The 'University of St Andrews' () is the oldest
university in
Scotland and third oldest in the
English-speaking world, having been founded between
1410 and
1413. The University is situated in the small town of
St Andrews, in
Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is one of the most prestigious universities in the
United Kingdom, attracting students from over 100 countries . It is a renowned centre for teaching and research and is a member of the 1994 Group, a network of smaller research-intensive
UK universities.
Independent school intake is high, but the university has an active widening participation policy. The library and many departments are in the town centre. The town's population of 16,000 is boosted considerably by the University's 8,000
students.
History
Main articles: History of the University of St Andrews
St Salvator's Chapel
The University was founded in
1410 when a
charter of incorporation was bestowed upon the
Augustinian priory of
St Andrews Cathedral. A
Papal Bull was issued in
1413 by the
Avignon Pope Benedict XIII. The University grew in size quite rapidly; A pedagogy,
St John's College was founded 1418-1430
[1] by Robert of Montrose and Lawrence of Lindores,
St Salvator's College was established in
1450,
St Leonard's College in
1511, and
St Mary's College in
1537. St Mary's College was a refoundation of St Johns College. Some of these early college buildings are in use today date from this period such as
St Salvator's Chapel and St Leonards College chapel. At this time, much of the teaching was of a
religious nature and was conducted by
clerics associated with the
cathedral.
From the
17th to
19th centuries, the university underwent many changes. The distinctive red gowns, which are still in use today, were adopted in
1672. Toward the end of the seventeenth century, the university considered and eventually rejected a move to
Perth. In
1747,
St Salvator's and
St Leonards's merged to form the
United College of St Salvator and St Leonard.
During the 19th century, student numbers were very low and the university faced the possibility of closing. In the
1870s, the student population was fewer than 150, and perhaps partly in response to this, the university founded University College in
Dundee in
1897, which became a centre of medical and scientific excellence. This affiliation ended in
1967 when the college, renamed Queen's College, became a separate and independent institution of the
University of Dundee. The loss of teaching facilities for clinical medicine caused the university's
Bute Medical School to form a new attachment with the
University of Manchester. Today, the university is growing in international reputation, attracting more students than ever before.
Reputation
St Andrews is frequently listed in the top ten universities in the
United Kingdom, and it appears fourth in the UK according to the ''The Guardian's'' 2008 Good University guide.
[7] The university was placed top amongst Scottish universities by the Sunday Times University League Table in 2006,
[8] while the independent IpsosMORI
National Student Survey 2006 commissioned by
HEFCE placed it third among the UK universities.
[9] It has achieved the most consistently high ratings in research assessment exercises with no subjects receiving a rating lower than 4 on a grading scale 1-5
★ , where 5
★ denotes outstanding international research. The departments of English and Psychology have received a 5
★ in the latest exercise, and 72% of staff across the university received a 5 or 5
★ rating.
[10] The
Philosophical Gourmet report ranks St Andrews' graduate philosophy programme as third in the UK, and the joint programme with
Stirling University is ranked second in the UK and joint 13th in the world.
[11]
Nearly eight in ten graduates obtain a First Class or an Upper Second Class Honours degree. A similar proportion enter further employment requiring a respected degree or obtaining placements for further postgraduate research. The ancient Scottish universities award Master of Arts degrees (except for science students who are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree) which are classified upon graduation, in contrast to
Oxbridge where one becomes a Master of Arts after a certain number of years, and the rest of the UK, where graduates are awarded BAs.
Entry to the University is highly competitive; the latest UCAS figures show that there are generally twelve applications for every place available, and the University did not enter Clearing at the end of the last admissions round. The standard offer of a place tends to require at a minimum AAABB at Scottish Highers for Scottish applicants, AAB at GCE A Levels for English, Welsh and Northern Irish candidates, or a score of at least 36 points on the International Baccalaureate.
Governance and administration
The "Gateway" building, built in 2000 and now used for the University's Management department
As with the other
Ancient universities of Scotland, governance is determined by the
Universities (Scotland) Act 1858. This Act created three bodies: the
General Council,
University Court and
Academic Senate (''Senatus Academicus'').
General Council
Main articles: General Council of St Andrews University
The General Council is a standing advisory body of all the
graduates,
academics and former academics of the University. It meets twice a year and appoints a
Business Committee to transact business between these meetings. Its most important functions are to appoint two
Assessors to the
University Court and elect the University
Chancellor.
University Court
The
University Court is the body responsible for administrative and financial matters, and is in effect the governing body of the University. It is chaired by the
Rector, who is elected by all the
matriculated students of the University. Members are appointed by the General Council,
Academic Senate and
Fife Council. The President of the
Students' Representative Council and Director of Representation are ''ex officio'' members of the Court. Several
lay members are also co-opted and must include a fixed number of alumni of the University.
