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Rector of the University of St Andrews

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The Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews is an elected position, usually also the president of the University Court of the University of St Andrews; the University Court is the supreme governing body of the university.

Rector of the University of St Andrews
Incumbent
Stella Maris
since 2023
Member ofUniversity Court
AppointerElected by all the matriculated students of the University
Term length3 years
Constituting instrumentUniversities (Scotland) Act 1858
Formation1858 (in modern form)
First holderSir Ralph Anstruther, 4th Bt.
Websitest-andrews.ac.uk/about/governance/key-officials/rector/

Overview

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The Rector is elected every three years by the matriculated students of the university.[1][2] The current office of Rector, sometimes termed Lord Rector, was instituted by the Universities (Scotland) Act 1858, passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Universities (Scotland) Acts regulate the governance of the ancient universities of Scotland, and require the election of a Rector for the universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and St Andrews.[3] The newer University of Dundee also elects a Rector due to its historical ties to St Andrews, whereas other modern universities do not.[2]

Since 1970 the Rector has appointed a student as Rector's Assessor, who is a full voting member of the University Court, and also serves as a member of the students' representative council. As of September 2023 the position of Rector's Assessor has been vacant.[4][5]

Dismissal of Stella Maris from the University Court

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In December 2023, the university hired King's Counsel Morag Ross (or Morag Ross KC) to conduct an independent investigation into the role and actions[6][7][8]of Stella Maris after she sent a campus-wide email on 21 November 2023 to 10,000 students[9][10][11][12]controversially accusing Israel of "genocidal attacks" – one month after the Hamas-led October 7 massacres that killed 1,200+ – and "imposing apartheid" on Palestinians.[13][14] The email, alongside the ensuing heated exchange between Maris and opposing users on her official Instagram, drew mixed reactions from members of the community.[15]

The university's Jewish Society (JSoc) released a statement on 26 November 2023 voicing concern over the content of Maris' email, highlighting that it was "significantly different" from the draft with which the JSoc was shared and that it cited questionable materials from the "Electronic Intifada", which "has consistently given voice to antisemitic journalists, including those who deny the Holocaust and call for the death of Jews, as well as doxxing and harassing several British Jewish students"[16]

The university leadership voiced concern over the possibility that her email would "bring division and hatred [and reinforce a] narrative that drives violent antisemitism around the world...might encourage the expression of antisemitism by others". Morag Ross KC's independent investigation concluded[17] that there was "no such intention" but rather "a conceivable outcome", and that Maris had shown "poor judgement", though "the circumstances here are not sufficiently clear or obvious to show that there is, overall, a breach of the relevant obligations". Nevertheless, it did find some of Maris's Instagram activities to be "inflammatory...contrary to the best interests of the University...in breach of her obligations as a member of Court and as a charity trustee...to act with courtesy and respect".[18][19]

The independent investigation also found to Maris have "ignored advice" from the university authorities before sending her email, when the university's Vice Principal (Governance) warned her that her email's draft was "virulently anti-Israel" in tone.[20], with some of her actions having "caused division and distress" alongside "reputational damage" to the university.

On 1 August 2024, the University Court announced that "after extensive efforts over a protracted period to seek a resolution with her proved unsuccessful", it had "no choice" but to dismiss Maris from the court and consequently as a trustee of the university, because she had refused to accept the findings of the independent investigation and had refused the university's efforts, over three months, to hold a useful dialogue with her and to take part in outside mediation so that differences could be resolved", while allowing her to remain as the Rector for the remainder of her tenure. In response, Maris claimed that the university had shown a "lack of respect" for the role of rector,[21] and had "victimised" her as a "young, neurodiverse black woman".[22], while accusing Morag Ross KC of being "biased",[23] vowing to appeal against the decision.[18][24] She has instructed a London-based PR firm, specialised in legal sector communications, building and protecting reputations, to help her.[25] [26]

