The Chancellor is the titular head of the University of Edinburgh. Their duties include conferring degrees, promoting the University's image throughout the world, and furthering its interests, both within Scotland and beyond.
The position was created in 1858; prior to this the University was governed by the Lord Provost, Magistrates, and Town Council of Edinburgh. Candidates for the position are nominated and elected by alumni.[1]
The current Chancellor is The Princess Royal.
List of Chancellors of the University of Edinburgh
- 1859–1868 Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux
- 1868–1891 John Inglis, Lord Glencorse
- 1891–1930 Arthur Balfour (from 1922 Earl of Balfour)
- 1930–1937 Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet
- 1937–1940 John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir
- 1946–1952 Victor Hope, 2nd Marquess of Linlithgow
- 1953–2010 The Duke of Edinburgh
- 2011–present The Princess Royal[2]
Controversy
Some students and staff expressed criticism and protested against the "election" of Anne, Princess Royal, in 2011 under the banner "Party Against Privilege", criticising the princess as having "no connection to education" whilst being a "relic of an age where education was the domain of a privileged elite", stating that her installation was an "outrageous celebration of wealth and privilege" at a time when the University was cutting budgets and raising fees for many students to £9000 a year; others complained that the ceremony caused major disruption to teaching. The Student newspaper labelled the saga "A Fucking Disgrace".[3][4][5] As of January 2013 Edinburgh University Students' Association, the students' union, actively boycotts and campaigns against the Princess as Chancellor, calling for her resignation and a new democratic election process.[6][7]
References
- ^ Edinburgh University Library: PARQs: U to Z. Lib.ed.ac.uk. Retrieved on 14 June 2013.
- ^ New Chancellor elected | News | News and events. Ed.ac.uk (14 April 2011). Retrieved on 14 June 2013.
- ^ "Princess Royal becomes Edinburgh University chancellor". BBC News. 26 September 2011. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ "A Fucking Disgrace". The Student (newspaper). 9 October 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ "Students disrupt royal visit in protest over tuition fees". STV News. 26 September 2011. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2012.
- ^ "EUSA to campaign for resignation of University Chancellor". The Journal. 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
- ^ "Call for Princess Anne to quit her uni post". Edinburgh Evening News. 17 January 2013. Retrieved 19 January 2013.