MINUTE OF THE STATUTORY HALF-YEARLY MEETING OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL

MINUTE OF THE STATUTORY HALF-YEARLY MEETING OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL
HELD ON FRIDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2011 at 6.30PM IN THE CALEDONIAN CLUB, LONDON
The Chancellor of the University, The Rt Hon Sir Menzies Campbell CBE QC MP, was in the Chair and welcomed
101 members and guests to the meeting.
1. Minute of the last ordinary half yearly meeting of the General Council held on 25 June 2011
The minute of this meeting, held in St Andrews, were received and agreed as a correct record.
2. General Council Assessor to the University Court
The Clerk intimated that Miss K M Patrick falls to vacate office as an Assessor of the General Council to the
University Court on 31 July 2012. Nomination forms for the resulting vacancy would be available from the Clerk in
December 2011 with nominations closing on 1 March 2012. In the event of more than one nomination being
received an election would be held in 2012. The result would be intimated at the General Council Meeting on 23
June 2012.
3. Business Committee
a. Report of the Committee’s meeting on 22 October 2011
The Council considered and approved the full report of the meeting held on 22 October 2011, taking particular
note of the following items of business highlighted by the Convener, Mr M P L Strachan:
(i) Membership: The resignation of Mr N P Robinson and the sudden death of Dr M J B Lowe OBE were noted. Mr
Robinson’s term was due to conclude on 30 June 2012 and therefore his vacancy would be filled in the normal
rotational election. Dr Lowe’s term of office was due to finish on 30 June 2013 and this vacancy would be filled by
the person coming fourth in the poll in June 2012 and who would hold office until 30 June 2013. The person
elected in this manner would be eligible to stand for immediate re-election at the end of their term.
(ii) Sub-Committee on Ordinances and Resolutions: the Sub-Committee was asked to review Resolution 2011
No.3 (Foundation of Chairs) and draft Ordinance relating to the election of the Chancellor and Election of General
Council Assessors to the University Court. This review has now been completed and the Sub-Committee reported
back to the Executive Officer to the University Court within the specified period.
(iii) General Council budget: the 2010-2011 General Council Accounts included the gift to the University Library. A
plaque was being prepared to recognise this gift in support of the four study rooms on the redeveloped first floor
of the University Library.
(iv) Meeting dates and venues: the next General Council Meeting would be held in St Andrews on 23 June 2012
and the following meeting would be held in Glasgow in November 2012.
b. Membership 2011 – 2012
The Convener gave formal notification to the Council of the Business Committee membership for 2011-2012.
The Council approved revisions to the Constitution of the Business Committee to ensure that vacancies arising
because a member did not complete a four-year term of service would be filled in the next round of electronic
voting. The person elected to fill the vacancy would retire when the member they succeeded would, in ordinary
rotation, have retired and provided that the substitute term was less than four years, would be eligible to stand for
re-election.
Taking into account these revisions the Council noted the timetable for the nomination of three new members of
the Business Committee to serve for a four-year period from 1 July 2012. The three members due to retire in June
2012 were Mr N P Robinson (resigned in October 2011), Mr E D Wilson and Mr A Yabroff. The vacancy
occasioned by the death of Dr M J B Lowe OBE would be filled in 2012 by the candidate coming fourth in the
ballot and that candidate would serve on the Business Committee until 30 June 2013.
The voting process would follow that of previous years with a call for nominations being sent out in January 2012
and nominations closing on 30 March 2012. Instructions on how to vote would be sent to General Council
members in May and voting would run from 16 May to 15 June 2012. The result would be announced at the
General Council meeting in St Andrews on 23 June 2012. Further details about the voting process and the revised
Constitution were available from the Clerk.
There being no questions the Chancellor thanked Mr Strachan for his detailed update.
The Chancellor took a moment to record his memories of Dr Martin Lowe and to laud his tremendous contribution
to the General Council and more broadly to the life of the University, describing him as ‘an alumnus beyond
compare’. The Chancellor also noted with appreciation the support Dr Lowe gave to him in undertaking the role of
The Chancellor’s Piper.
4. Committee of the Alumnus Association
a. Report of the Committee’s meetings held on 3 September and 22 October 2011
The Council considered and approved the report of the Committee of the Alumnus Association meetings held on 3
September and 22 October 2011 taking particular note of the following items highlighted by the Convener, Miss K
M Patrick.
The 2012 edition the Alumnus Chronicle would, in addition to the article on the foundation of St Leonard’s College
in 1512, feature Deans Court which was regarded as one of the University’s iconic buildings and much loved by
its residents. The graduate feature would focus on graduates who had studied International Relations during the
late Professor Paul Wilkinson’s tenure. The newly-elected Rector, Alistair Moffat, a graduate of the University who
had taken up office at this significant time in the University’s history would also be featured.
