St Andrews University rector removed from court role

The rector of St Andrews University has been removed from her role as president of the university court for allegedly failing to follow governance rules.

Stella Maris objected to the planned removal of the rector's assessor as part of a series of planned changes to the make-up of the institution's governing body.

The university claimed Maris, who previously won an appeal against being removed from the role over another issue, had "refused to accept she was bound by collective responsibility" during the process.

Maris accused the university of reducing constitutional, statutory and fiduciary concerns to "matters of personality and disruption".

A spokesperson for the university's student union said students had become "collateral damage" in the dispute.

The university alleged Maris had claimed full authority over chairing the university court and "should have absolute discretion" over all aspects of the management of its meetings.

They said that went against the Scottish Code of Good Higher Education Governance, which has been used by the institution since 2008.

In a post on social media, Maris said proposed ordinances changing the composition of the court "weakened its independent, elected accountability".

The university court has overall responsibility for governance of the institution, including the management of "financial, human and physical" resources.

Maris said plans to remove the rector's assessor risked "shifting power" away from elected accountability to internal governance "controlled by the university court itself".

In a statement, the university said Maris had agreed to follow the university's protocols when she was elected rector by students in 2023.

They claimed she had accused court members of "acting unlawfully" when they voted to uphold its standard procedures.

The university added that the Scottish Funding Council, the regulatory body which funds and oversees governance at all Scottish universities, issued written guidance confirming that the university's interpretation of the rules was correct following the October meeting.

It also claimed that Maris had declined an offer to bring forward her own proposals to change court procedures, declined an offer of mediation, declined to withdraw the allegation of unlawful behaviour, declined to agree to be bound by collective responsibility and declined to resign.

A spokesperson for the university said: "Members of a governing body have clear legal responsibilities and cannot pick and choose which rules they observe.

"It is a matter of regret that considerable time and scarce university resources have been required to address the rector's persistent claims about her own constitutional powers, when court should be focused on addressing the extremely challenging financial circumstances facing St Andrews and all other UK universities at present."

Maris can appeal the ruling.

She was previously successful in appealing against being removed from her court role in August 2024 after sending an email to all students referring to "genocidal attacks" carried out by the Israeli government shortly after she was elected in October 2023.

Maris - a former St Andrews student - will retain the title and office of rector until her term expires in October 2026.

She told BBC Scotland News she had acted "consistently and in good faith" throughout the process and claimed the university had dismissed legal concerns.

She added: "The rector is not a ceremonial role but exists to provide independent challenge and democratic accountability, particularly for student voices. Insisting on those responsibilities is not a power play; it is a basic duty.

"This is the second attempt to remove a democratically elected President, relying on a selective use of collective responsibility while legal advice was withheld.

"This is not about personalities, but about governance and whether student democracy is taken seriously."

Robert Moran, student union president of opportunities, said the relationship between the rector and the university was "broken beyond repair".

He said students had been "caught in the middle" of the dispute, adding that there was a "lack of clarity" over the role of rectors within the university set-up.

He added: "An extraordinary amount of time, effort, and resources have been wasted on this issue - resources that should have been used to improve students' lives and address the growing financial crisis facing universities across Scotland.

"This distraction has come at a real cost to the student experience.

"Students deserve better than infighting, uncertainty, and wasted resources."