List of rectors

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Rectors of the University of St Andrews[27]
# Name Years served
1 Sir Ralph Anstruther, 4th Bt. 1859–1862
2 William Stirling-Maxwell, MP 1862–1865
3 John Stuart Mill 1865–1868
4 J.A. Froude 1868–1871
5 Lord Neaves 1872–1874
6 The Very Rev. Dr. Arthur Penrhyn Stanley 1874–1877
7 The 1st Baron Selborne 1877–1880
8 Sir Theodore Martin 1880–1883
9 The 11th Lord Reay 1884–1886
10 A.J. Balfour 1886–1889
11 The 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava 1889–1892
12 The 3rd Marquess of Bute 1892–1898
13 James Stuart, MP 1898–1901
14 Andrew Carnegie 1901–1907
15 The 1st Baron Avebury 1907–1910
16 The 5th Earl of Rosebery 1910–1913
17 The 7th Earl of Aberdeen 1913–1916
18 Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig 1916–1919
19 Sir James M. Barrie 1919–1922
20 Rudyard Kipling 1922–1925
21 Fridtjof Nansen 1925–1928
22 Sir Wilfred Grenfell 1928–1931
23 Field Marshal Jan Smuts 1931–1934
24 The Marchese Marconi 1934–1937
25 Lord MacGregor Mitchell 1937–1938
26 Sir David Munro[28] 1938–1946
27 Sir George Cunningham 1946–1949
28 Lord Burghley 1949–1952
29 The 28th Earl of Crawford 1952–1955
30 The 1st Viscount Kilmuir 1955–1958
31 The Baron Boothby 1958–1961
32 C. P. Snow 1961–1964
33 Sir John Rothenstein 1964–1967
34 Sir Learie Nicholas Constantine (The Baron Constantine from 1969) 1967–1970
35 John Cleese 1970–1973
36 Alan Coren 1973–1976
37 Frank Muir 1976–1979
38 Tim Brooke-Taylor 1979–1982
39 Katharine Whitehorn 1982–1985
40 Stanley Adams 1985–1988
41 Nicholas Parsons 1988–1991
42 Nicky Campbell 1991–1993
43 Donald Findlay 1993–1999
44 Andrew Neil 1999–2002
45 Sir Clement Freud 2002–2005
46 Simon Pepper 2005–2008
47 Kevin Dunion 2008–2011
48 Alistair Moffat 2011–2014
49 Catherine Stihler 2014–2017
50 Srđa Popović 2017–2020
51 Leyla Hussein 2020–2023
52 Stella Maris 2023–Present

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Rector | University of St Andrews". www.st-andrews.ac.uk. University of St Andrews. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b "The Scottish University Rector – Introduction to the role of University Rector in Scotland" (PDF). abdn.ac.uk. Scottish Rectors' Group. 2007. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Universities (Scotland) Act 1858", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1858 c. 83
  4. ^ "Rector's Assessor". yourunion.net. University of St Andrews Students' Association. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
  5. ^ "The Acts, Ordinances and Resolutions Affecting the University of St Andrews" (PDF). st-andrews.ac.uk. University of St Andrews. February 2017. p. 83. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  6. ^ "Statement from the Court of the University of St Andrews – Investigator appointed". University of St Andrews. August 2024.
  7. ^ "St Andrews University rector dismissed after 'Gaza genocide' comments". The Jewish Chronicle.
  8. ^ "UNIVERSITY RECTOR REMOVED FROM UNIVERSITY COURT OVER COMMENTS WHICH MADE STUDENTS "FEAR FOR THEIR SAFETY"". Campaign Against Antisemitism. 2 August 2024.
  9. ^ https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/statement-from-the-court-of-the-university-of-st-andrews-university-court-discharges-rector [bare URL]
  10. ^ "St Andrews's 'non-apology' over Israel email riles Jewish students". The Times.
  11. ^ "Jewish students accuse rector at top uni of 'fostering hate' over Israel genocide claim". Daily Express.
  12. ^ "NJA Supports University of St Andrews' Decision to Discharge Rector". National Jewish Assembly.
  13. ^ "St Andrews University rector urged to apologise over Israel 'genocide' claim". BBC News. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Statement from the Court of the University of St Andrews". University of St Andrews. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  15. ^ "St Andrews University's genocide row rector suggests she is threefold victim". Jewish News. August 2024.
  16. ^ "Statement from the University of St Andrews Jewish Society regarding the Rector's recent email". Instagram.
  17. ^ "Morag Ross KC's independent investigation report" (PDF). University of St Andrews.
  18. ^ a b Siddique, Haroon (1 August 2024). "St Andrews rector dismissed from governing body over Israel genocide accusation". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  19. ^ Ross, Morag (15 April 2024). "Independent Investigation" (PDF). University of St Andrews. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  20. ^ https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/assets/university/about/documents/governance/court/independent-investigation-29-July-2024.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  21. ^ "Instagram".
  22. ^ "Instagram".
  23. ^ "Instagram".
  24. ^ "Statement from the Court of the University of St Andrews – University Court Discharges Rector". University of St Andrews. 1 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  25. ^ "St Andrews University had 'no choice' but to dismiss rector from key roles". Jewish News.
  26. ^ https://byfieldconsultancy.com/ [bare URL]
  27. ^ "Previous rectors". yourunion.net. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  28. ^ "Rectorial Installation at St Andrews". The Glasgow Herald. 1 April 1939. p. 15. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
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