Senior Lay Member

The Senior Lay Member has a key role to play in the governance of the University.

The Higher Education Scotland (Governance) Act 2016 requires the governing board of a higher educational institution to include the position of a  Senior Lay Member. This position to be filled by an election in which staff and students of the institution are entitled to vote.

The post of Senior Lay Member has replaced the post of Senior Governor (held by Dame Anne Pringle who demitted office on 31 July 2020).

The Senior Lay Member plays a leading role in the governance of the University with specific responsibilities for the leadership and effectiveness of Court, and ensuring an appropriate balance of authority and senior management.

The Senior Lay Member:

• has responsibility for ensuring that Court fulfils its objectives in a proper and effective manner;
• will preside over meetings of Court in the absence of, or at the request of the Rector and chair these items of business concerned with strategy, resources, accountability and performance review;
• review the performance of the Principal and serve as a member of key Court committees;
• and represent the University to the Scottish Funding Council, and on the Committee of University Chairs.

Professor Stuart Monro OBE, FRSE graduated with first class honours in geology at the University of Aberdeen in 1970 and has a PhD from the University of Edinburgh.

He spent much of his career with the British Geological Survey (BGS) on geological mapping and the application of geology to environmental issues. He was instrumental in driving the digitisation of geological data in BGS and was technical secretary to the Directors of Western European Geological Surveys (WEGS) Standing Group on Geological Information related to the Environment. He held the part-time position of Scientific Director of the Scottish Consortium for Rural Research, which brings researchers together across the field of rural research in universities and research institutions, from 2008 to 2018. He was the founding Scientific Director of Our Dynamic Earth, facilitating a better public understanding of the processes that have shaped the Earth. He was also a tutor in Earth Science with the Open University, a trustee of the National Museums Scotland and the first independent co-chair of the Scottish Science Advisory Council, advising Scottish Government on science policy.

He has been a member of Court at the University of Edinburgh and its vice-convener from 2007 to 2014 and served on the Council of the Open University from 1995 to 2002. He is an Honorary Professor in the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh.
He was awarded an OBE for services to science, the Distinguished Service Award of the Geological Society, honorary doctorates from the Open University, Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, and an honorary fellowship from the Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

He joined the University Court of the University of St Andrews in 2014 and was elected as Deputy Chair of Court in 2018.