Academic Senate
The
Academic Senate (in Latin ''Senatus Academicus'') is the supreme academic body for the University. Its members include all of the
Professors of the University, certain senior
Readers, a number of
Senior Lecturers and
Lecturers and three elected student Senate Representatives - one from the Arts / Divinity faculty, one from the Science / Medicine faculty and one postgraduate student . It is responsible for authorising degree programmes and issuing all degrees to graduates. Another function of the Senate is to discipline students. The
President of the Senate is the
University Principal.
Faculties
The University is divided into four academic
Faculties:
★
Arts,
★
Divinity,
★
Medicine, and
★
Science.
Each is governed by a Faculty Council and administered by a
Dean. Students apply to become members of a particular faculty, as opposed to any particular school or department.
Number of students by faculty
Academic Year 2005/2006
[1]:
| 'Faculty' | 'Undergraduate' | 'Postgraduate' |
| Arts | 3,582 | 604 |
| Divinity | 48 | 50 |
| Medicine | 419 | 7 |
| Science | 1,731 | 367 |
| Total | 5,780 | 1,028 |
Office of the Principal
The
Principal is the
chief executive of the University and is assisted in that role by several key officers.
The current composition of the Office of the Principal is:
★ The Principal: Dr
Brian Lang
★
Master of the United College and Deputy Principal: Professor Keith Brown
★
Secretary and
Registrar: Mark Butler
★ Vice-Principal (Research): Professor Alan Miller
★ Vice-Principal (Learning and Teaching): Professor Ronald Piper
★ Vice-Principal (External Relations): Stephen Magee
★
Quaestor and
Factor: Derek Watson
★ Assistant to the Principal: Hugh Martin
Student residences
St Andrews is characterised amongst Scottish Universities as having a significant number of students in University operated accommodation. Residences include:
★ Albany Park
★
Andrew Melville Hall
★
David Russell Apartments (a new apartment complex built on the site of the now-demolished original ''
David Russell Hall'')
★
Deans Court
★ Fife Park
★ Gannochy House (part of St Salvator's Hall)
★ John Burnet Hall
★ McIntosh Hall
★ New Hall
★ St Regulus Hall
★ St Salvator's Hall
★ Stanley Smith House & Angus House
Royal & Ancient Golf Clubhouse and Hamilton Hall
★ University Hall
Former residences
In addition to the residences listed above, the University formerly also had the following residences:
★
Hamilton Hall
★ Hepburn Hall
★ Southgait Hall
★ Kinnessburn Hall
★
David Russell Hall
Alumni
''See also ''
Arts and media
★
Crispin Bonham-Carter, actor
★
Gavin Douglas, poet and bishop
★
William Dunbar, poet
★
Robert Fergusson, poet
★
Hazel Irvine, television presenter
★
Sir David Lindsay, poet and diplomat
★
Ian McDiarmid, actor
★
Louise Minchin, newsreader
★
Siobhan Redmond, actor
★
Alastair Reynolds, science fiction author
★
Brian Taylor, journalist
★
Fay Weldon, feminist and writer
Education and academia
★ Sir
Eric Anderson, academic, Provost of Eton College
★
Walter Perry, Lord Perry of Walton, first Vice-Chancellor of the
Open University
★
Dominic Sandbrook, historian and author
★
Lawrence Stenhouse, educational researcher
Politics and public affairs
★
Angie Bray,
Conservative and Unionist politician
★
Malcolm Bruce,
Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament
★
Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, diplomat
★
Christopher Chope,
Conservative and Unionist politician
★
Barry Gardiner,
Labour Party politician
★
James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose, royalist military commander
★
John Graham, 1st Viscount of Dundee,
Jacobite military commander, "Bonnie Dundee"
★
Michael Fallon,
Conservative and Unionist politician
★
Michael Forsyth, Baron Forsyth of Drumlean,
Conservative and Unionist politician
★
Mark Lazarowicz,
Labour Party politician
★
John MacGregor, Baron MacGregor of Pulham Market,
Conservative and Unionist politician
★
Lewis Moonie, Baron Moonie,
Labour Party politician
★
Madsen Pirie, founder,
Adam Smith Institute
★
Lyon Playfair, 1st Baron Playfair, scientist and
Liberal politician
★
George Reid,
Scottish National Party politician and second Presiding Officer of the
Scottish Parliament
★
Alex Salmond,
First Minister of Scotland and leader of the
Scottish National Party
★
Alex Singleton, Director-General of the
Globalisation Institute
★
Catherine Stihler,
Labour Party politician
★
Desmond Swayne,
Conservative and Unionist politician
★
Hugo Swire,
Conservative and Unionist politician
★
James Wilson, signatory of the
United States Declaration of Independence
Religion, church, and theology
★
David Beaton, Cardinal Archbishop of St Andrews
★
George Buchanan (humanist), scholar, theologian, and playwright
★
Victor Premasagar,
Old Testament Scholar and Moderator of
Church of South India
★
Thomas Chalmers, theologian and leader of the
Free Church of Scotland
★
Patrick Hamilton (martyr),
Protestant Reformer
★
Alexander Henderson, theologian
★
Andrew Melville, scholar and theologian
★
Rev John Munro of Tain, dissenter opposing reforms of James VI.
