| Post: | Rector |
| Body: | the University of St Andrews |
| Incumbent: | Stella Maris |
| Incumbentsince: | 2023 |
| Member Of: | University Court |
| Appointer: | Elected by all the matriculated students of the University |
| Termlength: | 3 years |
| Constituting Instrument: | Universities (Scotland) Act 1858 |
| Formation: | 1858 (in modern form) |
| First: | Sir Ralph Anstruther, 4th Bt. |
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.
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.
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]
In December 2023, the university commissioned an investigation by a King's Counsel into the role and recent actions[6] of Stella Maris following a three-page email, and a page of links, she sent on 21 November 2023 to all 10,000 students[7] calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and saying Israel was involved in genocide and apartheid.[8] [9] They were also concerned about her social media posts.[10] University executives had been concerned the email would "bring division and hatred [and reinforce a] narrative that drives violent antisemitism around the world". The investigation concluded, in April 2024, this was not the intention but was a conceivable outcome and that Maris had shown poor judgement, but "that the circumstances here are not sufficiently clear or obvious to show that there is, overall, a breach of the relevant obligations". However, it did find that Maris's social media activities were "contrary to thebest interests of the University" and that she was "in breach of herobligations as a member of Court and as a charity trustee". The investigator also found that Maris was "in breach of her duty to act with courtesy and respect". The KC advised that in her view it would be disproportionate for the university court to dismiss Maris solely if it found that she had breached her responsibilities.[11] [12]
The investigation also found that Maris had ignored advice from the university authorities before sending her email, and that the vice-principal (governance) had warned her that it was "virulently anti-Israel" in tone.[13] It also found that her actions had caused division and distress and had caused "reputational damage" to the university. [14]
On 1 August 2024, the University Court announced that "after extensive efforts over a protracted period to seek a resolution with her proved unsuccessful",[15] 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;[16] 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,[17] and had victimised her as a "young, neurodiverse black woman".[18] She has also said the report, by Morag Ross KC (Lady Ross), was "biased" and [19] that she intends to appeal against the decision.[11] [20] She has instructed a London-based PR firm, which specialises in legal sector communications and in building and protecting reputations.[21] [22]