The Lord Rector of the University of Aberdeen is the students' representative and chairman in the University Court of the

University of Aberdeen , mottoeng = The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom , established = , type = Public research universityAncient university , endowment = £58.4 million (2021) , budget ...

. The position is rarely known by its full title and most often referred to simply as "

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

". The rector is elected by students of the university and serves a three-year term. Although the position has existed since 1495, it was only officially made the students' representative in 1860. The position exists in common throughout the

ancient universities of Scotland The ancient universities of Scotland () are medieval and renaissance universities which continue to exist in the present day. The majority of the ancient universities of the British Isles are located within Scotland, and have a number of dist ...

with Rectorships in existence at the Universities of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, Dundee, Aberdeen, and St Andrews. The position is given legal standing by virtue of the Universities (Scotland) Act 1889 and is the third office of precedence in the university (following the chancellor and vice chancellor / principal). Rectors also appoint a rector's assessor, who may carry out their functions when they are absent from the university. The 1996 election was historically unusual in that one of the two candidates (who lost by approximately 100 votes) had recently completed studies at the university, highlighting the fact that there is no rule preventing a member of the student body from standing for the post and that the trend for celebrity candidates might distance the office from the issues of student life. This situation recurred in 2018, when then-Rector, Maggie Chapman, won re-election against a challenger who was, at that time, studying law at the university.

Rector's assessor

Each rector appoints a rector's assessor to the University Court. He or she maintains a permanent seat in the University Court during the period of their duty. The rector's assessor furthermore acts, with the support of the president of the Students' Association, as the rector's representative when the rector cannot be present, additionally they sit on the Joint Planning, Finance & Estates Committee and Student Affairs Committee in an official permanent capacity. Further roles and responsibilities include being a 'focal point' for the student body to interact with the decision making levels of university governance, and coordinating the on-campus and online presence for the Rector. In the 2007–08 academic year, James Michael Wilson (a then first-year student at the university) was rector's assessor for Robin Harper. Mr Wilson was the youngest rector's assessor ever to be appointed to the position at the University of Aberdeen or any of its predecessor colleges.

2011 election

Following complaints about the campaign, the first election of mid-2011 was deemed null and void, and it was decided that nominations would re-open in October. There were 6 candidates running this time, and on 10/11/11 it was announced that Dr Maitland Mackie would be taking over the position, having received the most votes.

2014 election

Following Maitland Mackie's death in office, an election was held in November. There were two candidates, with Maggie Chapman winning with 67% of the vote. Chapman is a socialist, a feminist, and co-convenor of the Scottish Green Party. She pledged to focus on housing issues, defending free tuition, better services for students, to create a "strong academic community" and ensure the university has a "positive impact on society".

List of rectors

Rector of King's College, Aberdeen

* 1637–? : Arthur Johnston * 1639–1644 :

William Guild William Guild (1586–1657) was a Scottish minister, academic and theological writer. Life He was the second son of Marjorie (born Donaldson) and Matthew Guild, a wealthy armourer and hammerman of Aberdeen, and Deacon of the Guild of Hammerm ...

* 1651–? : Andrew Cant * 1677–1682 :

John Menzies John Menzies plc ( , ) is the holding company of Menzies Aviation plc, an aviation services business providing ground handling, cargo handling, cargo forwarding and into-plane (ITP) fuelling, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. History The compa ...

* 1805–1814 : The 1st Baron Glenbervie * 1827-1837 : The 8th Viscount of Arbuthnott * 1838–? : Lord Francis Egerton, M.P. * 1857–? : John Inglis (who became Lord Glencorse in 1858)

Rector of Marischal College, Aberdeen

* 1664–? : The Most Rev. Dr

Arthur Rose Arthur Rose (also found as Ross; 1634–1704) was a Scottish minister, Archbishop of St Andrews, and, informally, the first Episcopal Primate of Scotland, after the fall of the Restoration Episcopate in 1689. Life The younger son of Elizabe ...

* 1673–? : George Meldrum * 1675–1678 : ''No record'' * 1679– : Patrick Sibbald * 1687–1688 : ''No record'' * 1688–1691 : Dr William Blair * 1691–1713 : ''No record'' * 1714–1715 : John Urquhart, Laird of Meldrum * 1715–1719 : ''No record'' * 1720–1723 : Sir William Forbes * 1723–1726 : Thomas Forbes * 1726–1729 : Patrick Duff * 1729– : William Duff of Braco * 1730–1731 : ''No record'' * 1732– : Sir Alexander Ramsay of Balmain * 1733–1736 : ''No record'' * 1737– : George Skene * 1746–1760 : ''No record'' * 1761–1764 :

Sir Arthur Forbes, 4th Baronet Sir Arthur Forbes, 4th Baronet (1709–1773), of Craigievar, Aberdeen, was a Scottish Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1732 to 1747. Forbes was the sixth, but eldest surviving son of Sir William Forbes, 3rd Baronet of Craigiev ...

