves Tutors and Directors of Studies, the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion team, the College Nurse and the College Chaplain. Students also have access to a range of College and University facilities to support them: counsellors, mental health advisors, and access and disability services.

For all that there is still need for further investment and action. Demand for services is ever rising because of the factors outlined above. To meet students’ needs, we want to augment our student welfare team through the creation of a new role: the Pelican Officer. (The post’s formal title would be Wellbeing, Belonging & Inclusion Co-ordinator, but we feel that ‘Pelican Officer’ succinctly captures the essence of the role, and in a more typically Corpus way!)

The Pelican Officer will focus on developing new preventative and early-intervention approaches to student wellbeing. They will be an integral part of the College’s welfare team and would work closely with the JCR and MCR committees, as well as students and staff throughout the College. Their specific attention to maintaining and improving mental and physical health, social belonging and extra-curricular engagement will benefit all students. Their work will contribute to sustaining a welcoming and supportive environment where relatively minor stresses are reduced before they have time to develop into larger concerns.

Funding the role

In 2023, the College’s strategic review and evaluation of current and future needs and provision coincided with implementation of measures identified by the University’s Mental Health Review. One such measure was the creation of the College Wellbeing Stimulus Fund, established by the University to support new and imaginative college-based initiatives meant to improve students’ welfare and wellbeing.

Corpus succeeded in securing a grant of £98,000 from the College Wellbeing Stimulus Fund. An initial three-year pilot of the Pelican Officer initiative will cost £140,000. We are, therefore, seeking £42,000 in funding from our wider community.

How you can help

All our students deserve and will benefit from this enhanced approach to wellbeing support. A varied and properly integrated programme of activities and resources, available to our students from matriculation through to graduation, will help them make the very most of their opportunities, academic and otherwise, here at Cambridge.

If the Pelican Officer initiative appeals to you, please consider making a gift today. You can do so online or by contacting Mrs Rachel Lawson, Director of Development: development.director@corpus.cam.ac.uk or +44 (0)1223 335492.