Lecturer boarding cutter, forgiving type (8)
I believe the answer is:
pardoner
'forgiving type' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'lecturer boarding cutter' is the wordplay.
'lecturer' becomes 'don' (don can mean an academic).
'boarding' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'cutter' becomes 'parer' (parer is a kind of cutter).
'don' inserted inside 'parer' is 'PARDONER'.
(Other definitions for pardoner that I've seen before include "Indulgent old character" , "He had a tale to tell" , "who goes further than commuter?" , "He brought traveller's tale" , "Seller of papal indulgences; The --'s Tale (Chaucer)" .)