★
Klyne Snodgrass, American scholar and theologian
★
Sheila Watson, archdeacon
★
John Witherspoon, theologian, President of
Princeton University, and signatory of the U.S.
Declaration of Independence.
Royalty
★
James II of Scotland
★
Prince William of Wales (known at university as
William Wales)
Sciences
★
James Black,
Nobel prize winner in Medicine
★
James Gregory, astronomer and mathematician
★
Walter Haworth,
Nobel prize winner in Chemistry
★
Richard Kemp, chemist and manufacturer of illegal supply of
LSD - arrested as a result of Operation Julie
★
Alan MacDiarmid,
Nobel prize winner in Chemistry
★
John Napier, mathematician, inventor of logarithms
★
Edward Jenner, Doctor of Medicine, first doctor to introduce & study the Smallpox vaccine
Miscellaneous
★
Alexander Berry, explorer, Australian pioneer/settler Coolangatta
★
James Crichton, polymath, the original "Admirable Crichton"
★
John Honey, student who rescued five men from a ship
★
Chris Hoy, World, Olympic and Commonwealth Cycling Champion
★
Russell Kirk,
conservative theorist and writer
Famous Rectors
In Scotland, the position of Rector exists in the four ancient universities - which are the Universities of St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh - as well as in the University of Dundee. The post (officially Lord Rector, but by normal use Rector alone) was made an integral part of these universities by the Universities (Scotland) Act 1889. The Rector chairs meetings of the University Court, the governing body of the university, and is elected at regular intervals by their matriculated student bodies. This role is considered by many students to be integral to their ability to shape the universities' agendas.
★
Charles Neaves, Lord Neaves 1872-1874, Scottish
theologian,
jurist and
evolution analyst
★
John Marwood Cleese 1970-1973, English actor and comedian
★
Rudyard Kipling 1922-1925,
Nobel Prize winner, British author and poet
★
Andrew Carnegie 1901-1907, Scottish-born American businessman, philanthropist
★
John Stuart Mill 1865-1868, English philosopher and political economist
★
Douglas Haig, 1916-1919, Senior British Commander of World War I
★
James Matthew Barrie, 1919-1922, Scottish author
★
Fridtjof Nansen, 1925-1928, Norwegian explorer, scientist, diplomat and
Nobel Peace Prize winner
see
Rector of University of St Andrews for a more detailed list
Links with the United States
The University has a strong link with the
United States. Significant numbers of students matriculate from the United States. Many important American figures have been associated with the university.
Benjamin Franklin,
Bill Bryson, golfer
Bobby Jones, and most recently,
Bob Dylan and
Michael Douglas, have been awarded honorary degrees.
Signatories of the Declaration of Independence
Also, three of the signatories of the
1776 American Declaration of Independence attended or received degrees from St Andrews, including:
★
James Wilson, born at Carskerdo, near
Cupar (signer from the state of Pennsylvania)
Wilson attended three Scottish Universities including St Andrews, but did not earn a degree from any of them. Carrying important letters of introduction, Wilson arrived in America in 1765. He became a Latin tutor at Philadelphia College (now the
University of Pennsylvania), and successfully petitioned that institution to grant him an honorary Master of Arts.
★
John Witherspoon, born at
Gifford,
East Lothian (signer from the state of New Jersey)
Witherspoon had an impressive list of credentials and was a significant public figure. He was president of the College of New Jersey (now
Princeton University). Witherspoon was largely responsible for converting the institution into a success by employing Scottish educational standards. He received his
Master of Arts,
Bachelor of Divinity, and was made a
Doctor of Divinity at the University of St Andrews. His direct descendants may include the Academy Award winning actress
Reese Witherspoon, who attended the private all-girl's
Harpeth Hall School and
Stanford University as a literature major.
★
Benjamin Franklin, born Boston, Massachusetts (signer from the state of Pennsylvania)
In 1759 Franklin Received an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of St Andrews.
Exchange Programs
Emory University in Atlanta runs an exchange programme with St Andrews called the
Bobby Jones Scholars programme, which allows for recent graduates of both universities to study at the other university. In addition, the School of Physics and Astronomy maintains a postgraduate exchange with The
Georgia Institute of Technology. Both of these exchanges are funded by the Robert T. Jones Memorial Trust. The Robert Lincoln McNeil Scholarship is run in conjunction with the
University of Pennsylvania
University scarves
Students and staff at the University are able to wear a variety of different
scarves depending on whether they are an undergraduate, post-graduate or members of either the Faculties of Divinity or Medicine.