The Convener provided an update on the network of Alumni Clubs which continue to expand demonstrating the
affection shown by alumni across the world. Members were encouraged to participate in local club activities and /
or events organised by the University with further information available on the Development website and via the St
Andrews in the News e-newsletter.
b. Membership 2011-2012
Members noted the Committee of the Alumnus Association membership for 2011-2012.
The Council approved a revision to the Constitution of the Committee of the Alumnus Association to ensure that a
vacancy occurring before a term of office had been completed would be filled at the next round of electronic
voting. The person filling that vacancy would normally serve the remainder of that term and then would be eligible
to stand for election for a full term of five years. Taking into account these revisions the Council noted the
timetable for the nomination of one new member of the Committee of the Alumnus Association to serve for a fiveyear period from 1 July 2012. The timetable would follow that outlined above for the Business Committee with the
result announced at the General Council Meeting on 23 June 2012. Further details about the voting process and
the revised Constitution were available from the Clerk.
The Convener paid tribute to Mr J M North who would retire from the Committee in June 2012 and thanked him
for his numerous ideas and enthusiasm and wished him continued success with the London Alumni Club
activities.
There being no questions the Chancellor thanked Miss Patrick for the report.
5. University Address by Stephen Magee, Vice-Principal (External Relations) & General Council Registrar
Mr Magee’s address to members highlighted a number of local, national and international issues of interest to the
University community.
In addition to the academic strength of the University and the continued desirability of growing numbers of very
well-qualified applicants, at a local level the University had withdrawn from the joint project with Fife Council to
build a new school on University land due to a lack of agreement about shared facilities. This decision had been
taken with regret and following a year and a half of thoroughgoing and comprehensive discussions. The University
was also in negotiations with Fife Council and other stakeholders about the future of the St Andrews Botanic
Gardens which, while no longer part of the academic mission of the University, continued to be important to the
local community. The Vice-Principal also provided an update on the planning application for a wind farm outside
St Andrews and confirmed that discussions were on-going regarding possible research-related and sustainable
energy uses for the former paper mill at Guardbridge which had been bought by the University in 2010. Other
topics raised were the issue of houses with multiple occupants, student accommodation and the closure of the
RAF base at Leuchars.
Referring to national issues the Vice-Principal highlighted the on-going challenge of university funding and tuition
fees. The University Court took the decision to set the level of tuition fee for new undergraduate students from the
rest of the UK (RUK) from 2012-2013 at £9,000 per year for all courses. At the same time a wide-ranging package
of new bursaries, scholarships and financial aid was announced. The University was required to set and publish
its indicative fee levels for RUK undergraduate students as a consequence of decisions taken by the Westminster
and Scottish governments. The removal of the tuition fee cap in England had prompted the Scottish Government
to announce that it planned to cease direct funding for RUK students who choose to study in Scotland from 20122013. From that date, Scottish universities had to set and collect their own fees from this cohort of students.
Under the Treaty of Rome, students from the rest of the EU would continue not to pay tuition fees in Scotland.
On the international front the University continued to be successful in attracting high quality students from across
the world with one third of students coming from outside the EU. The student population broadly comprised 80%
undergraduates, 10% taught postgraduates and 10% research postgraduates with total student numbers of 7,700.
Prior to the Vice-Principal taking questions the Clerk read out an item of business submitted by Mrs L Mesney,
MA 1971, in advance of the meeting and relating to the issue of tuition fees. Mrs Mesney expressed concerns
about the anomaly this issue had thrown up for UK students who live outside Scotland. It appeared (to Mrs
Mesney) that these students would have to pay a higher fee than any other student within the EU and Mrs
Mesney sought clarification of this and consideration of the following points: “does this not fundamentally
contradict the inclusive and equitable education that a university should offer all its students; could it not also
potentially poison the spirit of sharing knowledge and experience the student body develops whilst at university
which remains in some way throughout their subsequent careers and which has immeasurable benefits for
society; would this not increasingly reflect badly on this University at such an important stage of its history and its
plans for the future; and if others agreed this goes against the spirit, if not the wording of the legal framework of a
university, underpinned as it should be by a fair and inclusive national and EU legal framework, then can we not
look to ways of changing this back to a fair system?”. The Vice-Principal responded to this issue by reiterating the
points made in his presentation regarding the reasons behind the decision and drawing attention to the new
financial aid packages which would be introduced for 2012 entry. The Vice-Principal confirmed that the University
had carefully considered all the options and had taken legal advice before reaching its decision.
