University of St Andrews

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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. It is a renowned centre for teaching and research, situated in the town of St Andrews, in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is one of the most prestigious universities in the UK, attracting students from over 100 countries. Independent school intake is high, but the university has an active widening participation policy. The modern library and many departments are in the town centre. The town's population of 16,000 is boosted considerably by the University's 7,000 students.

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History

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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; St Salvator's College was established in 1450, St Leonard's College in 1511, and St Mary's College in 1537. Some of the college buildings in use today date from this period as does St Salvator's 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

It is currently listed as being the best university in Scotland, according to the Sunday Times Good University Rankings of 2006 and one of the top in the UK.

The Guardian University Guide 2005 ranked it as 7th overall in the UK.

The Times Good University Guide 2006 ranked it 1st in Scotland and one of the top in the UK.

Governance and administration

The "Gateway" building, built in 2000 and now used for the University's Management department

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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

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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 routinely co-opted onto 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 two students. 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:

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.

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:

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 (built on the site of the now-demolished David Russell Hall)
  • Deans Court
  • Fife Park
  • Gannochy House
  • John Burnet Hall
  • McIntosh Hall
  • New Hall
  • St Regulus Hall
  • St Salvator's Hall
  • Stanley Smith House & Angus House
  • University Hall

Former Residences

In addition to the residences listed above, the University formerly also had the following residences:

Alumni

See also Category:Alumni of the University of St Andrews

Arts and media

Education and academia

Politics and public affairs

Religion, church, and theology

Royalty

Sciences

Miscellaneous

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.

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 (approximately 15% of university in 2005 Template:Fact). 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 St. Andrews (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, Scotland (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

Additionally, Emory University runs an exchange program with St Andrews called the Bobby Jones Scholars program, which allows for recent graduates of both universities to study at the other university. This program is also run by the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario.

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:

                                 

St Mary's College

                                       

Bute Medical School

                                 

St Leonard's College (PG)[1]

                                 

Student organizations

Students' Association

: Main Article: University of St Andrews 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. The Students' Union of the University of St Andrews is the oldest in Scotland. The SRC is a statutory body established in 1885 but formalised by the Universities (Scotland) Act 1889.

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. Other groups are not affiliated to the University or the Students Association, and therefore not a part of the University structure, see Independent Student Groups in St Andrews.

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Media

  • Newspapers:
    • The Saint is the longest-lasting 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 - the Cherwell in Oxford and Varsity in Cambridge.
    • In 2006, on 17 April, 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.
  • The Chihuahua, which dates back to 2002, is a free alternative monthly magazine in a tabloid newspaper format, known for provocative and surreal humour which is not for the easily offended. The Chihuahua's famous disclaimer together with use of satire sometimes allows it to tackle issues that the Vine is unable to but it rarely receives complaints about content being unsuitable (merely that sometimes it is not funny, which is of course far worse).
  • Radio:
    • On the 28th of 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 November 21st 2005, this time broadcasting for 24 hours a day for two weeks. The station also broadcast live 24 hours a day on the internet [2]. The radio station is now a sub-committee of the Students' Association under the name of the Broadcasting Committee. It's most recent broadcast was from the 18th November 2006 to the 8th of December of the same year. This was the longest broadcast to date and achieved record numbers. The station hopes to broadcast for a month solidly in March 2007.

Websites

There are two official sites for the students of the university: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk which is the University's site, and http://www.yourunion.net which is the official site for the Students'