General council (Scottish university) facts for kids

The General Council is a special group at the oldest universities in Scotland. It's made up of all the people who have graduated from the university, plus senior teachers and researchers. This group was first created by a law in 1858. Since then, its rules and how it works have changed quite a bit over time.

Back in 1858, the law set up three main parts for universities. There was the General Council, which gives advice. Then there was the University Court, which handles money and how the university is run. Finally, there was the Academic Senate, which looks after teaching and studies.

The leader of each university, called the Chancellor, is chosen by the General Council. The Chancellor is also the main leader of the General Council itself.

What Does the General Council Do?

The main job of the General Council is to think about anything that helps the university do well. They can then share their ideas and concerns with the University Court. The Court must listen to these ideas and tell the Council what they decided.

The General Council also chooses people, called assessors, to join the University Court. These assessors help represent the Council's views on the Court. Teachers and researchers who are part of the Academic Senate cannot vote in these elections. The Senate chooses its own assessors for the Court.

Since 1966, any new important rules or decisions for the university are first shown to the General Council. The Council's thoughts on these new rules are always considered before they are made final.

The General Councils of Scotland's four oldest universities are like advisory groups. Their members are all the graduates and senior staff of that university.

One of the most important things the General Council does is appoint people to the University Court. The Court is the main governing body of the university. The Council must choose at least four people for this role. They also elect the Chancellor. The Chancellor is the official head of the university and holds the position for life.

The Council's rules also say it must "consider all questions affecting the well-being and prosperity of the University." It also needs to "make representations from time to time on such questions to the University Court." These activities happen at meetings held twice a year. A special Business Committee prepares all the papers for these meetings.

History of the General Council

The idea for the General Council came about in the 1800s. This was a time when people wanted to make many improvements. Universities in Scotland faced different challenges back then. The University of Glasgow was doing quite well. People thought the University of Aberdeen would be better if its two parts joined together. The University of St Andrews was slowly getting better after a tough time in the 1700s. But it still had problems with old, falling-apart buildings.

The biggest issues were at the University of Edinburgh. There was a big disagreement between the professors and the Edinburgh Town Council. This argument even ended up in court. Because of this, a special group called the Royal Commission was set up in 1826. This group was meant to look into the universities and colleges of Scotland.

The Commission finished its detailed work and reported its findings in 1831. It suggested that the University Court should handle money and daily operations. It also said the Academic Senate should decide on teaching matters.

It took a long time for the Commission's ideas to become law. This was due to political reasons. During this delay, university graduates, led by a person named James Lorimer, started pushing for even more changes. They wanted graduates to have a say in how universities were run. They believed creating a group for graduates would make their degrees more valuable. It would also bring new ideas to how universities operated. Lorimer also hoped that this group would encourage successful graduates to help their old universities. He thought wealthy graduates might donate money to their universities.

Other people, who were connected to Lorimer's group, saw a chance for graduates to get a vote in Parliament. This actually happened! Scottish universities elected three Members of Parliament until 1948. That's when a law changed how people could vote.

In 1857, James Lorimer was asked to help write the law that became the Universities (Scotland) Act 1858. This law created the structure of the University Court, Academic Senate, and General Council.

Today, General Councils usually focus on specific issues. Their response time can be slow, as they only meet every six months. A royal commission in 1876 looked at the results of the 1858 law. It found that "very few people attended the Council meetings." This is still often true today.

The University of St Andrews has tried holding its winter meeting in different places, not just in St Andrews. This has helped more people attend. These meetings can also be a good way to find new people to join the University Court. The university wants to keep talking with its graduates. In the future, online communication might help members from all over the world share their ideas.

Today, General Councils mainly think about the long-term future of each university. They also help promote the history and culture of their universities.

See also

• General Council of the University of St Andrews