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Rector of the University of St Andrews
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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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.
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Overview
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]
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Term of Rector Stella Maris
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In December 2023, the university hired King's Counsel Morag Ross (or Morag Ross KC) to conduct an independent investigation[6] into the role and actions of Rector Stella Maris after she sent a campus-wide email[7] on 21 November 2023 to 10,000 students.[8][9][10] In the email, she condemned both the Hamas-led October 7 massacres and the actions of Israel, who she accused of "genocidal attacks" and "imposing apartheid" on Palestinians.[11][12][7] She also condemned both antisemitism and islamophobia, and concluded by writing: "my words are not intended to justify violence or dismiss the pain of any community . . . while I acknowledge that some may not agree with my perspective, it is imperative to state unequivocally that peace is my guiding philosophy."[7] Since her statement, the International Court of Justice have declared a "plausible genocide" in Gaza,[13] with human rights organizations like Amnesty International concluding there is "sufficient evidence of genocide".[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] On 26 November 2023, the University's Jewish Society (JSoc) released a statement voicing concern over the content of Maris' email and calling on her to resign. They claimed that "her words were harmful divisive, and not based in fact", and that the email was "significantly different" from the draft which had been shared with the JSoc. They also expressed concern that the email had cited materials from the "Electronic Intifada", a publication which has been accused of antisemitism.[16][17] On the other hand, an opposing open letter, which St Andrews Amnesty International Society estimated to have received 1,106 signatures from students, thanked Maris for her "courageous stance", asserting that her "call for a cease-fire, [condemnation of] the death of all civilians, and advocacy for the Palestinian people have not only demonstrated [her] commitment to peace but have also inspired a sense of pride in the St Andrews community."[18][19] A later open letter released in May 2024 from the University College Union called on the University to divest from institutions “complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza” and received 1,072 signatures from staff and students.[18]
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", and "might encourage the expression of antisemitism by others". Morag Ross KC's independent investigation concluded[6] that there was "no such intention" but rather "a conceivable outcome", and that Maris had shown "poor judgement". The report also accused Maris of causing"reputational damage" to the University, and ignoring advice from 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] Nonetheless, the report ulttimately concluded that it was unclear there was "a breach of the relevant obligations", and that "dismissal would be a disproportionate response."[6]
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, albeit while allowing her to retain the title of Rector for the remainder of her tenure. They alleged that 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. Maris denied the accusation that she had refused to accept the findings of the investigation, accusing the University of "bias" and "misrepresentation", as well as "lack of respect" for the role of rector.[21][22][23] On 13 August 2024, she appealed the decision to the Chancellor of the University, with the support of the European Legal Support Centre.[22][23][24] Maris also received pro-bono services from a London-based PR firm, specialised in legal sector communications and building and protecting reputations, to assist her public statements.[25][26]
An open letter issued in August 2024 by various St Andrews societies, including Amnesty International, the Muslim Student’s Association, Middle East and North Africa Society, BAME Students Network and the Socialist Worker Student Society, professed support for Maris as well as concern over "a specific, unnamed donor withdrawing funding as a result of Stella’s statement", which they alleged was "a key motivating factor for the University’s investigation and decision".[27][28] KC Ross's report listed the University leadership's concern over a specific donor, with the name of the group redacted.[6] The Wolfson Foundation, a charity known for supporting pro-Israeli causes, has since been named as the donor.[29][30] Maris also received support from many outside of the University, including over 500 academics from universities across 17 countries, the BRISMES Committee on Academic Freedom, the University College Union (UCU), and Prof Ghassan Abu-Sittah, the rector of the University of Glasgow and a surgeon who provided testimony on Israel’s war in Gaza after operating during the conflict.[31][22] An open letter signed by over sixty "prominent human rights advocates, academics, writers, artists, filmmakers and Israeli dissidents" condemned her dismissal and called for her to be reinstated.[32]
On 29 April 2025, the University Chancellor Menzies Campbell ruled in Maris' favour in her appeal against dismissal as president of the university court. As a result, Maris will be fully reinstated as Rector until her term runs out in October 2026.[33][34][31] The impartiality of the University investigation has been called into question. Principal Mapstone met with a number of British government ministers during the process, including MP Robert Halfon and John Mann, Baron Mann, causing members of the St Andrews community to raise concern over the influence of "outside voices".[35] University Vice Principal and governance chief Alastair Merrill communicated directly with KC Ross before her report was published, including over private lunches, leading MSP Mark Ruskell to say the investigation was “stacked against” Rector Maris.[36] University representatives rejected that there was any undue influence.[37]
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List of rectors
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See also
References
External links
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