Making Waves: The Campaign for St Andrews

Marking a milestone with Making Waves

Last month marked an exciting milestone in the University’s history with the launch of Making Waves: The Campaign for St Andrews. 

The Campaign aims to raise £300 million for projects across the University including our four key priorities: 'New College', the Digital Nexus Building, support for Scholarships, and funding Endowed Chairs. With over £121m already raised thanks to your support through the quiet phase, solid foundations have been laid.

• Almost 1,000 students have benefited from Wardlaw Scholarships, without which they would have faced significant barriers to higher education. Hear from some of our scholars about their life-changing experiences.

• Those who learn, teach and undertake world-leading research in 'New College' – which will become home to our renowned School of International Relations and new University of St Andrews Business School – will solve global challenges faced by society, from geopolitical tensions to the climate crisis, and economic and health inequalities.

• The £60m Digital Nexus Building marks the beginning of an ambitious redevelopment of the North Haugh, creating a state-of-the-art Science and Medicine Campus for St Andrews. Our researchers are already undertaking pioneering work in their fields and with the right infrastructure and technology in place they will change the world.

Watch the Making Waves Campaign film below, featuring the voice of honorary graduate and television presenter Dr Kirsty Wark (DLitt 2023).

Find out how we’re making waves at St Andrews and join us in shaping the future not only of our University, but of our world.

The Principal with University representatives and St Andrews alumni at Capitol Hill

Campaign Impact Events

Following the official launch of the Campaign in St Andrews at the end of September, the first of our Making Waves Impact Events were held in New York and Washington DC earlier this month. The Principal, Professor Dame Sally Mapstone, Professor Ineke De Moortel, Master of the United College, and Robert Fleming, Director of Development, travelled to the US to celebrate the impact of our Making Waves Campaign and meet with alumni, families and friends.

One highlight of the visit was a tour through the Capitol in Washington DC, organised and led by the DC Alumni club, and our bi-partisan alumni group on Capitol Hill.

You can view photographs from these events below.

We will be hosting further Impact Events in:

• London - Tuesday 12 November

• Berlin - Wednesday 13 November

• Frankfurt - Thursday 14 November

Additional dates and locations will follow. We hope to see many of our alumni, friends and Family Programme members there.

Saints Spotlight

Professor Dame Sally Mapstone, Principal and Vice-Chancellor

Each month, we’ll be catching up with a member of staff or current student to hear about the innovative research, entrepreneurial activities and drive to excel that make our University world-leading.

Our first Saint in the Spotlight is Professor Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University.

How did your St Andrews story start?

I first came to the University as a researcher in the 1980s, working in Special Collections on manuscripts and early printed books, and being invited up from the University of Oxford, where I was based, to give papers and lectures. I continued to do these things through the 1990s and noughties and right up until the time when I became Principal in 2016. My field of study is Older Scots literature, principally in Scots and Latin, and our University has wonderful holdings in this regard. When I first came to St Andrews there were hardly any coffee shops, or much in the way of shopping, but I loved the place from the moment I set foot in it.

What are your current priorities as Principal and Vice-Chancellor?

We have just launched the University’s ‘Making Waves’ fund-raising campaign which will take the University onto a new level with buildings for our staff and students, endowed academic chairs, and scholarships at undergraduate and postgraduate level. I hope everyone in the University will want to be involved in making this a success, as it is about securing a strong and purposeful future for this remarkable institution. The Campaign will dynamically interact with the University’s strategic priorities, of World-leading, Diverse, Entrepreneurial, Digital, and Sustainable St Andrews.

The past few years have been challenging for universities, but St Andrews is innovating and growing while others are contracting. Great universities never stand still; we must always move forward, but we have to do so with rhythm and with impact. 

What is your vision for the University and how do you plan to achieve it?

My vision is for a university that brings together quality and equality, that prizes both innovation and tradition, and believes that research and teaching go strongly together. Our University Strategy is designed to promote and achieve this, and our Making Waves Campaign will be strongly aligned with that.

The University Court oversees the University’s strategic direction, and the Principal’s Office, Schools and Units deliver our mission, but ultimately all of us, staff, students, alumni, and supporters, are crucial to our success.

In your opinion, what makes the University of St Andrews unique?

There is nowhere else like this: a beautiful coastal setting, a town that houses two iconic institutions, a set of unique and meaningful customs and traditions, and a University that has done what no other has done, in surpassing Oxbridge in domestic league tables.

Share your favourite spot in St Andrews.

The Principal’s pew in St Salvator’s Chapel, the very heart of medieval St Andrews. I enjoy being next to the extraordinary tomb of bishop James Kennedy, about whom I have written as a scholar, and I invariably find the atmosphere in St Salvator’s both calming and inspiring.

University news

St Andrews researchers discover hidden tomb at Petra, Jordan

University of St Andrews researchers have made the ground-breaking discovery of a secret tomb at Petra, Jordan – one of the new seven wonders of the world.

Professor Richard Bates, from the St Andrews School of Earth and Environmental Science, was part of a collaboration carrying out research at Al-Khazneh, the Treasury Building, at the World Heritage Site of Petra, Jordan.

The team found a long-buried tomb with the remains of 12 ancient skeletons beneath the iconic building, which sees over a million visitors each year.

Race Equality Charter award for St Andrews

The University has achieved a Race Equality Charter Bronze Award, recognising our ongoing efforts to advance race equality at St Andrews.

