Gives a fellow a change of seat (7)
I believe the answer is:
donates
'gives' is the definition.
(donating is a kind of giving)
'a fellow a change of seat' is the wordplay.
'a fellow' becomes 'don' (both can mean an academic).
'a change of' indicates an anagram.
'seat' is an anagram of 'ates'.
'don'+'ates'='DONATES'
(Other definitions for donates that I've seen before include "Offers free" , "Gives to good cause" , "gifts" .)