, of Craigievar * 1764–1770 : John Gray * 1770– :

Alexander Fordyce Alexander Fordyce (7 August 1729-8 September 1789) was an eminent Scottish banker, centrally involved in the bank run on Neale, James, Fordyce and Downe which led to the credit crisis of 1772. He used the profits from other investments to c ...

* 1772–1781 : ''No record'' * 1782–1788 : Cosmo Gordon of Cluny * 1788–1790 : Francis Garden of Gardenstown * 1790–1794 : Sir William Fordyce * 1794–1796 : James Ferguson, M.P. * 1796–1798 : Alexander Allardyce of Dunnotar, M.P. * 1798–1800 : Sir Alexander Ramsay-Irvine of Balmain, 6th Baronet * 1800–1802 : Sir William Forbes, 5th Baronet of Craigievar * 1802–1809 : Alexander Baxter of Glassel * 1809–1814 : Sir William Grant, M.P.,

Master of the Rolls The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the President of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and Head of Civil Justice. As a judge, the Master of ...

* 1814–1819 : Charles Forbes of Auchmedden, M.P. * 1820–1822 : The 4th Earl Fife * 1822–1823 : Charles Forbes of Auchmedden, M.P. * 1823–1824 : The 4th Earl Fife * 1824–1826 :

Joseph Hume Joseph Hume FRS (22 January 1777 – 20 February 1855) was a Scottish surgeon and Radical MP.Ronald K. Huch, Paul R. Ziegler 1985 Joseph Hume, the People's M.P.: DIANE Publishing. Early life He was born the son of a shipmaster James Hume ...

, M.P. * 1826–1828 : Sir James McGrigorH. M. Chichester, 'McGrigor, Sir James, first baronet (1771–1858)', rev. J. S. G. Blair,

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

, 2004 http://0-www.oxforddnb.com.catalogue.ulrls.lon.ac.uk:80/view/article/17525, accessed 9 Sept 2007 * 1828–1829 :

, M.P. * 1829–1830 : ''No rector'' * 1830–1831 : Charles Forbes of Auchmedden, M.P. * 1831-1832 : The 18th Earl of Erroll * 1832–1833 : Sir Michael Bruce of Stenhouse, 8th Baronet * 1833–1834 : Sir Charles Forbes of Newe and Edinglassie, Bt * 1834–1836 : Alexander Bannerman, M.P. * 1836–1837 : Dr John Abercrombie * 1837–1838 : John, Lord Lyndhurst * 1838–1839 : Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux * 1839–1840 :

John Campbell Colquhoun John Campbell Colquhoun (23 January 1803 – 17 April 1870) was a Scottish writer and politician. Life Colquhoun was born in Edinburgh on 23 January 1803, son of Archibald Colquhoun and Mary Ann, daughter of the Rev. William Erskine, episcopa ...

of Killermont * 1840–1841 : Sir George Sinclair of Ulbster * 1841–1842 : Sir James McGrigor, 1st Baronet, * 1842–1843 :

Sir John Herschel Sir John Frederick William Herschel, 1st Baronet (; 7 March 1792 – 11 May 1871) was an English polymath active as a mathematician, astronomer, chemist, inventor, experimental photographer who invented the blueprint and did botanical wor ...

* 1843-1845 : The 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane * 1845–1848 : Archibald Alison, Sheriff of Lanarkshire * 1848–1849 : Lord Robertson * 1849–1851 : John Thomson Gordon * 1851–1853 : The 13th Earl of Eglinton * 1853–1854 : The 7th Earl of Carlisle * 1854–1855 :

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

William Henry Sykes Colonel William Henry Sykes, FRS (25 January 1790 – 16 June 1872) was an English naturalist who served with the British military in India and was specifically known for his work with the Indian Army as a politician, Indologist and ornitholog ...

, M.P. * 1855–1858 : Austen Henry Layard, M.P. * 1858-1859 : The 5th Earl Stanhope

Rector of the University of Aberdeen

* 1860–1863 : Edward Francis Maitland (became Lord Barcaple in 1862) * 1863–1866 : The 1st Earl Russell,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

1865-1866 * 1866–1872 : M.E. Grant Duff, M.P.,

Under-Secretary of State for India This is a list of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Parliamentary Under-Secretaries of State and Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Permanent Under-Secretaries of State at the India Office during the British India, period of British rule be ...

1868-1874 * 1872–1875 :

Thomas Henry Huxley Thomas Henry Huxley (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist and anthropologist specialising in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. The stori ...

