The Chancellor
The office of the Chancellor has existed since the foundation of the University, although there is no comprehensive definition of the powers of the modern Chancellor. The most authoritative definition comes from the return made by the University to the Commissioners of 1826 which states:
The Chancellor is head of the University. He [sic] is consulted on all public matters relative to its welfare, and he is also Conservator of its privileges. The power of conferring degrees is vested in him: this he may exercise either personally when present or by his depute when absent, with the advice of the doctors and masters of the University.
The Chancellor is the ordinary President of the General Council and appoints an assessor on the University Court.
The current Chancellor of the University of St Andrews is Dame Anne Pringle.
Dame Anne Pringle is a trailblazing British diplomat whose career has consistently broken new ground and expanded what is possible for those who serve in public life.
Born in Glasgow, she became the first woman to serve as the UK’s Ambassador to Russia from 2008 to 2011 and earlier as Ambassador to the Czech Republic, 2001 to 2004. Her diplomatic work centred on the most significant geopolitical issues of her time: European policy, including negotiations on the Maastricht treaty, and the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s collapse. In the 1990s she also contributed to the Middle East peace talks, bringing a steady commitment to dialogue in some of the world’s most complex regions. Her postings twice took her to both Brussels and Moscow.
After leaving the Foreign Office in 2012, Anne built a second career dedicated to leadership, governance and public service across business, culture and academia. She served on the Foreign Secretary’s Locarno Group (2012-2016), advising on strategic international issues; was a non-executive director of Ashmore Group plc (2012-2021); and a public appointments assessor (2012-2016). She also contributed to the cultural life of the UK as a trustee of Shakespeare’s Globe (2016-2021).
Anne's longstanding commitment to higher education led her back to the University of St Andrews, where, after four years on Court, she was elected Senior Governor (2016-2020). In this influential role, she oversaw institutional strategy, major capital projects and the effectiveness of the University’s highest governing body. Her leadership helped deliver significant developments across the University estate and strengthened St Andrews’ position as a world-leading institution.
Anne continues to contribute actively across sectors. She serves on the advisory board of a private asset manager, is a Patron of Kew Gardens and Glyndebourne Opera and a passionate supporter of education and the arts. She personally funds scholarships for undergraduates and researchers at St Andrews, reflecting her belief that opportunity, creativity and learning should be accessible to all.
Educated at the University of St Andrews (1973-1977), Anne graduated with an MA Hons in French and German. In recognition of her service as Senior Governor, the University conferred an Honorary DLitt on her in 2022.
The Chancellor welcomes engagement with all students and staff and will be delighted to meet as many of you as possible on request during her regular visits to St Andrews.
She can be reached at:
Email: chancellor@st-andrews.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 2544
College Gate
North Street
St Andrews
KY16 9AJ
Chancellor's first visit to St Andrews
The Chancellor was back in St Andrews for a first visit after her election to the role in February.
Ahead of her first official engagements, Dame Anne spent time meeting staff and students across the University. Her visit included a return to the School of Modern Languages, where she studied as an undergraduate.
Dame Anne also met with students from the Roosevelt Group.
Dame Anne met informally with a range of colleagues from Schools and Units, including a walkabout at Walter Bower House, Eden Campus.
Chancellor's installation address
Wednesday 1 July 2026, Younger Hall
Graduates, families, friends, and colleagues,
It is the honour of my life to stand before you today as the first woman elected to serve as Chancellor of this University in over six centuries.
Six centuries is, by any measure, quite a long recruitment process. But it is also a moment of real progress - and a reminder that even venerable institutions are capable of change.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, my election sparked some online commentary. One wit remarked: “congratulations St Andrews on discovering women after 600 years”. Another expressed concern about my entourage, particularly the Chief Mace Bearer, but trusted I would keep him under tight control.
Like many of you, I feel a deep connection to St Andrews - to its spirit, its traditions, and its enduring sense of purpose. I first came here as a child, on family holidays, studied here in the 1970s and later, at the end of my diplomatic career, I returned to serve on the University Court. To stand here now as Chancellor feels like a deeply privileged homecoming.
I would like to pay tribute to my distinguished predecessor, Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, who served this University with distinction for almost 20 years. We both grew up in Glasgow, and I came to know him well during my time on Court. I share his deep commitment to fairness and public service and will do my utmost to represent and promote the interests and values of the University, as he did.
The Principal and I chose to hold this installation during a graduation ceremony because, quite simply, this day belongs to you.
Graduation is often described as an ending. In truth, it’s more like a beginning. Each of you arrived here with questions. Some of you found answers. Many of you found better questions. That, more than anything, is the mark of an educated mind.
And what a moment to be stepping out into the world.
You are graduating into an age that can feel noisy, fast-moving and confusing. Never before have so many people had access to so much information and yet felt so unsure about what is true, what is worth defending, or even what it means to live a good life.
Every day seems to bring new challenges - technological transformation, climate change, political division, conflict. It is easy to look at all this and feel that uncertainty is something new.
But here’s the thing.
Every generation has felt it. What matters is not the uncertainty itself but how you respond to it. Because human beings are not passengers in history. History is shaped by people - by individuals who decide to act, to question, to build and sometimes simply to persist.
Very often those people are young. People like you.
And you bring with you remarkable strengths.
Yours is an age of astonishing power. Never before has humanity possessed such tools to communicate, to cure disease, to understand the universe, and to shape economies and societies. You are more globally connected than any generation before you. You speak more openly about mental health, identity, and difference. You are willing to challenge assumptions that no longer hold.
These are not small things. They are signs of progress - and they matter.
The world does not need you to have everything perfectly mapped out. If it did, most of us in this hall would be in serious trouble.
What it does need is your imagination, your energy and willingness to question and care.
So let me offer a few reflections:
Protect your character more fiercely than your CV.
Value real human connection in a world of constant distraction.
Be ambitious but remain kind.
And ask yourself not only what future you hope to find, but what role you will play in shaping it.
And when things do not go to plan —and let me reassure you, that happens quite often — remember that uncertainty is not failure. More often than not, it is where growth begins.
In years to come, people may not remember your exam results, except perhaps your amazing parents, your professors and the Principal, to whom we owe a profound debt of gratitude for making St Andrews the institution it is today.
But they will remember whether you acted with integrity; whether you helped others feel included, braver and more hopeful.
Today, you join a community that extends far beyond this hall and this moment. You carry St Andrews with you - its history, its spirit and its belief in the power of the human mind to seek truth across centuries and storms.
That inheritance now belongs to you. Use it well.
And remember, the world does not need perfection from you. But it does need you.
My warmest congratulations to you all.