Dear Students,

To those of you who have just arrived, welcome to St Andrews and congratulations on making such an excellent choice! And to all of you returning for the new academic year, it’s great to see you again.

As you will already know, St Andrews has many traditions, one of the most important of which is the right of students to elect their Rector. The Rector ensures that the student voice is heard when decisions as to the direction of the University are being taken, including everything from the availability and cost of accommodation to the functioning of the library and changes to degree courses.

I was honoured to be elected as your Rector last October. My St Andrews degree has taken me far and wide since I graduated – I have worked in the fields of international development and environmental campaigning, latterly as head of Friends of the Earth International – and I am now the Scottish Information Commissioner, based right here in St Andrews.

Over these next few weeks I will be particularly keen to speak to new students, so you are always welcome to come up and say hello or to come and speak to me about any issue you want to raise. You don’t have to make an appointment, and I hold regular surgeries in the Union (the next surgery will be at 2pm on Thursday 1st October).

I also regularly attend and take an active part in student events, including guest lectures, charity shows, debating competitions and so on, and I am happy to lend my support to as many initiatives as possible, given the phenomenal range of student-led activities in St Andrews.

You can always get hold of me by e-mail and I try to respond quickly. You can also contact James Shield, the Rector’s Assessor, for advice (the Assessor is a current student who assists me and also sits on University Court). James is a 4th year International Relations student and can be contacted here.

Finally, you can find out more about the role of the Rector and keep up to date with current activities here on my website.

I know you will have a great time at the University – enjoy.

Kevin Dunion
Rector