* 1875–1878 : W.E. Forster, M.P. * 1878–1881 : The 5th Earl of Rosebery * 1881–1884 : Prof. Alexander Bain * 1884–1887 : Prof. Alexander Bain * 1887–? : George Goschen, M.P. * 1890–1899 : The 11th Marquess of Huntly * 1899–? : The 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal * 1902–1905 : Charles Ritchie, M.P.,''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'', Monday, 13 Nov 1905; pg. 9; Issue 37863; col A Chancellor of the Exchequer 1902-1903 * 1905–1908 :

Sir Frederick Treves Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet (15 February 1853 – 7 December 1923), was a prominent British surgeon, and an expert in anatomy. Treves was renowned for his surgical treatment of appendicitis, and is credited with saving the life of K ...

, 1st Bt. * 1908–1911 : H.H. Asquith, M.P.,

* 1911–1914 :

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

* 1914–1918 :

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

, M.P.,

First Lord of the Admiralty The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...

until May 1915. Thereafter,

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster The chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is a ministerial office in the Government of the United Kingdom. The position is the second highest ranking minister in the Cabinet Office, immediately after the Prime Minister, and senior to the Minist ...

until Nov. 1915. * 1918–1921 : The 1st Viscount Cowdray * 1921–1924 : Sir Robert Horne, M.P., Chancellor of the Exchequer 1921–1922. * 1924–1927 : The 1st Viscount Cecil of Chelwood,

* 1927–1930 : The 1st Earl of Birkenhead,

Secretary of State for India His (or Her) Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for India, known for short as the India Secretary or the Indian Secretary, was the British Cabinet minister and the political head of the India Office responsible for the governance of th ...

1924-1928 * 1930–1933 : Prof. Sir Arthur Keith * 1933–1936 : Walter Elliot, M.P. * 1936–1942 : Admiral Sir Edward Evans * 1942–1945 :

Sir Stafford Cripps Sir Richard Stafford Cripps (24 April 1889 – 21 April 1952) was a British Labour Party politician, barrister, and diplomat. A wealthy lawyer by background, he first entered Parliament at a by-election in 1931, and was one of a handful of La ...

, M.P., Lord Privy Seal in 1942 and

Minister of Aircraft Production The Minister of Aircraft Production was, from 1940 to 1945, the British government minister at the Ministry of Aircraft Production, one of the specialised supply ministries set up by the British Government during World War II. It was responsible ...

1942–1945. * 1945–1948 : Eric Linklater * 1948–1951 : The 2nd Baron Tweedsmuir * 1951–1954 :

Jimmy Edwards James Keith O'Neill Edwards, DFC (23 March 19207 July 1988) was an English comedy writer and actor on radio and television, best known as Pa Glum in ''Take It from Here'' and as headmaster "Professor" James Edwards in ''Whack-O!''. Early lif ...

* 1954–1957 : Admiral of the Fleet Sir Rhoderick McGrigor * 1957–1960 : John MacDonald Bannerman * 1960–1963 :

Peter Scott Sir Peter Markham Scott, (14 September 1909 – 29 August 1989) was a British ornithologist, conservationist, painter, naval officer, broadcaster and sportsman. The only child of Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, he took an interest i ...

* 1963–1966 :

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

Sir John Hunt * 1966–1969 :

Frank George Thomson Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...

* 1969–1972 : Jo Grimond, M.P. * 1972–1975 : Michael Barratt * 1975–1978 :

Iain Cuthbertson Iain Cuthbertson (4 January 1930 – 4 September 2009) was a Scottish character actor and theatre director. He was known for his tall imposing build and also his distinctive gravelly, heavily accented voice. He had lead roles in ''The Border ...

* 1978–1981 :

Sandy Gall Henderson Alexander Gall, (born 1 October 1927) is a Scottish journalist, author, and former ITN news presenter whose career as a journalist has spanned more than 50 years. Life and career Gall was born in Penang, Straits Settlements (prese ...

* 1981–1984 : Robert J. Perryment * 1985–1988 : Cllr.

Hamish Watt Hamish Watt (27 December 1925 – 12 April 2014) was a Scottish politician, farmer and writer. He was the SNP MP for Banffshire from 1974 to 1979, and was later Rector of the University of Aberdeen and a councillor. Early life He was born on ...

* 1988–1990 : Willis Pickard * 1991–1993 : Colin Bell * 1993–1996 : Ian Hamilton * 1996–1998 : Dr

Allan Macartney William John Allan Macartney (17 February 1941 – 25 August 1998) was a Scottish politician who served as a Scottish National Party MEP for the North East Scotland constituency between the 1994 European Parliament election and his sudden deat ...

, M.E.P. (died whilst in office) * 1998–2004 : Clarissa Dickson Wright * 2005–2008 : Robin Harper, M.S.P. * 2008–2011 : Stephen Robertson *2012–2014 : Maitland Mackie (died in office) *2014–2021 : Maggie Chapman *2022–''present'' : Martina Chukwuma-Ezike

References

External links

Aberdeen University official information about the Rector
{{Rectors of the University of Aberdeen, state=collapsed

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...