University of St Andrews
Any alumnus, student or staff member can wear a scarf of dark blue, sky blue and white:
56
University of St Andrews
St Mary's College
Bute Medical School
St Leonard's College (Postgraduate)
Student organisations
Students' Association
The University of St Andrews Students' Association was formed in 1983 by the adoption of the principle of closer co-operation between the
Students' Representative Council (SRC) and the
Students' Union. The Union was founded in 1864 as a "Common and Reading Room" and was located in the "cloister" behind St Salvator's Chapel.
Societies
Students at the university form various voluntary societies for
academic, social, political, religious and other reasons. Many of these are affiliated with the Students' Association; notable affiliated societies are the
Bute Medical Society,
University of St Andrews Union Debating Society and the
Shinty Club. Other groups are not affiliated to the University or the Students Association, and therefore not a part of the University structure. Notable
independent student groups include the
Kate Kennedy Club.
Media
★ 'Newspapers:'
★
★ ''
The Saint'' is the longest-lived student newspaper, published fortnightly since 1997 and tracing its roots several decades further. It is fully independent of both the Student's Union and the University, which has led to some controversy about certain articles in the past. This independence is only matched by two other student newspapers in Britain - ''
Cherwell'' in
Oxford and ''
Varsity'' in
Cambridge.
★
★ On
17 April 2006, the ''Vine'' magazine (supported by the Students' Association) was re-launched. The magazine claims to generate discussion and thought throughout the student population of the town, and is printed at irregular intervals.
★
★ ''The Chihuahua'', which began in 2002, was a free alternative monthly magazine in an 8-page
tabloid newspaper format, known for provocative and surreal humour which is not for the easily offended. The Chihuahua's disclaimer together with use of satire sometimes allowed it to tackle issues that the Vine is unable to but it rarely received complaints about content being unsuitable (merely that sometimes it is not funny). However the issue of
November 27 2006 attracted a large number of complaints to the extent that the society that ran the magazine was shut down for the publication of an issue that was deemed to breach several laws including Obscenity and Blasphemy. The University is likely to introduce a system of guidelines for any future publication of a similar nature. ''The Saint'' reported on the story in early March.
★ 'Other Publications:'
★
★ ''
James Crichton Society'' is a student society dedicated to publishing a monthly academic journal comprised of the student's work as well as outside contributions. The society also hosts monthly events that launch a new issue of the journal and that feature guest speakers from a broad range of disciplines.
★ 'Radio:'
★
★ On
28 February 2005, a number of St Andrews students launched the University's first
FM station broadcasting over 3
km on the 87.7
MHz frequency. The station was granted a
Restricted Service Licence by
Ofcom, which allowed for six hours of broadcast a day. The station had another successful run for two weeks from
21 November 2005, this time broadcasting for 24 hours a day for two weeks. The station also broadcast live 24 hours a day on the Internet. The radio station is now a sub-committee of the Students' Association under the name of the Broadcasting Committee. Its most recent broadcast was from
18 November 2006 to
8 December of the same year. The station currently plans to relaunch for a three week period beginning on the 13th of April.
----
See also
★
Chancellor of the University of St Andrews
★
Lord Rector of St Andrews University
★
Ancient universities of Scotland
★
Academic dress of the University of St Andrews
★
References
1. http://foi.st-andrews.ac.uk/PublicationScheme/servlet/core.generator.gblobserv?id=710#search=%22university%20st.%20andrews%20endowment%22
2. http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/publications/univ_statistics.shtml#StaffNumbers
3. http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/publications/univ_statistics.shtml#StaffNumbers
4. Table 0a - All students by institution, mode of study, level of study, gender and domicile 2005/06
5. Online Catalogue > University Branded Clothing > Hats, Scarves, Ties > Scarves
6. Scarves of the University of St Andrews
7. http://education.guardian.co.uk/universityguide2008/story/0,,2069022,00.html
8.
9. http://education.guardian.co.uk/students/table/0,,1857547,00.html
10. http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~rsrchweb/rae/rae_2001.shtml
11. http://www.philosophicalgourmet.com/overall.asp
★
University of St Andrews - Facts and Figures
★ http://browse.guardian.co.uk/education?SearchBySubject=true&Subject=University+ranking&Institution=St+Andrews&Go=Go
★ R.G. Cant ''The University of St Andrews, A Short History'' (Oliver and Boyd Ltd. 1946)
External links
★
University of St Andrews website
★
University of St Andrews Students' Association Website
★
University of St Andrews Student Radio
★
The Saint - Student Newspaper
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