AdvanceHE’s Race Equality Charter (REC) supports universities and research institutes in their mission to enhance the representation, progression and success of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people in higher education.

The successful application is the culmination of several years of hard work by a passionate and committed team, led by Dr Akira O’Connor of the School of Psychology as Chair.

The St Andrews Links Collegiate 2024

After a great set of results in the R&A Student Tour Series in Ireland, the University's Golf team followed this up with a fantastic week at the St Andrews Links Collegiate 2024. Watch the highlights from the three-day tournament above.

Finalists announced for 2024 St Andrews Prize

Three projects have been announced as this year’s finalists in the St Andrews Prize for the Environment. The winning project will receive a cash award of $100,000 to support their organisation’s efforts in tackling the climate crisis. The Prize attracts entries from around the world and has awarded over $2.7 million in funding since it was founded in 1998.

The winning project will be announced during the University's Sustainability Week on Thursday 31 October following presentations to a panel of judges and students.

Students embrace Raisin Weekend in sustainable style

St Andrews students took part in one of the University's biggest traditions, Raisin Weekend, with fancy dress, a foam fight on Lower College Lawn, and fun with their academic families.

The focus this year was on celebrating sustainably. Students were actively encouraged to create costumes from recycled materials, make their own foam, and swap Raisin receipts for a donation to the foodbank.

Rooftop renewables plan for Scotland’s sunniest university

Many of our alumni and friends will know that St Andrews is one of the sunniest spots in Scotland, enjoying an average of 1,540 hours of sunshine each year. With this in mind, the University is considering a major project to fit its rooftops with solar panels in a bid to cut carbon, save money and reinvest the savings in an ambitious bid to be net zero by 2035.

The University is working with renewable specialists Vital Energi, to assess the suitability of 65 buildings for solar installations.

Events

Alumni Carol Services 2024

All are warmly invited to join us for this year's Alumni Carol Services, held in St Andrews and London. The Revd Samantha Ferguson will be conducting the St Andrews service and the University Chaplain Revd Dr Donald MacEwan will be conducting the London service. Both services will be followed by refreshments. Registration in advance is required.

• St Andrews Alumni Carol Service, St Salvator's Chapel, North Street – Monday 9 December at 7pm (Register for tickets)

• London Alumni Carol Service, St Columba's Church, Pont Street – Wednesday 18 December at 7pm (Register for tickets)

Sustainability Week

The University is marking Sustainability Week with a programme of events running from Saturday 26 October to Saturday 2 November. 

Please follow the link below for full details of the remaining events in the Sustainability Week 2024 programme.

Theiya Arts Photo credit: Estefani Correia (It's the Key Photography)

South Asian Festival of Poetry, Music and Dance

A reminder that all are warmly invited to attend the inaugural South Asian Festival of Poetry, Music and Dance on Saturday 16 November in the McPherson Recital Room at the Laidlaw Music Centre.

The festival is supported by the Kaleidoscope Alumni Network.

Dance Workshop, led by Theiya Arts and featuring a variety of dance traditions

2.30-4.30pm (10 spaces available, which must be booked in advance. Please contact Dr Jane Pettegree at jkp1@st-andrews.ac.uk if you wish to attend.)

Reception, hosted by the Indian Society

6-7pm

Festival of Poetry, Music and Dance, featuring music from flautist Diljeet Bhachu, poetry, dance and music from staff and students from a range of South Asian cultural backgrounds.

7-9.30pm

If you would like to opt in to receive updates and communications from the Kaleidoscope Alumni Network, please contact stakan@st-andrews.ac.uk. 

Alumni Stories

L-R: Gabriele Uboldi, Jacob Ware and Professor Bruce Hoffman

Alumnus and author Jacob Ware (MA 2017) studied International Relations at the University and was inspired by a lecture at St Andrews to embark on a career in counterterrorism. Here, Jacob shares his Alumni Story, following the launch of God, Guns and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America, which he co-authored with former St Andrews academic Professor Bruce Hoffman.

Fresh from the stage at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, former Laidlaw Scholar Gabriele Uboldi (MA 2020) reflects on his journey from northern Italy to St Andrews, his involvement with Mermaids – the University’s Performing Arts Fund – and his plans for a potential tour with his show Lessons on a Revolution.

If you would like to share your Alumni Story, please contact the editor at deveditorial@st-andrews.ac.uk. We love to hear how our alumni are making waves around the world.

Alumni Authors

Have you recently published a book? Alumni who have written a book either in their academic field or beyond are welcome to submit it to our Alumni Authors platform. Books submitted will be considered for promotion in St Andrews in the News.

SaintsFunder

Founded in 1904, Saints Hockey is one of the University's oldest and largest sports clubs. The Club has grown significantly over the past decade, expanding from six teams in 2014 to 11 in 2024. The Saints Hockey teams compete in BUCS and National Leagues, in addition to recreational play.

Saints Hockey seeks to transform coaching for the men's side of the Club, marking the next phase in its development.

Laidlaw Live

Look out for the latest Laidlaw Music Centre live-streamed concerts and access high quality music – wherever you are in the world.

Reconnect!

If you know someone who would like to reconnect and sign up for St Andrews in the News, they can do so using the links below:

Alumni: Update your contact information

Parents/guardians of undergraduate students: Register to join the Family Programme

Email: alumni@st-andrews.ac.uk for more information