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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.

Overview

The Rector is elected every three years by the matriculated students of the university. 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. The newer University of Dundee also elects a Rector due to its historical ties to St Andrews, whereas other modern universities do not.

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.

Dismissal of Stella Maris from the University Court

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 of Stella Maris after she sent a campus-wide email on 21 November 2023 to 10,000 students alleging that Israel was "conducting genocidal attacks" and "imposing apartheid" on Palestinians. The email, along with the subsequent heated exchange between Maris and some users on her official Instagram, drew mixed reactions from members of the community.

The university administrators voiced concern over the possibility that her email would "bring division and hatred narrative that drives violent antisemitism around the world". Morag Ross KC's independent investigation concluded, in April 2024, 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, the independent investigation did find some of Maris's social media activities to be "inflammatory", "contrary to the best interests of the University" and "in breach of her obligations as a member of Court and as a charity trustee...to act with courtesy and respect".

The independent investigation also found that Maris had 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., 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; she remains Rector. On the day her dismissal was announced Maris issued a statement saying the university had shown a lack of respect for the role of rector, and had victimised her as a "young, neurodiverse black woman". She has also said the report, by Morag Ross KC (Lady Ross), was "biased" and that she intends to appeal against the decision. She has instructed a London-based PR firm, which specialises in legal sector communications and in building and protecting reputations.

List of rectors

See also

• Ancient university governance in Scotland
• Governance of the University of St Andrews
• Chancellor of the University of St Andrews
• Principal of the University of St Andrews

References

1. "Rector | University of St Andrews". www.st-andrews.ac.uk. University of St Andrews. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
2. ^ "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. https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/statement-from-the-court-of-the-university-of-st-andrews-investigator-appointed/
7. https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/statement-from-the-court-of-the-university-of-st-andrews-university-court-discharges-rector
8. "St Andrews University rector urged to apologise over Israel 'genocide' claim". BBC News. 25 November 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
9. "Statement from the Court of the University of St Andrews". University of St Andrews. 15 December 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
10. "St Andrews University's genocide row rector suggests she is threefold victim". Jewish News. August 2024.
11. "Morag Ross KC's independent investigation report" (PDF). University of St Andrews.
12. ^ Siddique, Haroon (1 August 2024). "St Andrews rector dismissed from governing body over Israel genocide accusation". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
13. Ross, Morag (15 April 2024). "Independent Investigation" (PDF). University of St Andrews. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
14. https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/assets/university/about/documents/governance/court/independent-investigation-29-July-2024.pdf
15. https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/statement-from-the-court-of-the-university-of-st-andrews-university-court-discharges-rector/
16. https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/statement-from-the-court-of-the-university-of-st-andrews-university-court-discharges-rector/
17. https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18421481074069877/
18. https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18421481074069877/
19. https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18421481074069877/
20. "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.
21. https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/st-andrews-university-dismiss-rector-stella-maris-morag-ross/
22. https://byfieldconsultancy.com/
23. "Previous rectors". yourunion.net. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
24. "Rectorial Installation at St Andrews". The Glasgow Herald. 1 April 1939. p. 15. Retrieved 6 September 2017.

External links

• The Rector of the University of St Andrews

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• Rectors of the University of St Andrews
• Lists of rectors of Scottish universities