University of St Andrews

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The University of St Andrews was founded between 1410 and 1413 and is the oldest university in Scotland (and third oldest in the English-speaking world). The university is situated in the Royal Burgh of St Andrews, in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. The university attracts 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 increased considerably by the 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 and towards the end of the seventeenth century, a move to Perth was considered and eventually rejected. In 1747, St Salvator's and St Leonards's were merged to form the United College of St Salvator and St Leonard.

During the 19th century, student numbers were very low and the university having to close was a very real possibility. In the 1870s, there were fewer than 150 students, and perhaps partly in response to this, the university was in 1897 strengthened by the foundation of University College in Dundee, which became a centre of medical and scientific excellence. This affiliation ended in 1967 when the college, which had been renamed Queen's College, became a separate and independent institution as 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, and is moving towards sound financial health.

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Governance and Administration

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In common 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).

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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 those meetings. The most important jobs it performs is in appointing two Assessors to the University Court and electing the University Chancellor.

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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 elected onto the Court by the matriculated students of the University. Several lay members are co-opted.

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Academic Senate

The Academic Senate (in latin Senatus Academicus) is the supreme academic body for the University and its members are all the Professors of the University, along with 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 the discipline of students (both current and former.) Under the Sponsio Academica, the Senate has the power to strip a graduate of his or her degree should they bring the University into disrepute. The President of the Senate is the University Principal.

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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.

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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 make-up of the Office of the Principal is:

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Alumni

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Arts and Media

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Education and Academia

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Politics and Public Affairs

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Religion, Church, and Theology

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Royalty

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Sciences

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Miscellaneous

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Links with the United States

The University has a strong link with the United States, with significant numbers of students from that country (approximately 15% of University in 2005.) Benjamin Franklin, Bill Bryson, golfer Bobby Jones and, most recently, Bob Dylan have all been awarded honorary degrees. Also, three of the signatories of the 1776 American Declaration of Independence received degrees from St Andrews. Additonally, 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 school. It is also claimed that the dollar sign was invented at the University, and it is certain that the decimal point was.

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Student Organizations

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Students' Association

Main Article: University of St Andrews Students' Association

The University of St Andrews Students' Association was formed by a merger of the Students' Representative Council (SRC) and the Students' Union. The Union was founded in 1864, making it the oldest in Scotland. The SRC is a statutory body established by the Universities (Scotland) Act 1896.

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Media

  • Newspapers
    • The Saint, published fortnightly, is the oldest of the student publications (although it has been published under a number of titles, of which The Saint is the most recent) and has the highest circulation. The Saint is entirely independent and self-sufficient (funded by sales and advertising), which leaves it with a very low budget. However, this did not stop it from being named 'Best Student Newspaper in Scotland' by the Herald in 2002 and 2003, and it was runner-up 'Best Student Newspaper in the UK' and 'Best Small Budget Student Publication' in the Guardian Student Media Awards 2001. In the whole of the United Kingdom, only Oxford's Cherwell and Cambridge's Varsity are similarly independent. An online version of the newspaper[1] ceased to be updated in April 2004.
    • The Mitre - a Conservative newpaper established in 2003 as reaction to what its writers perceived as the occasional intellectual shortcomings of the Saint.
    • The Chihuahua, an alternative monthly magazine in a tabloid newspaper format, known for its humour and its attempts to provoke the easily offended.
    • In 2005, there was also an irregularly-published satirical magazine called the "Horn of Plenty". Recently established is the "Colonnade", a literary magazine.
  • 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, which allows for six hours of broadcast a day. The station had another successful run for two weeks from November 21st 2005. The station also broadcasts live 24 hours a day on the internet [2]. The radio station is currently in the process of becoming a sub-committee of the Students' Association under the name of the Broadcasting Committee.
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Online Communities

There are two official sites for the students of the university: http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk which is the Universty's site, and http://www.yourunion.net which is the official site for the Students' Union. The Sinner was a side project by a computer science student at St Andrews intended to provide informal information about the university through articles written by its members, and message boards for the different sub-communities (mainly halls and student societies.)

Members of TheSinner.net are called "Sinners", posting messages on the site is called "sinning". More information about The Sinner can be found here. *The Sinner

St Andrews is one of the many British universities and colleges to have a community on the FaceBook, and listed 5635 students as of 25th November 2005.

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Societies

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Students at the University form various voluntary socities for academic, social, political, religious and other reasons.

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See also

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References

  • R.G. Cant The University of St. Andrews, A Short History (Oliver and Boyd Ltd. 1946)
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External links

Template:Scottish Universitiesda:University of St Andrews ja:セントアンドリューズ大学 no:University of St Andrews

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