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Rector of the University of St Andrews facts for kids

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Rector of the University of St Andrews
Incumbent
Stella Maris
since 2023
Member of University Court
Appointer Elected by all the matriculated students of the University
Term length 3 years
Constituting instrument Universities (Scotland) Act 1858
Formation 1858 (in modern form)
First holder Sir Ralph Anstruther, 4th Bt.

The Lord Rector of the University of St Andrews is a very important person at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Think of them as a special representative for the students. They lead the University Court, which is the main group that runs the university.

What Does the Rector Do?

The Rector is elected every three years by the students who are officially enrolled at the university. These students are called "matriculated students." The job of Rector, sometimes called Lord Rector, was created by a law passed in 1858. This law is called the Universities (Scotland) Act 1858.

This law helps manage how the old universities in Scotland are run. It says that universities like Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and St Andrews must all have a Rector. The University of Dundee also has a Rector because it used to be part of St Andrews. Other newer universities in Scotland do not have this role.

A Special Helper: The Rector's Assessor

Since 1970, the Rector has been able to choose a student to be their special helper. This person is called the Rector's Assessor. This student helper gets to be a full member of the University Court. This means they can vote on important decisions about the university. They also work with the students' representative council, which is a group that speaks for all the students. As of September 2023, the position of Rector's Assessor was empty.

Who Has Been Rector?

Many interesting people have served as the Rector of the University of St Andrews over the years. This list shows who they were and when they served.

Rectors of the University of St Andrews
# 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 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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