This matter was opened up to further questions and comments from the floor. Questions /comments included: the
effect of new fee levels on the continued success of four-year degree (no evidence that the new fee level would
lead to a drop-off in applications for four-year degrees. The four-year degree model is in line with many other
countries and there were no plans to move to a three-year degree); had the University considered setting up
centres outside of St Andrews and Scotland (University continued to look at the potential of new initiatives but
there were no current plans to develop off-site centres. There is a belief that this might be at the expense of the
experience students gain from actually being in St Andrews). Comments were also made about the level of
interest charged on fees; confirmation that the fees were payable once graduates earned over a certain level and
not at the first instance; and statements were made which accepted that the University had little choice in
following this course of action. There being no further motions raised from the floor, the Clerk confirmed that the
fees issue would be recorded in the Minute. Council members requested an update on the effect of the new fee
level on 2012 entry applications at a future General Council Meeting.
Other questions raised included the University’s successful relationship with the College of William & Mary in the
USA which had developed into a joint degree programme and the possibilities of distance learning.
The Chancellor thanked the Vice-Principal for this informative update and for taking questions from the floor.
6. Presentation by Professor John Haldane FRSE, Director of the Centre for Ethics, Philosophy and Public
Affairs (CEPPA)
Professor Haldane presented a detailed account of the work of this Centre and the long and distinguished 600year long history of the study of philosophy at St Andrews.
Professor Haldane remarked that the Vice-Principal’s presentation had laid the foundations for his remarks about
the numerous ethical and social challenges and dilemmas facing the world at present. He opened with a
consideration of the development of ethical questions throughout history, with particular reference to the period
following the Second World War, when the ethical challenges and dilemmas facing society were outweighed by
society’s ethical resources and competence. Now as we moved through the twenty-first century, Professor
Haldane believed this balance had changed with society’s ethical resources diminishing. Professor Haldane
asked the members to consider a series of questions which demonstrated the nuances of moral philosophy: what
could we do (a question of our ability and / or our means e.g. a question of science), what would we do (a
question of our motives and attitudes) and finally what should we do (a question of our values – this is addressed
through moral philosophy). Professor Haldane invited members to consider the challenges posed by new
discoveries and how CEPPA played an important role in stimulating dialogue about such issues through visiting
fellowship programmes and the highly regarded series St Andrews Studies in Philosophy and Public Affairs.
Looking back through the long and important history of philosophy at the University, Professor Haldane gave an
illuminating account of a number of distinguished philosophers who had built St Andrews’ international reputation
in this field over the last 600 years. These figures included, in the fifteenth century, one of the first known
philosophers, Lawrence of Lindores, who among other positions was Rector and Governor of the University. In
the sixteenth century John Major, Provost of St Salvator’s, was viewed as one of the most distinguished
academics of the time and his works were much collected and frequently republished across Europe. George
Buchanan, an alumnus and Principal of St Leonard’s in the sixteenth century, was a widely known and highly
regarded political theorist and humanist. Adam Ferguson, credited as the author of the social sciences was a
student at St Andrews in the eighteenth century and is buried in the town. Moving on to the nineteenth century,
renowned philosopher Professor James F Ferrier held the Chair of Moral Philosophy. In the twentieth century
professors such as Bernard Bosanquet and Alfred Taylor continued the University’s tradition of appointing
eminent scholars of philosophy and in the 1950s the philosopher Sir Thomas Malcolm Knox, Principal for over a
decade, was the founder of the leading academic journal, The Philosophical Quarterly. St Andrews continued to
the present day to develop an international reputation for its teaching and research in moral philosophy, logic and
metaphysics, particularly through its impressive record of attracting distinguished visiting fellows to give public
lectures. In order to secure the University’s future as one of the leading centres for the study of philosophy in the
world, funding was being sought for a new Chair in Philosophy and Public Affairs as part of the 600th Anniversary
campaign.
Professor Haldane answered a number of questions from members including the future of the public lecture; the
development of conferences in Philosophy and Public Affairs at the University; the increasing secularisation of
society and the use of scientific intervention for good or evil.
The Chancellor thanked Professor Haldane for his informative presentation and responses to the questions.
7. Any Other Competent Business
The next statutory half-yearly meeting would take place on Saturday 23 June 2012 in St Andrews.
Mr J M North extended an invitation to General Council members to attend the University of St Andrews London
Alumni Carol Service to be held on 9 December 2011 in Southwark Cathedral.
The Chancellor closed the meeting by thanking the speakers for their contributions and Council members for their
attendance and active participation. Members were invited to a wine reception following the meeting.
Chancellor of the University
The Rt Hon Sir Menzies Campbell CBE QC MP