Understanding University structure
Being 'Ancient' - University structure
Each of the Ancient Scottish Universities (including St Andrews) are governed by a tripartite system of General Council, University Court, and Academic Senate, as defined by the Universities (Scotland) Acts.
The General Council of St Andrews is the corporate body of all graduates and senior academics. Its role is to ask questions of the University Court on matters of University well-being and prosperity. The Council also elects two Assessors to the University court, appoints people to serve on Court, and elects the University Chancellor.
The current Chancellor of St Andrews is Sir Menzies Campbell MP. The position of Chancellor is a figure-head position, and day-to-day running of the University is undertaken by the Principal, who also holds the title of Vice-Chancellor.
The University Court at St Andrews is the ultimate decision making body on all financial matters; responsible for the strategic direction of the University. The Court is chaired by the Rector, Alistair Moffat - a position elected by students and whose role is to represent students.
There are 23 members of court, drawn from the University, the local community and beyond. If you look at your contract of employment, you will see that it is not issued by the 'University of St Andrews' but by the 'University Court of the University of St Andrews'.
The Senatus Academicus is responsible for all academic matters, in particular regulating the teaching and discipline of the University. It also approved all degrees to be conferred by the University - graduations are officially a meeting of Senatus. If you look at your degree certificate, you will see that it is not issued by the 'University of St Andrews' but by the 'Senetus Academicus of the University of St Andrews.' However, as the membership of Senate is so large (in excess of 140 people) the senatus devolves most of its business to a more streamlined Academic Council. The Academic Council makes decisions regarding all education matters - e.g. semesterisation, marking scales and library matters - and is chaired by the Principal. Additionally, four members of Senate also sit on the Court.
There are also some key sub-committees that bridge both Court and Senate. The Planning and Resources Committee (PARC) reports to Court but also has very close links to Senate.