The Principal of the University of Aberdeen is the working administrative head of the university, acting as its Chief Executive. He is responsible for the overall running of the university, presiding over the main academic body of the university, the '' Senatus Academicus''. The Principal is normally also created Vice-Chancellor of the university, enabling him to perform the functions reserved to the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

in the latter's absence, such as the awarding of degrees. Professor

George Boyne George Boyne has been Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen since 1 August 2018. He led the creation of the University’s Aberdeen 2040 strategy which was launched in February 2020 to mark the 525th anniversary of the Univ ...

succeeded Sir Ian Diamond as Principal on 1 August 2018.

History

The current office of Principal dates to 1858 with the passage of the Universities (Scotland) Act 1858. The position was created with the amalgamation of the two existing ancient universities in Aberdeen,

King's College King's College or The King's College refers to two higher education institutions in the United Kingdom: *King's College, Cambridge, a constituent of the University of Cambridge *King's College London, a constituent of the University of London It ca ...

(est. 1495) and Marischal College (est. 1593) in 1860.

List of Principals of the University of Aberdeen

*1865—76 The Very Reverend

Peter Colin Campbell Peter Colin Campbell (1810–1876) was a Scottish clergyman in the Church of Scotland who became the first professor at Queen's University, Canada and was later the first Principal of the University of Aberdeen, a role he held for 21 years. ...

*1876—85 The Very Reverend

William Robinson Pirie William Robinson Pirie (1804–1885) was a Scottish minister who served as Principal of Aberdeen University. He served as Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1864, the highest position in the Church of Scotland. He active ...

*1885—1900 Sir

William Duguid Geddes Sir William Duguid Geddes (21 November 1828''Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950''9 February 1900) was a Scottish scholar and educationalist, who promoted the cause of classical Greek at the University of Aberdeen and later became ...

*1900—09 The Very Reverend

John Marshall Lang John Marshall Lang (18342 May 1909) was a Church of Scotland minister and author. He served as Moderator of the General Assembly in 1893 and later became Principal of the University of Aberdeen in 1900. Life He was born in the manse at Glas ...

*1909—35 Sir George Adam Smith *1936—48 Sir

William Hamilton Fyfe Sir William Hamilton Fyfe (9 July 1878 – 13 June 1965) was an English and Canadian classics scholar, educator, and educational administrator. He served as the 10th Principal of Queen's University, Ontario, from 1930 to 1936, and was t ...

*1948—62 Sir

Thomas Murray Taylor Sir Thomas Murray Taylor (1897–1962) was a 20th-century Scottish advocate and university administrator. He was a devout Christian and active member of the United Free Church of Scotland. When this amalgamated with the Church of Scotland in ...

*1962—76 Sir

Edward Maitland Wright Sir Edward Maitland Wright (13 February 1906, Farnley – 2 February 2005, Reading) was an English mathematician, best known for co-authoring ''An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers'' with G. H. Hardy. Career He was born in Farnl ...

*1976—81 Sir Fraser Noble *1981—91

George Paul McNicol George Paul McNichol (24 September 1929 – 28 July 2014) was a Scottish physician and university academic. He was the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen from 1981 to 1991. Early life McNicol was born in Glasgow, Scotl ...

*1991—96 Maxwell Irvine *1996—2010 Sir

Duncan Rice Sir Charles Duncan Rice (20 October 1942 – 3 February 2022) was a Scottish academic who was Principal of the University of Aberdeen from September 1996 to 1 April 2010. He previously served at New York University in the United States, as Dea ...

*2010—18 Sir Ian Diamond *2018—present

List of Principals of former constituent colleges

Principals of King's College, Aberdeen

*1500—34 Hector Boece *1569—83 Alexander Arbuthnot *1598—1632 Reverend Dr David Rait *1640—51 William Guild *1652—61

John Row John Row (1568 – 26 June 1646) was a Scottish ecclesiastical historian and one of the Scottish Reformers. As minister of Carnock in Fife, he was a leading opponent of Episcopacy. Row's '' Historie of the Kirk of Scotland'' (1558–1637), ...

*1800—15 Roderick MacLeod *1815—54 William Jack

Principals of Marischal College

*1593—98

Robert Howie J. Robert Howie, (October 2, 1929 – November 25, 2017) was a Canadian politician. Career Howie was a native of Fredericton and graduated from the University of New Brunswick. He served as a lawyer before his election to Parliament. Politic ...

*1598—1614 Gilbert Gray *1616—19 Andrew Adie *1620—21 Reverend Dr William Forbes *1621—49

Patrick Dun Sir Patrick Dun (January 1642 — 24 May 1714) was an Irish physician, and president of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. Life He was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, the son of Charles Dun and his wife Catherine Burnet and the nephew of P ...

*1649—61

William Moir William Moir (1602–1674) was a Scottish mathematician who was principal of Marischal College (now known as Aberdeen University) from 1649 to 1661. Life He was born in Aberdeen the eldest William Moir of Scottistoun (1570-1623), treasurer of ...

*1661—78 James Leslie *1678—1717 Robert Paterson *1717—28 Thomas Blackwell (primus) *1728—48

John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play ''Look Back in Anger'' tra ...

*1748—57 Thomas Blackwell (secundus) *1757—59 Robert Pollock *1758—96 George Campbell *1796—1830 William Laurence Brown *1832—60

Daniel Dewar Daniel Dewar (1788–1867) was a Church of Scotland minister who served as principal of Marischal College in Aberdeen from 1832 to 1860. He was a major contributor to the first Gaelic dictionary. He was father-in-law to James Clerk Maxwell. Lif ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Principal Of The University Of Aberdeen, * *

People associated with the University of Aberdeen A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of property, ...